Comments on: Deliberately Avoiding Questions http://commons.iabc.com/media/2006/12/09/deliberately-avoiding-questions/ A Blog Community for Business Communicators Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:08:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Karen Friedman http://commons.iabc.com/media/2006/12/09/deliberately-avoiding-questions/#comment-6714 Karen Friedman Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:37:22 +0000 http://commons.iabc.com/media/2006/12/09/deliberately-avoiding-questions/#comment-6714 Often, the real question is the question that is asked. As a reporter for more than twenty years, I can tell you that people often dug their own graves so to speak because they over thought the question or read into it a different agenda or something that never occured to me. So while they tried to figure out what the "real" question was, they went off on tangents and talked about something else which then became the story. For example, I once said to an executive, " Can you tell me a little bit about your future plans?" He replied, " It is not our policy to disclose financials." That is not what I asked him and it didn't even cross my mind. While media trainers (myself included) will teach you to re-state, re-frame and move toward delivering one of your key messages, it is important to acknowledge the question, address it or at least appear to address it and then move on. While I appreciate what David is saying and don't mean to contradict, you should not put yourself in the reporters shoes because you are not really talking to the reporter. You are talking to the reporter's audience--so think reader, listener and viewer. The reporter will ask you the questions they think their audience would ask. You want to wear your audience's shoes. Often, the real question is the question that is asked. As a reporter for more than twenty years, I can tell you that people often dug their own graves so to speak because they over thought the question or read into it a different agenda or something that never occured to me. So while they tried to figure out what the “real” question was, they went off on tangents and talked about something else which then became the story. For example, I once said to an executive, ” Can you tell me a little bit about your future plans?” He replied, ” It is not our policy to disclose financials.” That is not what I asked him and it didn’t even cross my mind. While media trainers (myself included) will teach you to re-state, re-frame and move toward delivering one of your key messages, it is important to acknowledge the question, address it or at least appear to address it and then move on. While I appreciate what David is saying and don’t mean to contradict, you should not put yourself in the reporters shoes because you are not really talking to the reporter. You are talking to the reporter’s audience–so think reader, listener and viewer. The reporter will ask you the questions they think their audience would ask. You want to wear your audience’s shoes.

]]> By: David Pincus http://commons.iabc.com/media/2006/12/09/deliberately-avoiding-questions/#comment-4737 David Pincus Wed, 24 Jan 2007 15:08:04 +0000 http://commons.iabc.com/media/2006/12/09/deliberately-avoiding-questions/#comment-4737 A quick addition to Eric Bergman's thoughtful and thorough note on avoiding, or reclarifying, tough, potentially self-damaging questions. Rephrasing the leading or one-sided question is an excellent technique for putting the question in a way that you can respond, which is always preferred over avoiding or sidestepping. A key to figuring out when to do that, and even more importantly how to re-state, is thinking beyond the superficial and trying to get at what's behind the question itself. What's the "real" question being posed? What's the reporter really trying to get me to say that's "news-breaking" and/or embarrassing?" What's the media's agenda at this moment, in light of recent history, issues and trends? In other words, put yourself in the reporter's shoes and mindset and ask you the questions you, the reporter, would ask you -- knowing what you know about your organization and its situation. A quick addition to Eric Bergman’s thoughtful and thorough note on avoiding, or reclarifying, tough, potentially self-damaging questions. Rephrasing the leading or one-sided question is an excellent technique for putting the question in a way that you can respond, which is always preferred over avoiding or sidestepping.

A key to figuring out when to do that, and even more importantly how to re-state, is thinking beyond the superficial and trying to get at what’s behind the question itself. What’s the “real” question being posed? What’s the reporter really trying to get me to say that’s “news-breaking” and/or embarrassing?” What’s the media’s agenda at this moment, in light of recent history, issues and trends? In other words, put yourself in the reporter’s shoes and mindset and ask you the questions you, the reporter, would ask you — knowing what you know about your organization and its situation.

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