MASTER YOUR IMAGE - PART 2

5 (more) techniques to keep the conversation on your subject that work every time

1. When asked an embarrassing or inappropriate question...
Reframe the question by beginning with, "What I felt was...." Then focus attention on a broader social issue or expand it to encompass what many people might feel. An interviewer asked one of my clients who had been raped: "Did you feel dirty, unlovable, ashamed?" Instead of answering, "Yes," she might have responded, "Many women whether they've been raped or not, have been made to feel that way about their bodies or sexuality at some point in their lives. That's why I've chosen to speak out on this sensitive issue now. To give a voice to all of us, even those who have no voice."

2. When asked a question that is too personal...
Use humor to lighten the atmosphere. Or change the nature of the question gracefully by saying, "What I'd really like to say is...." Or, "The question I'd really like to answer is...." Or, "In my book I say...." Or, "I'd like to keep that part of my life private, but I would like to share this...." Then offer something else delicious and intimate.

3. When an interview is lagging...
Ask to read a passage from your book or describe your service with a tightly condensed and powerful phrase. You will have already chosen in advance a paragraph or two that is particularly exemplary. Don't feel shy about offering. Most interviewers are so busy they may not have had a chance to review or even peruse your book or the information you've provided. You are the person most familiar with your book, personality or business and the best parts of it! When she was being interviewed for her book, "Some of Me," Isabella Rosellini delighted her audience by picking an imaginative and lively section which she read with feeling.

4. When you're pressed on a sensitive point...
When Terry Gross pressed Chuck D, leader of the rap group Public Enemy, about one of the members of his group making anti-Semitic remarks, he answered vaguely a number of times and then said bluntly, "Let's move on," which made him appear rude. Instead, he might have said, "I've really said all I can say about this. Can we go on to the next question?" Or, "I've really answered this to the best of my knowledge at this time with the information I have available." Another way to handle persistent questions on a topic you wish to avoid is to give a series of very short responses, or answer them with information that is so charming or captivating the interviewer won't notice you've deviated from his/her request. The interviewer will then feel as if his/her questions have been answered satisfactorily without being embarrassed by not being able to elicit a direct response from you.

5. When you haven't been asked something you want to cover...
Offer to share something the interviewer hasn't thought of. Most often he/ she will greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness. Use a teaser tidbit. "I could tell you about...if you'd like." It may surprise you but people rarely remember the questions an interviewer poses. What they remember are your answers. And when they no longer remember your answers they remember the feeling they received when hearing you speak.