Pivot

Polite but firm. Friendly but not manipulable. Guiding but not controlling.

When you’re doing a media interview, an industry panel discussion, or any kind of public Q&A, you have the absolute right to decide which questions to answer and which to let slide.

“I’ll leave that to others.” Jonathan Kanter, assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, kept saying to Kara Swisher on the Pivot Podcast last year whenever he got questions he didn’t want to take. It was genius.

That wonderful phrase, a non-answer, does two things. It says, “Fellow human, I heard that you said words and I acknowledge those words because I respect you.” It also says, “Nah, not gonna touch that with a ten-foot pole.”

You always want to demonstrate respect for the person asking you questions, but that person is not your third-grade teacher (nor the dept. chair leading your dissertation defense) and you are in no danger of getting a bad grade if you do not immediately and obediently answer each question.

But isn’t transparency great? Shouldn’t you have the courage to always answer the questions you get? Not 100% of the time. For example:

Sometimes you don’t want to answer a question because it’s about a highly-sensitive area. “That’s a complex one. What I can say is we’re guided by these foundational principles. . .”

Sometimes the question is asking about future plans that you’re not ready to reveal. “We can’t talk about that yet, but I’ll let you know ASAP when we have something to share.”

Sometimes it’s an unflattering supposition about your industry, partners, or customers. “We don’t see it that way. Our relationship with WidgetCo is very important to us.”

Sometimes it’s a question about a competitor’s plans: “I’d say that’s a question for them, but I can talk about our plans.”

When does it make sense to lean into transparency? When you’re acknowledging and apologizing for something that went wrong. “Yes, we did learn that our salespeople in some markets were violating company policy. We are retraining our global sales team, paying the appropriate fines, and making reparations to customers that were affected.”

A polite, effective spokesperson is firm about her boundaries, friendly and engaged with the reporter but not easily manipulated by a desire to please them. A great spokesperson guides the conversation without exerting overt control. She does this by choosing which questions she will and won’t answer. And she does it with grace.

Not sure how to crush your next presentation? Persuade that difficult customer or team member? Navigate tough questions from regulators, press, your boss? How about some pragmatic, actionable communications advice?

If you are a startup founder, an intrapreneur at a company, or a leader looking to grow, consider Office Hours with Lisa, a great way to get bite-sized, personalized communications coaching. Because your business must scale and you must scale with it. Because it’s the great communicators who create change!