Four Foolproof Ways of Getting Your Message Across an Interview
In today’s media environment—where conversations are clipped, headlines shortened, and narratives rewritten in seconds—getting your message across isn’t optional: it’s mission-critical. We always recommend these three proven techniques to ensure your message lands, no matter the format or pressure.
1) State the Most Important Key Message First
Don’t wait for the right opportunity – it may never come. When a journalist asks their first question, use that as the opportunity to deliver your most important key message first. Use their most important question – the first one – to communicate your most important answer. Doing this in a seamless way takes practice and sets the tone for the whole interview.
2) Acknowledge and Steer
It’s highly unlikely that a journalist will ask questions that lead perfectly into your key messages. So how do you get from the question being asked, to the thing you want to talk about? Steering.
Steering is an art, not a science; it should come off as a natural thought progression. Executed badly, it can sound like you’re dodging the question: “That raises an important issue…”
And once the steering phrase is delivered, pivot to the thing you want to talk about. A strong spokesperson with a strong steering technique will sound in control, while a poorly prepared spokesperson with weak steering lines will sound evasive.
3) Take Advantage of the “Wrap Up”
At the end of an interview, many journalists will ask a final question: “Do you have anything else to add?” These last few moments of an interview provide a great opportunity to repeat an important message – particularly if you feel like you stumbled earlier on in the interview. If the journalist doesn’t offer a “wrap up” moment, make one: “Before you go, there’s one more thing I’d like to add…”
4) Use a Positive Restatement
A positive restatement ensures that even if you’re responding to a negative or loud question, your answer doesn’t mirror it. Instead, you affirm your own narrative. Echo the essence of the question neutrally, and restate with a positive like: “Our policy ensures…” or “Our teams are committed to…” which will allow you to sidestep negative framing and put your own constructive narrative front and center.
In today’s attention economy – where messages are judged by soundbite – these are no longer “nice to haves.” They’re your toolkit to be an authentic spokesperson and protecting your reputation.