To handle tough podcast questions, give a short answer first, then move to your messages. Twelve techniques cover the tricky moments: choose one question, never repeat the negative, say I do not know and pivot, add heart, reframe, stay positive, call the moment, tie a bow, and recover if you forget.
Tough podcast questions are manageable when you have a technique for each situation. Everything starts with the main formula in how to answer podcast questions without dodging: a short answer, then your three messages. These 12 techniques cover the specific moments that throw people off.
What are the 12 situational techniques?
1. Choose a question
If you get several questions at once, as politicians often do at press conferences, do not juggle them. Pick the one you like the most. When I asked reporters why they do it, they told me they were throwing out a bunch of things to see what would stick. It was not a plot. If someone complains you skipped number four, say "I am happy to answer all your questions, just give them to me one at a time." You do not have to be the good little school child.
2. Do not repeat what you do not want quoted
Imagine the host says "isn't it true that people like you are out to take people's money?" and you answer "well, there are a lot of people who just want to take your money, but our company has been around 100 years." The quote they use may be the first half. It is not a misquote. If you said it, they can use it. Use the formula: short answer, then where you want to go. Bill Gates, asked "have you lost your edge?", said "well, throughout the history of Microsoft, that question has come up" and moved on. He did not repeat the negative. Read more in don't repeat the negative in an interview.
3. Do not enlighten them on everything else you know
You can go toward your three message categories, or you can wander into the land of everything else you know. It is tempting, because we like to show we are knowledgeable. It is a mistake. If the host asks about last night's big game when you are there to discuss your new service, do not analyze the defense. Say "great game, I enjoyed it, but the real excitement for me was getting up early and being on with you." Then transition back. Spend the least time possible on anything off message.
4. The rhetorical answer
You ask your own question and answer it. If asked whether the tax code is confusing, say "should everyone know about this strategy? Yes. Are they losing money by not knowing? Absolutely. Here is what to do." It gives you control and it counts as a sound bite, so you are more likely to be quoted.
5. Be clear and easy to understand
A confused mind always says no. I used to host authors who, asked "tell us about your book," began "well, let me start from the beginning. Seventeen years ago I did some research, and then I bumped my toe, and really you have to go back a few steps." I would watch the host's face and see them wondering how to get this back on track. If a concept might not land, practice it on somebody and let them tell you. More in a confused mind says no in media interviews.
6. The I do not know technique
Yes, you can say it, as long as you follow it with something you do know. If asked a legal question, I might say "I am not an attorney, but having served on a jury, I can tell you it usually takes as long as necessary." Then I move to my area: as a communication consultant, I noticed the prosecutor kept saying it would be quick and easy. The start of their question became a jumping-off point. You also signal "do not ask me more about that." Or: "I do not have that exact number for that month. What I can tell you is the trend we found." If you should have the data, add "we are happy to get that to you after the interview."
7. The heart technique
People prepping or in a crisis focus on facts and forget the heart: how people were affected, what it means for the community or employees. After an explosion, a company might state the fact of a pressure buildup and the investigation, and then say the seven people hurt are more than employees, they are part of the family, and we will keep their families informed. Ask yourself whether your interview needs more heart.
8. Reframe in your brain
When a question is nasty, ask what they are really asking. "Aren't people in your profession out to take people's money?" really means "how can we trust you?" or "how do we find a trustworthy person in this profession?" Now you are answering from a place of helping and educating, which is far better than being defensive. Tony Blair, asked about a militant group that was not wiped out, did exactly this: he reframed it as how these wars differ from conventional ones and answered that.
9. Keep it positive
Unless your brand is to be negative, as a critic or a debater, stay positive. A tough question is often an objection, and in sales you learn to love objections. You can smile and stand your ground, or you can say "how dare you" and walk off. If asked "people with ideas like this are often charlatans, aren't they?" try "it would be easy to paint everyone that way, so let us look at the facts. What we found was..." You are more likable, you did not get caught up in the moment, and you leave as an educator and a winner.
10. Call the moment
Say you knock over a bottle of water in the middle of an interview, and it is running across the desk. Everybody is noticing. Do not pretend it did not happen. Say something: "that just shows how excited I am about this." People like you more, they respect you, and you get the moment back. It works with topics too. If the audience is thinking "your company went bankrupt a few years ago," say it first, give a short answer about the restructuring and the jobs you wanted to save, and move on.
11. Tie a bow
Sometimes you are talking and do not know where the end is, and you start sweating because you are going on too long. Bring your voice down at the end of a sentence to show you are finished, and the host will jump in. Or cut yourself off: "and those are the most important parts." Then you are done.
12. If you forget
You have a brain blip mid answer. Rick Perry, running for president, listed three agencies he would eliminate, forgot the third, and said "oops." Do not wallow. If you were numbering, say "number one is this, number two is this, and number three, you know what, just see numbers one and two. That is the most important thing I want listeners to take away." Or say "look, the bottom line, what I want people to know is," and switch to something you do remember. The host thinks you are being conversational, and the missing thought often pops back later. Do not let anyone know about the mental breakdown, and do not have one.
How do you make these stick?
You do not know whether you can use them in a real interview unless you practice. Put them on a sheet, hand a friend a list of tough, mean and easy questions, and run a full interview. The method is in how to answer podcast questions without dodging. For a broader view, see how to answer tough media interview questions and questions off your message map.