Using the bridging technique to help answer difficult questions (2024)

Have you ever been caught off guard during a conversation or interview where you did not know how to answer a question or quite frankly did not want to answer it? Even more frightening, imagine yourself live on broadcast television being asked a question by a reporter who was putting you on the spot or seeking conflict.

A way to help you navigate the complexities of answering those difficult to answer questions is to engage a commonly used media interview technique called bridging. This easy-to-use practice can be applied to help transition from one conversation topic to the specific message you are trying to highlight during a challenging client meeting, conversation, or media interview.

The art of using the bridging technique can be applied once a difficult question has been asked. You first acknowledge the question by answering it to your comfort level and then use a bridging phrase to transition and communicate the key message you would like to deliver – and do so with confidence. Confidence is key during any difficult dialogue when you want to shift your mindset to be in control of the conversation or interview and bring the off-topic question(s) back on track in a tactful and credible way to deliver the messages you desire.

By bridging to a message that is still relevant to the audience and still aligned to the original question, you come across as credible and knowledgeable without getting trapped in a line of uncomfortable questioning. Essentially, you want to shift the focus away from the contentious line of questioning and focus on the key points you want to deliver and do so in a way that comes across as an easy conversation-like transition and in a non-confrontational way.

Open-ended questions are often the easiest points in a dialogue that can create the space for you to share your intended message. Some examples of bridging phrases are:

• “In addition…”
• “Let me put that in perspective.”
• “It’s important to remember that…”
• The real issue is…
• “Before we get off topic, let me add…”
• “And that reminds me…”

Another bridging technique that can direct the conversation to a specific question you want to answer is by stating something like “another question your stakeholders/audience/readers may be interested in is…”

A Central Texas, full-service communications firm ., provides a great overview on the bridging technique (segment 1:00-5:40min) while also sharing a few good and no-so-good examples of interviews where leaders do and do not use bridging well.

Acknowledging the question is a key element when practicing the bridging technique. If you do not address the question being asked to you, and simply bridge to what you want to speak to, it can create an aggressive “cat and mouse” one-way conversation. Turn the discussion or interview into a two-way dialogue, one where you are in control of the narrative, and it creates a successful outcome for you as well as the reporter or person on the other side of the conversation.

Here is an example of an interview where Steve Jobs talks about the importance of the iPhone when it was released and uses bridging when he speaks to the huge impact it will have on the handheld device and phone industry. He uses specific talking points on how Apple has always innovated, and you can see how using this technique can be successful. Even in instances where the reporter questions Apple’s success, Jobs acknowledges the line of questioning but bridges to how even that less successful venture proved that video content was in demand.

With experience in having media trained more than 120 executives in my career, bridging is a technique that almost everyone I have trained has put to good practice. Bridging can be useful in a multitude of instances, not only with reporters but also in a client meeting, conversation with a friend, or a debate with a teenager. None of us want to be stuck in the same situation as Bob Newhart’s character Dick Loudon and become trapped in a precarious discussion where we are not able to successfully navigate a positive experience!