Media Training Tip: When You Don't Know The Answer

Summary

In this video, Brad Phillips, president of Phillips Media Relations, addresses how to handle difficult questions in media interviews, especially when you don't know the answer. He suggests that in live interviews, instead of saying 'I don't know,' which can undermine credibility, it's better to pivot to information you do know. Phillips shares a technique used by journalists, offering tips on how to redirect to relevant facts and maintain control of the interview. This approach helps preserve credibility while still providing useful information to the audience.

Takeaways

• 😀 If it's not a live interview (print or radio), it's fine to admit you don't know the answer and follow up with the information later.
• 💡 In live interviews, saying 'I don't know' can hurt your credibility with the audience.
• 🗣️ Instead of saying 'I don't know,' pivot to what you do know and steer the conversation in a related direction.
• 📺 Brad learned a useful technique from ABC News during the 1990s, particularly from Peter Jennings' style of questioning.
• 🤔 Jennings liked to ask questions that reporters might not fully know to ensure they were well-prepared.
• 🔄 If caught off guard, reporters learned to say something like 'That’s unclear, but what I can tell you is...' and pivot to a related topic.
• 📊 When asked about specific numbers or details you don't know, shift the answer to broader knowledge related to the topic.
• 🎤 Most live interviews are not contentious, so reporters will often allow you to steer away from specifics if you handle it smoothly.
• 👍 Using this approach helps maintain credibility while keeping control of the messaging in an interview.
• 🔔 Viewers are encouraged to subscribe for more media training tips in future videos.

Q & A

What should you do if a reporter asks a question during a print or radio interview that you don't know the answer to?

If the interview is not live, such as a print or radio interview by phone, you can simply tell the reporter that you don't know the answer but will try to get the information as quickly as possible after the interview.

How should you respond if you don't know the answer during a live interview?

In a live interview, instead of saying 'I don't know,' which can undercut your credibility, you can use a bridging technique. Acknowledge the uncertainty by saying something like 'That's unclear, but what I can tell you is...' and then pivot to a topic you do know.

Why is saying 'I don't know' during a live interview problematic?

Saying 'I don't know' during a live interview can harm your credibility with the audience, as it might make you seem unprepared or uninformed.

What technique did Peter Jennings use to challenge his correspondents, and how did they handle it?

Peter Jennings would occasionally ask questions his correspondents might not know the answer to, to ensure they knew the story well. When caught off guard, correspondents learned to bridge the gap by saying something like 'That's unclear, but what I can tell you is...' and then provided related information they were confident about.

What is the main strategy you should use when you don’t have a specific answer during an interview?

The main strategy is to bridge from the reporter's question to a topic you do know. Instead of focusing on what you don't know, shift to discussing what you can confidently explain.

Can you give an example of how to apply the bridging technique during a live interview?

If you're asked about a specific number and don't know it, you could respond by saying, 'Well, here's what I can tell you: the number has been growing for the past 5 years, and that's because...' This allows you to provide useful information even if you're not giving a specific figure.

Will most reporters press you for an answer if you use the bridging technique?

In most live interviews, which are generally not contentious, reporters will recognize your attempt to steer the conversation to an area you're knowledgeable about and will not push you to give a specific answer again.

What was the key lesson Brad Phillips learned from working with ABC News?

Brad Phillips learned the technique of bridging from his experience at ABC News, where correspondents would redirect questions they didn’t know by acknowledging uncertainty and then providing relevant information.

Why is it important to avoid telling the reporter what you don't know during an interview?

It’s important because focusing on what you don’t know can make you appear less credible or unprepared. Redirecting to what you do know helps maintain your credibility and keeps the interview on track.

What should viewers do if they liked the media training tips from the video?

If viewers liked the video tip, they are encouraged to click the 'Subscribe' button to receive future media training tips.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Handling Unknown Questions in Media Interviews

Brad Phillips, president of Phillips Media Relations, discusses how to handle questions in media interviews that one does not know the answer to. He explains that for non-live interviews, it's acceptable to admit ignorance and promise to provide the information later. However, for live interviews, saying 'I don't know' can damage credibility. Phillips suggests using a technique he learned from ABC News' Peter Jennings, who would ask his correspondents unexpected questions to ensure they were well-prepared. When caught off guard, the correspondents learned to bridge from the unknown question to something they did know, providing related information without directly admitting they didn't know the specific answer. This approach helps maintain credibility while steering the conversation away from the unknown.

Keywords

💡Media Training

Media training refers to the process of preparing individuals to effectively communicate with the media, particularly in interviews. In the video, Brad Phillips, president of Phillips Media Relations, discusses a common concern in media training workshops, which is how to handle questions that one does not know the answer to. This concept is central to the video's theme of preparing for media interactions.

💡Reporter

A reporter is a person who researches, writes, and reports on news stories for various media outlets. In the context of the video, reporters are the individuals who may ask questions during interviews. The video addresses the concern of what to do when a reporter asks a question that one cannot answer.

💡Credibility

Credibility in the media context refers to the trustworthiness and reliability of a source or information. The video emphasizes the importance of maintaining credibility with the audience during live interviews by not admitting to not knowing the answer to a question, which could otherwise undermine one's credibility.

💡Live Interview

A live interview is a real-time conversation between a reporter and an interviewee, broadcasted or published immediately without any delay. The video highlights the challenge of handling unknown answers during live interviews, where there is no opportunity to correct or clarify information after the fact.

💡Print Interview

A print interview is an interview conducted for publication in print media, such as newspapers or magazines. The video contrasts print interviews with live interviews, noting that in print interviews, one can admit to not knowing an answer and then follow up with the information after the interview.

💡Radio Interview

A radio interview is a conversation conducted for broadcast on radio. Similar to print interviews, the video suggests that in radio interviews, interviewees can admit to not knowing an answer and then provide the information after the interview.

💡Bridge

In the context of the video, 'bridge' refers to the technique of transitioning from a question that one cannot answer to a related topic that one is knowledgeable about. This technique is used to maintain the flow of the conversation and avoid admitting ignorance.

💡Messaging

Messaging in media training refers to the key points or themes that an individual wants to convey during an interview. The video suggests continuing with one's messaging as a way to steer the conversation away from unknown answers.

💡ABC News

ABC News is an American news organization mentioned in the video as the place where Brad Phillips learned a technique for handling unknown answers. It provides context for the origin of the advice given in the video.

💡Peter Jennings

Peter Jennings was the anchor of 'World News Tonight' on ABC News, as mentioned in the video. He is noted for asking tough questions to his correspondents, which led to the development of techniques for handling unknown answers in live interviews.

💡Correspondents

Correspondents are journalists who report from locations outside the news studio, often providing on-the-spot coverage. In the video, they are mentioned as individuals who learned to handle unexpected questions by bridging to known information.

Highlights

Brad Phillips, president of Phillips media relations, addresses a common concern in media training.

The concern is how to handle questions that one doesn't know the answer to during interviews.

For non-live interviews, it's advised to admit not knowing and promise to find the information.

In live interviews, saying 'I don't know' can damage credibility.

A technique learned from ABC News in the 1990s is suggested for live interviews.

Peter Jennings would ask correspondents difficult questions to test their knowledge.

Correspondents learned to pivot to what they knew when caught off guard.

The technique involves bridging from the question to an answer one is confident about.

An example is provided for how to respond to a question about specific numbers.

The strategy is to discuss the trend or related information instead of specifics.

Most reporters will not push for a specific number if the interview is not contentious.

The video offers a tip for media interviews to maintain credibility.

Viewers are encouraged to subscribe for more media training tips.

The video concludes with a thank you for watching.

The video provides practical advice for handling unknown answers in media interviews.

The technique helps interviewees to steer the conversation away from their lack of knowledge.

The video is part of a series of media training tips.

Phillips media relations specializes in media training workshops.

Transcripts

hi this is Brad Phillips president of

Phillips media relations and in today's

video I'm going to be addressing one of

the most common concerns I hear when

leading media training workshops and

that is what happens if the reporter

asks me a question that I just don't

know the answer to well if the interview

is not live if it's a print interview or

a radio interview by telephone the

answer is easy you just tell the

reporter you don't know but then you try

to get them the information as quickly

as possible after the interview

concludes

but if the interview is live saying the

words I don't know can undercut your

credibility with the audience so instead

there's a technique I learned when

working as a journalist with ABC News in

the

1990s Peter Jennings at the time was the

anchor of world news tonight and he used

to like to ask his correspondents

questions that he thought they might not

know the answers to the reason he did

that was he wanted to make sure that his

reporters really knew the ins and outs

of every story that they were reporting

well it came occasionally he did catch

his correspondence off guard and they

didn't know the answer to one of the

questions he was asking them so what

they learned to do live on the air was

to say something along the lines of well

that's unclear Peter but what I can tell

you is and that is the same technique

you should apply when doing media

interviews don't tell the public or the

reporter what you don't know tell them

what you do know so Bridge from their

question to a answer that you know

something about so for example if you're

asked a question

what was the specific number of X your

answer could be well here's what I can

tell you the number has been growing for

the past 5 years and that's because and

continue with your messaging by doing

that you indicate to the reporter that

although you don't know the specifics

you can talk about other parts of that

same topic and because most live

interviews are not contentious most

reporters will recognize that you have

tried to steer it away from giving a

specific number and they will not push

you uh to cite a specific number again

if you like this uh video tip please

click the Subscribe button so you get

each of our future media training tips

thank you very much for watching