Topic guide

Handling hostile questions

The honest pivot that does not sound evasive. The technique is the same as bridging, but applied to questions designed to put you on the back foot.

A hostile question wants to make you defensive. The training is to refuse the frame politely, acknowledge what is honest about the question, and bridge to your message. Done well, you sound reasonable and the question loses its sting. Done badly, you sound evasive or angry. Mock interviews drill the difference.

Want to drill this with a working journalist? Take the Hostile Press Interview Defence course or book a strategy call.