You’re being interviewed on a panel, podcast, or radio show, and you get asked a question.
I do quite a bit of this kind of thing. Lots of podcasts, fireside chats, panels, radio interviews, and the like.
So often, I hear the interviewee begin their answer by saying, “Great question.”
Sometimes every answer begins with, “Great question.”
My suggestion:
Please stop it. These are wasted words. Often said more than once during an interview.
The fact that the question is good or great is irrelevant. The audience is not interested in or invested in the quality of the question or your evaluation of it. It almost never enhances the interview in any way.
Often, it feels disingenuous — a blatant attempt to curry favor with the questioner.
Yes, it provides the interviewer with positive reinforcement, but that is not needed, wanted, or required.
Just offer an honest, insightful, entertaining, informative, inspiring, and possibly amusing answer.
That is your job.
No one wants or needs you to rate the quality of the question being asked.
The interview does not need to receive on-the-spot feedback.
The audience never wants wasted words.
“Good question” is almost always wasted words.
My suggestion:
Stop it. It’s annoying.
