When you answer everything except the actual question

Every newsroom knows this moment.

The interviewer asks a direct question.
The studio lights are on.
The mic is live.

And the interviewee answers a completely different question.

You’ve seen it on breakfast television in Accra. On radio call-ins in Lagos. At press briefings in Nairobi. The question is clear. The answer is… creative.

Not wrong.
Just unrelated.

This mistake rarely comes from ignorance. It usually comes from intelligence mixed with anxiety. Smart people know the topic so well that they want to control the conversation. They fear a straight answer will trap them, expose weakness, or create a headline they can’t manage.

So they pivot early.
They generalise.
They lecture.

What they forget is that the audience is listening for one thing: Did you answer the question?

When you don’t, you immediately sound evasive. Even when you’re telling the truth.

In public life, evasiveness is costly. It triggers suspicion. It invites follow-up questions. And it gives editors an angle you didn’t intend. “CEO Dodges Question on Job Cuts.” “Minister Fails to Address Fuel Price Hike.” That language doesn’t come from malice. It comes from what the audience observed.

I once watched a respected bank executive spend three minutes explaining global headwinds when asked why ATM charges had increased. He wasn’t lying. But he wasn’t answering either. By the end, the presenter asked again and more firmly. The clip that circulated online was not his explanation. It was the second question.

Here’s the truth: most interview questions are not traps. They are doors.

Answering the question does not mean surrendering control. It means earning permission to add context. One clear sentence that directly addresses what was asked. Then your explanation. Then your framing.

Start where the question is. Not where you wish it were.

A simple rule works across TV, radio, print, and podcasts:
Answer first. Expand second.

When you do that, something powerful happens. The interviewer relaxes. The audience trusts you. And you sound confident, not defensive.

In media, clarity is currency. The clearer you are, the less aggressive the questioning becomes.

You don’t need to dodge to be safe.
You need to be understood.

And nothing builds understanding faster than answering the actual question.

Find Kafui Dey on LinkedIN

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