The art of answering repetitive questions

wedding - The art of answering repetitive questions“So, when is the wedding?”

This is the question that my fiancé and I have received nonstop since our engagement back in June. While we’re growing wary of hearing those words, it’s definitely a fair question – and one that we still need to do a bit of work on answering.

While to us it may seem like the millionth time we’re sharing that the date isn’t final, we have to remember that this is only the first time this asker is asking (unless they are my parents). It can be tempting to get more and more vague with each response, as to not prompt follow-up questions and enter the same the conversation cycle we’ve been trapped in for months:

“We haven’t decided yet. We’re thinking either Fall 2017 or Spring 2018.”
“Wow, that’s a big time frame!”
“Yes, we certainly have some narrowing down to do.”
“Are you leaning more towards one season or the other?”

And so on.

At RoseComm, when we lead our clients through a round of media interviews, we make sure to keep an ear out for situations like this. Inquiries from one outlet to another can seem similar and blend together, making it easy for spokespeople to forget whether or not they already shared certain key messages with each reporter.

This is why media preparedness doesn’t end once the PR team has finished crafting messaging and conducting mock interviews with a list of sample questions. It’s essential to be a part of every step, providing feedback to spokespeople along the way and nudging them when necessary to ensure the story is fully illustrated.

Flexibility is also important. Delivering the prepared key messages is a must, but it’s possible that through these trials the interviewers consistently push for more clarity on the same points. Rather than entering identical rounds of a conversation cycle similar to the one above, it may be best to adjust course and tweak the messaging for smoother communication. After all, each interview is an opportunity to be the best one yet.

When you’re in a conversation yourself, it’s not as easy to evaluate it objectively. If I had one of my PR colleagues monitoring the exchanges about my wedding, I would have realized sooner that my messaging about timing is insufficient and needs work. Or maybe I just need to finally pick a wedding date.

Nah.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *