Field guide · Hard mode
Engage the guarded guest
Do not fight the script; make the script insufficient. Guarded guests include executives, celebrities, litigants, publicists, technical experts, and anyone over-rehearsed by repetition. Remain hospitable while making generic answers too thin to satisfy.
Non-adversarial clarification forms
| Form | Purpose | Example | Tone rule |
|---|
Guarded move → conversational response
| Guest move | Host response | Reason |
|---|
The interviewer remains hospitable while refusing emptiness. Score movement, not aggression.
Drill it: Steel Return serves you polished scripted answers and times your response. For a partner version, see the guarded-guest format on the Ideas page.