What makes for a difficult interview guest

Guests often refuse to answer direct questions because they are adhering to a pre-planned communication strategy designed to control the narrative. By pivoting to a talking point, they avoid potential liabilities or controversies that could arise from a candid or unscripted response.

The best way to handle a pivot is to acknowledge the response and immediately return to the original question. You can use phrases like, 'I understand that point, but I want to go back to my previous question regarding X,' to maintain control of the conversation's direction.

Winning an interview is a subjective concept that often distracts from the true goal of gathering information. Instead of trying to win, aim for clarity and transparency; a successful interview is one where the subject is held to account and the audience gains a deeper understanding of the topic.

You can stop ruminating by conducting a post-mortem analysis of the interaction to identify what went wrong and how you can apply those lessons to future conversations. Once you have identified a concrete improvement, consciously choose to move on, recognizing that no conversation is ever perfect.