Message Received: How One Question Can Change an Interview

Published: May 7, 2026

The BG team spent last week together in Washington, D.C. for a firm-wide retreat. We learned that our CliftonStrengths show up in our work the same way they show up in who we are, that we genuinely enjoy the people we work with, and that putting 40+ Type A personalities in a cooking class to make pasta is, in fact, not a great idea.

Let's get into it.


If You Can’t Explain It, Don’t Go On Air

A recent interview with Ryan Cohen on CNBC was intended to clarify GameStop’s proposed acquisition of eBay.

It didn’t.

Pressed on how the deal would be financed, Cohen repeatedly circled the question without landing on a clear answer.

He referenced prior materials, pushed back on the framing, and struggled to engage directly with the line of questioning. The anchors stayed on it. So did the audience.

What should have been a controlled moment to reinforce strategy instead became an example of how quickly narrative control can slip in real time.

What this means for communicators:

  • There is always a primary question behind every interview. It is rarely a surprise, and it is almost always the reason the interview is happening. If it cannot be answered clearly and repeatedly, the spokesperson is not ready.
  • Preparation has to go beyond message development. It requires rehearsing sustained pressure on one or two core issues until the answers hold up without prompting.
  • Bridging only works if it resolves into clarity. Otherwise, it reads as evasion, regardless of intent.
  • Assume fragmentation. The clip, not the conversation, is what will circulate. One unclear moment can define the takeaway more than ten clean answers.

Toolbox: Your AI Interview Coach Is Already on Your Phone

So you want to avoid Ryan Cohen–level missteps? The best media training happens before you’re in the room. The same goes for job interviews, fellowship applications, funder meetings, any high-stakes conversation where you need to stay clear under pressure.

The Claude mobile app has a feature most people haven’t discovered yet. Open a conversation, give it context about the role or opportunity, and ask it to interview you. It will ask substantive questions, challenge vague answers, and offer specific feedback you can actually use.

Here's how to make it useful:

  • Start with real context. Paste the job description, interview topic, or funder brief. The more specific the setup, the more realistic the practice.
  • Have it stay in character. Tell Claude to act as the interviewer and not break the simulation until you say you’re done.
  • Use voice mode. In the bottom right corner of the app, tap the waveform button, not the microphone, which is just dictation. This turns it into a live back-and-forth conversation that feels much closer to the real thing.
  • Ask for feedback by category. When you finish, have it assess your answers on clarity, specificity, and whether you actually answered the question. That last one is where most people slip.

The Ryan Cohen interview went sideways because the answers weren't ready before the cameras were on. This is one way to make sure yours are.


When the Medium Is the Message

A new ad for CA-32 candidate Jake Levine drops viewers straight into 1996 — Discman, lava lamps, dial-up energy — and lets them sit there long enough to feel the distance between then and now. It never says "thirty years is too long." It doesn't have to.

Oklahoma's wage campaign makes a similar bet. Rather than leading with policy arguments, its first TV ads feature small business owners, home healthcare workers, and retirees talking plainly about what it costs to get by. No slogans. No polish. Just people whose experiences feel familiar.

Both campaigns are making the same calculation: in a crowded, low-trust media environment, how you say something, and who says it, can do more work than what you say.

What this means for communicators:

  • Emotional architecture beats explicit argument. If you can make someone feel the problem, you don't have to explain it.
  • The first move in a long campaign isn't to say everything. It's to establish who voters or audiences are willing to believe.
  • Messenger is a strategy. Especially when trust is limited, the voice carrying the message is part of the message itself.
Meanwhile, at BG

Three BG clients, Tristan Harris, Aza Raskin, and Lawrence Lessig, were named to TIME’s list of the 25 tech insiders shaping how innovation shows up in everyday American life.

Our colleague Shira Fine landed on two of the industry's more competitive lists, recognized by both PRNEWS and PRWeek for her work across the field.

And we've welcomed Jade Floyd as Senior Vice President: two decades of C-suite communications experience, placements in the Times and WSJ, and a book on leadership. A great month for our team.


Until Next Time

We’re back from D.C., a bit better at making pasta and a lot less caught up on emails than we hoped. Drop us a line.

—Bryson Gillette