How to handle hard questions from reporters
Written by Katie test Davis
I’ve had clients tell me that they’re nervous to do live television appearances or even speak with a reporter. “What if they ask me something I don’t know the answer to?” they ask us, dread in their voices. “What if they ask me about something I don’t want to talk about?”
Well, friends, you don’t need to be nervous, you just need to pivot.
Pivot phrases – also known as bridging phrases – empower spokespeople to change the conversation and redirect during media interviews. (Though, you can also use these phrases in your personal life when you’re ready to move a conversation along. Don’t ask me how I know…)
You can see great pivots in action when an interviewee takes control of the conversation and only answers what they want to answer. In a great bridging example, a spokesperson for Lenovo is asked about his company’s losses, and he deftly replies: “well first, I think you have to look at what we have achieved this year…” – a genius way to get his message on air.
Great pivots refocus your listener on your experience. They help you, as a spokesperson, stay laser focused on your core messages, your core values, and your strategic thinking and vision.
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Below is a list of Forthright Advising’s favorite pivot phrases. Make sure you practice them until they feel authentic to you. Choose the one(s) that sound most like you, and that you would feel comfortable saying.
“Great question, but what’s most important for parents to understand is…”
“Keep in mind that…”
“Let me tell you what we’ve been seeing…”
“I’m not sure that’s the case…”
“That said…”
“Let me put that in context...”
“That’s an interesting question, but what I’m here to talk about is...”
“I’m not an expert on that, but what I can talk about…”
“I don’t know about that, but what I do know is... “
“What we see as an even bigger issue is…”
“The thing we are focusing on most is…”
“What our research shows is…”
“That is an issue, but what the public is most concerned about is …”
“Today we are focused on…”
“Well, first, I would like to say…”
“The important thing to focus on…”
“Well I think the three main things to focus on are…”
“That’s a possibility, but what we’re calling for is…”
“That’s one view, but we need to look at how this fits into the bigger picture…”
“I’ve heard that, but I know…”
So the next time a reporter calls and asks to talk with you – you can speak with confidence, knowing you can pivot away whenever you need to!
