Tackling climate change by using ‘permanent cups’ doesn’t sound like a great soundbite, does it?
Yet it was the one that emerged from a high-profile interview.
And it happened because the spokesperson stumbled over a personal question – a type of question we often explore during our media training courses.
It happened when Environment secretary Thérèse Coffey appeared on BBC Breakfast amid mounting pressure over the Prime Minister’s decision - at the time - not to attend the COP27 climate summit.
Presenter Rachel Burden asked the politician, “what are you doing in your own life to address climate concern?”
Ms Coffey replied: “I’ve always tried to keep the good habits that I got into when I was environment minister before, so the use of kind of cups as it were, to be about permanent cups that we can recycle properly or reuse I think is a better way of doing it.
“We just all have to keep thinking about the amount of packaging we endure or food waste and other elements like that.
“So, I’ll be getting back very much being a champion for those habits, which is about improving what we can do every day in order to help tackle the environmental challenges we face.”
An answer that lacked meaning, substance and conviction – we've edited many 'errs' from these quotes.
And it was met with “right, so reusable cups then,” from the bemused presenter.
A columnist in The Times described the question as “easy enough for primary school assembly”. Ouch.
But the problem with personal questions in media interviews is that while they may seem straightforward, they often cause spokespeople to flounder.
Let’s look at some other examples that stick in the memory.
Eddie Mair is the master of the personal question.
He once asked Francis Maude, a government minister urging people to do more voluntary work, “what volunteering do you do?”
“Golly, what do I? That’s a really unfair question, cold,” the politician answered.
A few years later, he asked Liz Truss, “How have you personally been affected by austerity?”
The question provoked a lengthy exchange which ended with Ms Truss saying, “I just don’t think it is a good question, I don’t know what it means.”
“Well, I won’t comment on your answer,” Mr Mair responded.
But personal questions are not reserved for politicians.
Who can forget the infamous Watchdog interview with Pontins boss Eileen Downey?
She appeared on the programme to respond to a report where more than 100 customers complained about bad smells, dirty bathrooms, holes in walls and blood-stained bedding during their stays.
And the first question she faced was, “where did you go for your holidays this year?”
A confused Ms Downey said she had been to Majorca. The interviewer Anne Robinson then had the opportunity to ask whether Ms Downey had experienced blood-stained sheets and holes in the sofa.
Another example we sometimes show on our media training courses features Patrick Moore.
He appeared on French TV to support an American agrochemical company and offered to drink one of its herbicides.
Dr Moore was arguing that glyphosate, the main ingredient in the Roundup weed killer, is not particularly dangerous.
“I do not believe that glyphosate in Argentina is causing increases in cancer,” he told the programme. “You can drink a whole quart of it and it won’t hurt you.” Clearly delighted by this bold statement the interviewer asked “You want to drink some? We have some here.”
He replied: “I’d be happy to actually.” But then immediately added: “Not really, but I know it wouldn’t hurt me.”
When invited again, Dr Moore added: “I’m not stupid.”
So, why do personal questions cause such problems?
People don’t expect them.
They prepare for the interview and know the message they want to get across.
But they don’t think about how the subject could be turned to them.
And then a question that seems pretty innocuous to those watching and viewing causes panic, confusion and awkward answers.
So, this needs careful consideration as part of media interview preparation.
If you work in finance, you could be asked about your savings, pensions and spending habits.
If you work in the NHS, you might face questions about the last time you got a GP appointment.
And if you work for a holiday company, you may be asked about your latest trip.
Consider how you would respond to those sorts of questions. And, in the interview, use the bridging technique to help you move the conversation to safer ground if the question feels uncomfortable – such as the Liz Truss one on austerity.
But spokespeople should also change the way they approach personal questions.
Rather than being a question to fear and move away from as quickly as possible, they should be seen as an opportunity.
In many cases, a well-handled personal question helps spokespeople inject personality into an interview and show their human side, while supporting the message they want to get across.
It can add credibility to what you are saying and show there is more to it than words. As we tell our media training delegates, people love stories about other people.
There was a brilliant example of how to do this from Mark Drakeford, the First Minister of Wales. During a live question and answer session about lockdown restrictions in 2020, he was asked about his favourite cheese.
He said: "That's probably the hardest question I've had so far because I really like cheese, and always have since I was a tiny child and I used to walk up to my grandparents in their farm.
“One of the things I used to look forward to when I got there was the fact my grandmother would pass me a piece of cheese to eat.
“Caerphilly is a cheese that I really like - that crumbly, slightly salty cheese that is Caerphilly. But actually, there's a lot of cheeses I like and I'll be eating some of it over this weekend."
So, tell us about the changes you are making at home to be more environmentally friendly. Tell us about your volunteering experiences or all the hard-working doctors and nurses you encountered last time you visited a hospital.
But that’s just my personal opinion.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with more than 35 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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