“Have I noticed how many people seem to talk to themselves in questions and then answer themselves?”

“Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I have!”

“Do I find it annoying that what was once the quirky behavior of a few US politicians has found its way into the speech patterns of a lot of people?”

“Absolutely!”

“Do I have a theory for why this inane way of speaking started?”

“Yes, I do”

“Do I want to share it?”

“OK, I will. I am convinced that it originated fairly recently, in the last decade perhaps, during TV interviews and was adopted by interviewees who wanted to direct the interview to ensure their message was aired, irrespective of what questions are being asked. It probably came through media training.”

“Do I think it’s a successful technique?”

“Well, it’s spreading and it seems to give the impression that the interviewer is responding to a question that’s been posed to them, even though they aren’t. It’s a sneaky way of adding fake credibility to a statement that indirectly suggests the interviewer is being challenged. It’s quite clever really.”

“Why do I think it continues?”

“Probably because TV interviewers are too lazy to challenge the interviewer, and no-one seems to care.”

“Do I think that we’ll see even more of this inane behavior seeping into normal conversation?”

“Oh yes, it’s already fairly well established in Corporate speak, which is always quick to assimilate new trends and I have heard it being used even in social situations.”

“And what will I do about it?”

“I’ll probably write a short blog post about how this really annoys me.”

“Thank me.”

“I’m welcome! Thank me too, for giving me the opportunity answer my questions.”

😉