How to Handle a Hostile Interview

At one point or another, you may experience a hostile media interview. If you’re a political candidate, leader of a political action committee, or even C-Suite executive, you are likely to interview with someone who does not agree with you, and sometimes, does not like you or what you represent. Even book authors and mission-oriented organizations will encounter hostile interviews.

• Do Not Agree with Harmful Premises or Loaded Questions. Interviewing and engaging reporters is like a dance. It’s a dance where you must remain alert and sharp. When you hear a question, do not immediately rush to answer it. Take a moment to determine the premise and/or underlying angle. Try to stay one or two feet ahead by anticipating the question, response, and reaction to different responses.
• Maintain Composure. If you’re in a clearly hostile interview, especially one where you believe the journalist or interviewer wants to make a point, at your expense, how you respond matters. As difficult as it may be, maintaining composure is important. This doesn’t mean that you need to roll over and tolerate disrespect, but it does mean that you want to avoid unbridled anger. Remember the main point of the interview, advance your work. If you cannot advance your work – because the environment is not conducive to doing so – aim to not become a distraction to the work by losing your cool. For instance, I’ve seen some people walk out of what they perceive to be hostile interviews. That almost never works out well. Instead you want to maintain composure and do your best to neutralize the interviewer or host.
• Repeat Yourself. If you sense the reporter is trying to get information from you which you cannot give, do not be afraid to repeat yourself. When you interview, you are seeking to advance your message – no one else’s. Do not allow anyone to make you share information before it’s time. If you are asked the same question in different ways, give the same response or say, “we’ve already gone over this,” or “I’ve already shared the answer to that question.” And then sit in silence.
• Be Firm. When you’re interviewing, you naturally will want to put your best foot forward. If you’re in a hostile interview, do not be afraid to be firm. While you may not want to match energy, you will want to be clear that you are the authority or expert on one issue or another and you deserve respect.
• Don’t Make it Easy. Sometimes we inadvertently do or say things that give interviewers the upper hand. We might concede too much, answer a question with a faulty premise, or give information without being able to back up our claims. You cannot control another person’s intentions, but you can control what you say and what you concede. If you’re in a clearly hostile situation, do not make it easy by saying the wrong thing, saying too much or sharing information that should be kept close to the vest.