Arabic version: تقنية غلوريا ستاينم لنزع فتيل الأسئلة المحمّلة

According to Cnbc, loaded questions can put people on the spot by embedding a premise they dispute. A communication technique described as the “word trade” offers a way to challenge that framing before responding to the substance of the question.

The approach was illustrated by Gloria Steinem during a 1972 appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Journalist Shana Alexander described the women’s movement as “militant” and asked Steinem who its “enemy” was. Steinem objected to both terms, saying “militant” connotes violence and that she would more likely apply the term to the Pentagon. She also said she preferred to think of “adversaries” as individuals who had “usurped control of our lives.”

Dorie Clark, who taught communication for more than a decade at Columbia Business School and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, called Steinem’s method the “word trade.” Rather than accepting terminology she regarded as inaccurate, Steinem selected different language and explained the substitution. The technique is intended to correct a premise before it creates what Clark described as an erroneous impression.

In practice, the strategy involves replacing a disputed word or phrase with one considered more accurate, then explaining why. A delayed project, for example, might be described not as “stalled” but as having a date strategically moved to complete a security review. Similarly, a non-renewed account may not have been “lost” if a company chose not to accept unfair terms. The method can also reframe being “quiet” in a client meeting as listening carefully and giving clients space to share their needs.

Clark said the word trade can help people push back against biased questions without appearing defensive. By choosing their own language, speakers can preserve nuance and avoid having others put words in their mouths.