In short: The ABC technique has three steps. Acknowledge the question and the concern behind it in one sentence. Bridge to the point you came to make with a short phrase such as "what matters here is". Communicate that point in plain words, with one example, then stop. Practise it on the questions you dread most, out loud, before the interview.
When a journalist, a podcast host or a customer asks a question you did not want, there are two easy responses. You can answer exactly what was asked and let the interview go where it likes, or you can say very little. The ABC technique is a third option. It gives a short, honest answer, then takes you to the point you came to make.
Present Yourself's interview training teaches it under the name "the ABC's of tricky interviews", as one part of getting a message across in a short or long interview. Alastair Greener has been interviewed himself on many occasions, and the technique suits reactive and proactive interviews alike.
The three steps
Acknowledge
Show that you have heard the question and the concern behind it. One sentence is enough. "I can see why people are worried about the delay" recognises the concern without agreeing with the headline. Do not praise the question, and do not repeat the question back word for word.
Bridge
Move from the question to the point you want to make. A bridge is a short phrase that changes direction, such as "what matters now is", "the part people often miss is" or "what we have changed is". Use one, and go straight on.
Communicate
Say your point in plain words. Give one example or one fact you can stand behind, then stop. Stopping matters. An answer that keeps going hands the interviewer something new to ask.
A worked example
The company in this example is invented. A reporter asks a local builder whether the firm simply overpromises on delivery dates.
- Acknowledge: "I understand why customers feel let down when a date slips."
- Bridge: "What matters is what we have changed so it does not happen again."
- Communicate: "We now give a date only after the surveyor has visited, and every customer gets a written update each week."
Common mistakes
- Skipping the acknowledgement, which makes the bridge sound like evasion.
- Acknowledging at length, so the interviewer keeps control of the conversation.
- Using the same bridge phrase all through the interview. Vary the words so it sounds like a conversation.
- Bridging to a point you have not prepared. Know your three or four messages before the day.
- Using the technique on a question you cannot answer honestly. Say "I do not know, and I will find out", and then do.
Where to go next
How much room you have to bridge depends on the kind of interview. Read reactive or proactive: two kinds of media interview to see which one you are in. Print, TV and radio also differ in what they expect, and what changes for you in each sets that out.
Practising the ABC out loud, with someone asking the awkward questions, is the step most people skip. A media training day at the barn records practice interviews on camera and plays them back, so you can go again on the questions you least want to be asked.
Related guides
- Print, TV and radio interviews: what changes for you
- Reactive or proactive: two kinds of media interview
- All guides and tools
The picture at the top of this page is an illustration, not a photograph of a client or a real job.
Questions we get asked
What does ABC stand for in a media interview?
Acknowledge, bridge and communicate. You acknowledge the question, bridge to the message you want to make, and then communicate that message in plain words.
Is the ABC technique the same as dodging a question?
Not if you use it honestly. You still answer the question, or say plainly that you do not know. The bridge takes you to a point you can speak to, and it should never be used to avoid a fair question.
How do you practise for a tricky interview question?
Write down the three hardest questions you expect, then answer each one with the three steps, out loud. Record the answers, listen back and cut any sentence that adds nothing.
granary.digital · 01243 884993 · studio@granary.digital · The Old Grainstore, Adsdean, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 9DN · Prices exclude VAT unless marked inc VAT