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If you know what reporters are going to ask...

Updated: Aug 4, 2022

... it's easier to give a good answer. The first cut of new Guarente + Company research that gets to the heart of interviewers' intent when they interrogate business leaders: and the benefits of knowing that intent

By Matt Guarente

good answers for reporters

In almost three decades as a reporter, editor and now coach and consultant, I'm still amazed by how much importance very senior people put on the questions they might or might not get asked by the press.


So for our first piece of research-based content, we have been looking at what questions reporters ask of business leaders. And asking our own question: if you know what's coming, can you do a better job of answering?


The short answer is: Yes.


We listened to hour upon hour of radio, broadcast and podcast interviews and wrote down every question that was asked. The sample size is comfortably into 400. Next week, we will have finished the analysis, but the initial cut of the data shows that it's possible to break down the intent of reporters' questions into a very small number of themes: initial analysis suggests three.


This goes against the mantra that every cub reporter hears about the 'who, what, why, when, where, how'. Because they're just the organising principles to make sure those trainees leave nothing out when they write their story. It doesn't help the interviewee at all. 'How are you managing the crisis' elicits the same answer as 'What are you doing about the crisis?'


It might also question the weighty 'Q&As' that are out together for senior leaders to learn, like a quarterback has to learn all their plays, or an actor every line of a play. Our view at Guarente + Company is that those Q&A preps have their merits: but operationally, in the moment, knowing what kind of question is coming from a journalist is incredibly valuable to then know how to reply.


These are the kinds of insights that benefit our clients: deep understanding and broad experience brought to bear to help them communicate better.


Guarente + Company is a leadership communications business. Matt@GuarenteCo.com

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