James Helps Us Take Them to the Bridge

In SPR Atlanta’s crisis management training, we’ve introduced a musical segment that helps clients remember the importance of a “bridge” statement.

James Brown is one of my favorite musicians. We play his YouTube segment telling his band to “Take ‘em to the bridge,” invoking the musical meaning of transitioning to a different – more funky – section of the song.

We emphasize that ignoring a question and jumping to your talking points is not only rude, it’s counterproductive. Just like James, we demonstrate the importance of practice and structure – addressing the question first, then bridging to a better (if not funkier) message.

– Chris Schroder, SPR Atlanta