During a media interview, did the reporter throw you a leading or curveball question that took you off topic?

Then “pivoting” or “bridging” – where the interviewee responds to a question by going back to the talking points s/he brought to an interview is a public relations practice you’ll want to put into practice.

Here’s how:

1. Listen for questions that address a controversial issue, veer off on an unhelpful tangent or focus on an unimportant angle of your story.

2. Answer naturally with a brief statement that acknowledges the topic of the question, and plan a way to pivot/bridge back to your most important point.

3. Introduce a phrase, such as “That’s an interesting point, but more importantly…” or “Great question, but what’s most important for parents to understand is…”

4. Follow the bridging phrase with one of your key messages. A statement that is most relevant to the question or the most important thing you’d like to say will work.

5. Don’t worry about being repetitive. It’s more important that you repeat and are able to share key messages.

6. ry not to overuse bridging during an interview as you could come across as being evasive.

Have you ever had to use the bridging technique during a media interview ?