Posted by:
badseed
(
)
Date: February 24, 2014 03:52PM
You don't answer the but instead bridge over to what you want to discuss. It's about controlling the message.
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"Bridging, or answering a question by not answering the question, is a way to segue from a reporter's stated question to the information an interviewee wishes to impart to an audience. Implied in that definition is the fact that reporters often ask questions that advocates do not necessarily wish to "honor" with an answer. The bridge is the way the advocate gets from one side of an argument to another. Here is a classic example of bridging:
Reporter: "Isn't it true that safety is the first thing a mom looks for in a daycare setting?"
Spokesperson: "While safety is important, it needs to be balanced with other considerations, like the quality of the environment and the qualifications of the staff. Let me tell you what happens in the mind of a child at the age of 3...." "
http://www.frameworksinstitute.org/ezine1.html*********************
An important media technique is “bridging.” Bridging is a powerful means for taking charge of and controlling an interview. The goal of a media interview is to focus the reporter on a few key messages that are true, accurate, clear, concise, brief, and memorable. If done well, bridging significantly increases the probability that your key messages will appear in the final news story. By using bridging techniques, a spokesperson can re-focus or re-direct the interview to what is most important, relevant and critical.
Bridging statements:
1. “And what’s most important to know is…”
2. “However, what is more important to look at is…”
3. “However, the real issue here is…”
4. “And what this all means is…”
5. “And what’s most important to remember is…”
6. “With this in mind, if we look at the bigger picture…”
7. “With this in mind, if we take a look back…”
8. “If we take a broader perspective…”
9. “If we look at the big picture…”
10. “Let me put all this in perspective by saying…”
11. “What all this information tells me is…”
12. “Before we continue, let me take a step back and repeat that…”
13. “Before we continue, let me emphasize that…”
14. “This is an important point because…”
15. “What this all boils down to…”
16. “The heart of the matter is…”
17. “What matters most in this situation is…”
18. “And as I said before…”
19. “And if we take a closer look, we would see…”
20. “Let me just add to this that…”
21. “I think it would be more correct to say…”
22. “Let me point out again that…”
23. “Let me emphasize again…”
24. “In this context, it is essential that I note…”
25. “Another thing to remember is…”
26. “Before we leave the subject, let me add that…”
27. “And that reminds me…”
28. “And the one thing that is important to remember is…”
29. “What I’ve said comes down to this…:
30. “Here’s the real issue…”
31. “While…is important, it is also important to remember…”
32. “It’s true that…but it is also true that…”
33. “The key here is…”
Reprinted from:
Covello, V.T., Keeping Your Head in a Crisis: Responding to Communication Challenges Posed by Bio-terrorism and Emerging Diseases. Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO). 2002, in press.