How to Avoid Answering Sensitive Questions | Engoo Blog (2024)

FAQs

How to Avoid Answering Sensitive Questions | Engoo Blog? ›

The most direct way to do this is to simply say that you will not answer the question. However, even though you are saying "no," you can still do it politely. I'm sorry, but I'd prefer not to say. I'm sorry, but I don't want to share that information.

The most direct way to do this is to simply say that you will not answer the question. However, even though you are saying "no," you can still do it politely. I'm sorry, but I'd prefer not to say. I'm sorry, but I don't want to share that information.

Best to answer a question as concisely as possible. It's very easy to stray or get off the the topic or question at hand. By including extraneous or superfluous information, which detracts from the good stuff: your core answer. Write a generic answer, and provide a generic example.

“Ask more neutral, open-ended questions that do not signal your own assumptions. You want to 'normalize' potentially stigmatized topics, and signal that all answers are acceptable. This helps people feel more comfortable disclosing potentially sensitive information.”

Question dodging is a rhetorical technique involving the intentional avoidance of answering a question.

First, when you are faced with a random non-answerer, look for cues about where your question might have missed the mark. Maybe it was too personal. Maybe “What's new” was pretty terrible, and your question wasn't that innocent after all. You might also be asking the question at the wrong time.

One way to lessen oversharing or blabbing is to practice active listening skills. This means that you listen, carefully, to the person who is speaking to you. Then, you repeat back to them the gist of what you heard them say. This means that while they are speaking, you are not thinking about what You want to say.

How to respond: Be deliberately vague. You can say, "I do OK" or "I'd like to make more." If the person presses on, let your parents take the fall: Say, "My mother told me to never discuss money," and stop there. "Don't explain your response -- simply change the subject," says Dickinson.

How do you handle sensitive questions? ›

Don't start with your own thoughts – listen to their opinions. Ask what they want. Offer choices wherever possible – explain the options and discuss them to help them decide. If you're worried, try not to criticise but instead express your concerns.

Liars and truth-tellers both have pauses in their speech, but good liars avoid answering questions, scientists say. DESPITE WHAT YOU MIGHT think, it is almost impossible to tell a liar from the way they talk, according a new study.

A great tactic for accomplishing this is called “bridging.” You recognize the question, then immediately pivot away from it, using a response like, “I understand what you're saying, but I think the more important point is…” Then shift into the subject you really want to be talking about.

Once you say that you want to talk to a lawyer, officers should stop asking you questions. If they continue to ask questions, you still have the right to remain silent. If you do not have a lawyer, you may still tell the officer you want to speak to one before answering questions.