As strange as it sounds, it is not always the most hostile interviews which produce the trickiest questions for media spokespeople to answer.
In fact, it can often be a failure to spot a challenging question in a less confrontational interview which can lead to negative media coverage.
Sometimes these questions may appear harmless and the spokesperson doesn’t see the subtle sting in the tail until it is too late.
On our media training courses we always stress the importance of preparation and part of that should concentrate on identifying the difficult questions.
That does not mean you have to painstakingly research and prepare for every possible question. But you do need to be able to identify and prepare for the different types of questions you could get asked.
Here are seven of the trickiest questions we think you could face in your next interview:
The hypothetical question
‘What would happen if?’ is a question which regularly comes up in media interviews.
In the current general election climate a spokesperson may be asked to predict what would happen if Theresa May secured a much larger majority, or if Labour returned to power.
Journalists love to speculate and invite their interviewee’s to do the same.
But predicting the future is an area which is fraught with danger for spokespeople. The best approach is to stick to facts and not indulge in any future gazing.
The hostage to fortune question
If something has gone wrong for your organisation, let’s say a data breach for example, you may be asked something along the lines of ‘how will you make sure this never happens again?’
Of course, you want to deliver a reassuring message, but you also don’t want to commit to something you are unlikely to be able to live up to or which could come back to haunt you in the future.
So avoid bold statements in your response which could be dug up from the archives if something similar happens in the future. Instead, say something like ‘we are determined to get to the bottom of what has happened’.
The innocuous sounding question
We always tell delegates on our media training courses that the interview starts from the moment they enter the room and does not end until they or the journalist has left.
And there’s a very simple reason.
The small talk and innocuous questions asked while the interview is being set up, or while equipment is being packed away, could actually become the story.
Let’s say the reporter asks whether you have been away. You think little of the question and mention you’ve just got back from the Caribbean. This all sounds perfectly fine until it appears in an article which reports on job losses or that your staff have not had a pay rise for two years.
You can still make small talk, but be aware that everything you say is on the record.
The repeated question
This is an approach which sometimes causes spokespeople to crack and deviate from the message they want to get across.
They think they have answered the reporter’s question, only for it to be asked again with slightly different wording, either immediately or slightly later in the interview.
Sometimes this approach will be used because the reporter believes the spokesperson has tried to dodge the question. But on other occasions it is used because experience tells journalists that when a question is asked again and again, the interviewee will give a different answer and deviate away from their message. Stick to your message.
The accusation question
Sometimes journalists will ask a question which sounds more like an accusation. For example, if a spokesperson is being interviewed on annual figures the journalist could ask ‘this is a bit of a disaster isn’t it’.
Many spokespeople, when faced by this type of question, instinctively try to rebut the accusation by repeating the negative language. So, going back to the example above, they might say ‘I wouldn’t call it a disaster’.
The problem with this is it allows the journalist to edit a sound bite, without their question, but just with you using the negative language. Another issue is when the spokesperson gives the impression of agreeing with the negative statement by nodding their head as the reporter asks the question.
The key here is to remember that you don’t need to repeat an accusation to rebut it. Something as simple as ‘No, not at all, in fact this is a great demonstration of…’ (and then move onto your own pre-prepared messages) should work.
A question about your competitors
You’ll often see and hear spokespeople in interviews be asked a question about something a rival company has done.
And it can be very tempting to be critical.
But this temptation should be avoided. The interview is an opportunity for you to get your message across rather than wasting valuable media exposure talking about your rivals.
The ‘while you are here’ / ‘And finally’ question You’ve answered all the questions on the interview topic. Then suddenly, as the interview draws to a close, the journalist asks something completely unrelated. It’s topical and perhaps relevant to your sector, but nothing to do with what you arranged to discuss. The key here is for spokespeople to ensure they are familiar with wider issues which are on the news agenda, particularly those connected to their sector, and know what they will say if the issue comes up.
It is also important that in answering this question spokespeople do not say anything which may detract from their main message. On our media training courses, we talk about the importance of briefly answering, or at least acknowledging the question, and then bridging back to your main message. For example, you could use a phrase like ‘but, what I’m most concerned about is...’ to get you back to the topic you at to talk about.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with over 30 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.
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