Not all interview questions are going to be easy and you may sometimes find yourself under fire from a hostile journalist who doesn’t like you or the message in your book. In fact some interviewers make their living by making their guest’s life hard but even tough interviews provide you with an opportunity to win fans and generate more positive exposure. If you follow these two essential elements of success you’ll be able to stay in control no matter what.
The Two Elements of Success:
- Anticipation
- Delivering the right response
Anticipation
Consider the audience
- What is their reason for listening/viewing?
- What do they want to see or hear?
Consider your position
- What is your key message?
- What is the worst possible question?
- What will your response be?
Delivering The Right Response
- Listen carefully, right to the end of the question. Do not assume that the question is hostile.
- Consider repeating, or paraphrasing the question. This tactic should not be over-used, but will help to buy thinking time, and clarify the precise information being sought.
- Separate multiple questions. A questioner will often include several points. Make sure that you understand and respond to each one. Don’t be afraid to say “Remind me of your other point”
- Keep calm. Ignore any unpleasantness, and answer the question directly. Never use sarcasm.
- Never belittle the questioner. If you do, onlookers will side with the questioner, not you. In addition, you may be upsetting a key contact.
- Don’t make assumptions. Accept the questioner’s presuppositions, correcting them gently if necessary.
- Smile. Thank the questioner for their enquiry.
- Don’t feel that you have to respond. Instead, you might:
- Ask for clarification
- Admit ignorance – but offer to find out
- Explain the commercial confidentiality of the potential answer
- Treat the question as a joke “Good try – You know we can’t talk about that”
- Offer an answer about a related topic
