Never say “no comment” in a media interview
In any media interview, it’s possible that you will face difficult or unexpected questions. Preparing for interviews, trying to anticipate challenging questions and rehearsing potential answers are good tactics for responding to anything that may arise. But the one answer you should never fall back to is “no comment”. Anthony Caruana and Kathryn Goater, Co-CEOs, Media-Wize explain why.
It is inevitable that, eventually, you will face a question that you are not able to answer on the spot. In some cases, it might be about a specific fact or figure that you don’t have off the top of your head. In that case, you can simply tell the interviewer that you need to confirm the piece of information and that you will get back to them. Just make sure you do get back to them.
But there may be times when you are simply asked a question that, if answered, could result in unfavourable coverage. This can happen during the heat of a crisis when you’re under increased pressure and have less time to prepare. Saying “no comment” will not help you and could lead increased scrutiny. It could damage your reputation, make you look incompetent, or that you are trying to hide something.
How can you navigate a way through that difficult, and potentially damaging, situation?
Here’s a conversation you will have heard many times when a politician is being interviewed:
Interviewer: Why has the cost of living risen while you’ve been in government, putting many families under pressure?
Politician: Several issues have resulted in people feeling increased financial stress. Over the last two years we have increased the minimum wage, introduced tax cuts and provided more funding for childcare putting more money back into people’s pockets. Our policies have reduced the impact that changes in global markets have pushed onto us.
In this exchange, the politician has done several things.
- They have acknowledged the question and accepted that people are under increased financial pressure.
- They have talked about the positive things they have done that have minimised the impact. Note that the response talks about helping those most vulnerable to cost of living pressures (people on minimum wage), helped every single wage earner (tax cuts), helped working families and mothers gain affordable childcare, and dealt with the external environment (policies about global markets).
The answer was succinct, and the politician used the opportunity to tell a more positive story.
This technique is called bridging. The politician has taken the interview away from the premise of the question by acknowledging it and then moved to the topics they are comfortable talking about.
You can use the same technique. Here’s an example that we have come across many times with startups.
Interviewer: Your last funding announcement indicated that your overall valuation has fallen over the last two years. Is the business in trouble?
Spokesperson: While our valuation, based on the funding announcement, has dipped a little we have seen strong growth in customer numbers and our subscription renewal rate continues to be at the higher end of expectations. Valuation is just one of several metrics we look at when we assess company performance.
Again, the spokesperson has acknowledged the question and then shifted the response towards more positive comments.
The key is for spokespeople to be prepared and to anticipate potentially challenging questions. Once they have a list of questions, it’s important to rehearse the responses out loud. Building muscle memory so the responses are articulate and confident requires practice.
During a media interview, you should never respond with “no comment”. Always be prepared to answer and bridge to topics that are in line with your key messages and shine a positive light on your small business or start up.
Remember that when you are talking to a journalist, you are really taking to their audience. Always be helpful, professional and respectful as your behaviour reflects on your personal and business brand. And never lose your cool.
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