In any media encounter, one of your goals is to express positive quotes and soundbites that will enhance the standing of your company or organization. But you can sabotage your messages by repeating negative words used by a reporter during an interview or news conference.
Reporters love negative words because they often make for catchy soundbites. Unfortunately, those soundbites usually reflect negatively on you.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was giving a news conference when he was asked about markets “crashing” in the wake of President Trump’s tariff policy. Rubio, generally an articulate and experienced communicator, nonetheless fell into the trap of repeating “crashing,” thus giving the media a quote that damaged his messages. See the clip below.
“Markets are crashing.” That’s the phrase people remembered and that wasn’t good for Rubio. The phrase appeared in online stories and was probably used in television soundbites. He could have said, “Markets go up and they go down,” or “Markets fluctuate, but in the end, we expect the markets to rise as a result of the president’s policy.” Those answers would have been responsive to the question without a negative tinge.
This illustrates that even media savvy individuals can step into communication traps. So, when you hear a negative word in a question, don’t repeat it. Find a more neutral word or phrase. If you do, your messages won’t come “crashing” down around you.