Everything is going perfectly. You’ve hit your main points, smiled where you needed to and are nailing your interview. Then, it happens – you get asked a question you’ve been dreading or one so out of left-field you haven’t prepared an answer. Rather than freeze, stumble or refuse to answer, you deploy another one of your communication tools – bridging.
Bridging is one of the most important tools in an interview. As you answer questions that tend to move away from your story, bridge phrases can help bring the conversation back to your key points. Think of this technique as using specific phrases to redirect you back to the topic you wish to talk about. This skill can be especially useful when a reporter asks a question that does not concretely relate to the agreed topic.
Sample bridges include:
- Let me put this in perspective …
- The real issue is …
- There is something else to consider …
- What we’re focused on is …
- What’s important here is …
- The facts are …
