(Modified Re-Post) PBTAS: Sweet tips for licking sticky interviews

When coaching people who are about to be interviewed by the press, common advice is to tell them not answer questions too quickly, to take their time, to think.

One of my favorite tips comes from an episode of The West Wing where Leo, who’s an expert at this stuff, has to be reminded not to accept the premise of the question. That’s a great tip, too!

Being grilled, even by a friendly griller, can cause you to feel like you’re being cooked while basting in your own sweat!

In any situation where you have to field questions, it’s good to have a tool that can help keep you cool, calm, and collected.

I’ve got just the thing to beat the heat of any Q/A situation: PBTAS. This is an acronym for the mnemonic, Peanut Butter Taffy Apple – Stick.

I shared this little treat with people at a university enduring a site visit from accreditors. Many had to sit through both one-on-one and group interviews, and they were a tad nervous. 

They later  reported the acronym and mnemonic helped them to stay on point and keep their answers succinct which was exactly the goal.

So, what does Peanut Butter Taffy Apple – Stick stand for? 

• Pause
• Breathe
• Think
• Answer (or act)
• Stop.

Peanut = Pause

For some reason, when asked a question we feel like we need to have the answer on the tip of our tongues. Sometimes we feel almost compelled to start answering before they’re finished asking the question. When you are asked a question, you are not required to respond immediately. In fact, it’s usually best if you don’t. Listen carefully to the question. Don’t start focusing on formulating a response until you’ve heard and understood the complete question. Take a moment to pause and reflect.

Butter = Breathe

While you are pausing, breathe! Take a few slow, deep breaths; they’ll help relax you and clear your head. Breathing keeps the oxygen feeding into your blood which in turn feeds your brain.

Taffy = Think

When asked a question, you have the right to remain silent and actually think about how to answer. In fact, feel free to ask to have the question repeated, and then, just before you answer, restate the question. This gains you more time to formulate your best response. Never answer a question off the cuff without forethought!

Apple = Answer

Now it’s time to answer the question. You can’t hold out forever! But don’t sweat it. Tell the truth. Stick to the facts. Don’t spin. Use verbiage from the question in your answer. And if you don’t know something, say so. Don’t ever try to fake an answer when you really don’t know; it’ll come back to bite you sooner or later, especially if you’re dealing with the media.

(Act.) You can also use this little formula when working through a decision. In this case, the “A” would represent “Act” instead of “Answer.” Just as you can’t keep mum forever when in an interview, you don’t want to get locked up in a decision-making loop – you’ve got to step out and take action at some point.

Stick = Stop

Have you ever noticed that when you’re chatting with someone and both of you go quiet at the same time it feels a little awkward? Why? Silence between friends is not a bad thing! And it’s also not a bad thing after you’ve given a complete answer to a question. Just stop.

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If you’re dealing with a reporter, or any interviewer, odds are they’re going to be quiet for a few moments even after it’s obvious you have finished answering their question. Why? Because the natural tendency is to fill the silence with more talking, and if you keep rambling on, odds are you’ll say something you wish you hadn’t.

A reporter isn’t as interested in your factually correct, nicely worded answer as much as he or she is hoping you’ll provide a provocative sound bite. You don’t want to go there. It’s much easier to bear the momentary awkward silence than it is to endure the never-ending embarrassing sound bite playing over and over on the news.

Stopping and remaining silent is kind of like “sticking it to" theinterviewer  who is hoping against hope you’re going to ramble and fumble. Just stop it! Shush! Say no more! Maintain control.

That's a wrap!

So, there you have it: Peanut Butter Taffy Apple – Stick.

Sure, feel free to use Pause, Breathe, Think, Answer – Stop if you want, but that’s just not as much fun to say or as easy to remember; the mnemonic has more stickiness!

This tool is handy in a job interview, when fielding questions from a group, when meeting with your boss, or any situation where you are required to answer questions.

It will all be sweet when you remember Peanut Butter Taffy Apple – Stick.

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 Do you have any similar tips and tricks for handling interviews? Share them in the comments!