Keeping Your Cool in a Hostile Interview
We’ve talked before about what to do when a reporter calls to interview you about something positive. Today we cover some basic information on giving an interview in a contentious, potentially confrontational setting–broken down into 8 key points.
The Scenario: You’ve been asked by a television news reporter to give an interview about allegations against your company.
The first question you ask yourself is: Is it best to give an interview, or lie low?
Answer: When you have nothing to hide (and no legal reasons not to) it’s good to be proactive and get your side of the story out there. Just remember to take care of how you present yourself and your side of the story:
1. TV reporters will generally want to interview you on their schedule, not yours. However, if you’re not prepared to speak, try and schedule an interview after you’ve had time to prepare. If that luxury is not available, take a few moments to huddle with your public relations or management team and decide what theme and key points you want your messages to convey in the interview. Prepare for the worst questions with your best answers. Developing three simple sound bites that sound natural and unrehearsed can get you through almost any interview.
2. Repeat your key message and points several times during the interview, if the interview is long enough for that opportunity. Even if you are asked a question unrelated to your key message, bring your key messages into your answer:
Key Message: Your company is the top-ranked firm in the Midwest for employee satisfaction.
Question: How do you respond to the allegations from two former employees that they were working in a hostile work environment?
Answer: We have consistently demonstrated the utmost in professionalism in our human resources practices. In fact, we’ve been named the top-ranked firm in the Midwest for employee satisfaction.
Retort: But these former employees say they were unfairly treated.
Answer: In any organization our size there are bound to be conflicts, but you don’t get named the top-ranked firm in the Midwest for employee satisfaction without treating people right.
Keep in mind, this isn’t about pleasing the reporter but about getting your message across.
4. Never repeat or initiate a negative. Notice in the answer above the interviewee reinforces the good without giving any reiteration of the negative.
An extreme example of this is President Nixon:
“I am not a crook.” If he wasn’t a crook, it was probably not a good idea to introduce that word into the public conversation.
5. “No Comment” is never the answer when asked a tough or hostile question. Use the opportunity to refer back to your key message: “I don’t know the answer to that, but I can tell you that…”
6. Always be honest and if you don’t know the answer to a question, then admit it.
7. Watch for efforts to put words in your mouth or the application of a negative “frame” around the situation. Some reporters may try to get you to tacitly agree to “allegations” by framing the question in a way that makes you seem complicit:
Question: As you have not denied allegations of hostile work environment, what will you do to meet the demands of the employees?
Answer: Our company’s reputation, as illustrated by our being honored as the top-ranked firm in the Midwest for employee satisfaction, is solid.
Retort: But you have not denied the allegations.
Answer: We’re not in the business of responding publicly to human resource issues. That would be irresponsible and not in keeping with our ethics and acclaimed employee satisfaction rankings.
8. Don’t take it personally. Even if the reporter is hurling the most heinous, unkind allegations at you (“Some people say that your company kills kittens…”), a thin-skinned show of temper, self-pity or weakness will be magnified and may go viral for all the world to see.
Be graceful, take your time and politely respond with your key messages. Attacking the reporter almost never helps. Most reporters are ethical, hardworking folks performing a vital public service–but your job is to take care of your company’s interests and yourself–they know that.
Just remember, the media can do a lot of harm (or a lot of good) to your reputation–but not without your help!
