On cue with Kafui DEY

Answer the question without losing the message: Mastering difficult interviews

There are two kinds of interviews in this world: the pleasant kind where the host smiles at you like a long-lost cousin… and the other kind, the one where you begin to sweat before the first question lands.

As someone who has interviewed politicians, CEOs, football administrators, activists, and one very nervous musician who suddenly forgot the title of his own album, I can tell you this: tough interviews are not personal, they are professional.

And if you’re a leader in today’s Africa, you must be prepared. Because journalists will push, provoke, redirect, interrupt, surprise, and occasionally poke your pressure points like a doctor testing your reflexes.

Here’s how to survive, and more importantly, stay on message.

1. Master the most powerful tool: The Bridge Technique

Reporters love detours.
Leaders love direction.
The “bridge” technique is how you combine the two.

Here’s the formula:
Acknowledge the question ? Connect it to your key message ? Deliver the message confidently.

For example:
Journalist: “Why is your new project delayed?”
You: “That’s an important question, and while timelines are critical, what matters most is the long-term value this project brings, which is exactly why we’re focusing on quality, not shortcuts.”

You didn’t dodge.
You didn’t deny.
But you redirected with intention.

Great spokespeople bridge naturally.
Poor spokespeople ramble into trouble.

2. Spot the trap before it snaps

A trap question is easy to recognize. It’s the one that feels like it was designed by a lawyer, a novelist, and your strictest high school teacher.

Common traps include:

• “So are you admitting…?”
• “Do you agree that your critics have a point?”
• “Why did you fail to prevent this?”
• “Can you guarantee nothing will go wrong again?”

In politics and business, I’ve seen leaders walk into trap questions like tourists stepping into potholes: confidently and without looking down.

Here’s the rule:
If a question has only bad options, reframe it.

Try this:
“That’s one perspective, but the key issue is…”
or
“I understand the concern, but let’s deal with the facts…”

You shift the ground to more stable territory.
That’s how professionals survive.

3. Keep composure when the interviewer turns up the heat

Some interviewers go soft.
Some go firm.
Some go volcanic.

When they get aggressive, don’t fight fire with fire.
TV is not a boxing ring, even when it feels like one.

Your tools:

• Steady breathing (your voice will stay calm)
• Lowered tone (power is quiet, not loud)
• Controlled facial expression (no eye-rolling, no smirking)
• Still body posture (don’t shift nervously, it screams guilt)

I once watched a leader lose his temper on live TV. Let’s just say the replay clips travelled farther than his actual message.

Composure is not optional.
It’s strategy.

4. What you should NEVER say in a tough interview

Please write this down. Frame it if necessary:

• “No comment.”
  Guaranteed to make headlines sound suspicious.
• “That’s a stupid question.”
  You’ve just insulted the audience, not just the journalist.
• “I’m not aware of the details.”
  You’re the leader. Be aware.
• “Let’s discuss that off air.”
  No one will ever believe what “off air” means.
• “This interview is unfair.”
  If you say this, you’ve already lost.

Tough interviews test character more than content.

5. Lessons from real interviews

• A leader who survives a hostile interview by constantly bridging back to job creation even when the host tries pulling him into politics.
• A politician who turns a trap question around by calmly challenging the premise, then offering data.
• A football coach who keeps his cool when a journalist presses him about dropping a star player. He pauses, smiles, and says, “Let’s focus on the team, not the drama.”

See the pattern?
Calm ? Clear ? Controlled.

The bottom line: Stay on message, not on defence

Difficult interviews don’t destroy leaders.
Poor preparation does.

When you know your message, recognise traps, use the bridge technique, and maintain composure under pressure, you become more than a spokesperson. You become a strategist.

And if you need help preparing for your next high-stakes conversation on radio, TV or digital platforms, you know exactly who to contact.

Till then, may your responses be sharp, your tone be steady, and your message remain unshakably yours.

>>> Need coaching? Email [email protected] today.

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