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Say you don’t know, then explain what is known, what is missing, and what—if anything—you can do to find out. A clear admission is more useful than a confident guess, especially when someone may act on your answer.
A useful answer can start with “I don’t know”
Not knowing is not the same as having nothing useful to say. You can be direct about the gap, give the reason if you know it, and share the reliable information available now. For example: “I don’t know that yet. We’re waiting for the lab results. What I can say now is that the sample is being tested.”
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The Northwest Center for Public Health Practice uses a similar example and explains that an admission helps when paired, where possible, with why the answer is unavailable and what happens next: Acknowledge Uncertainty.
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Make clear which parts of your response are established, which are not yet known, and which are provisional. Avoid letting a plausible explanation sound like a confirmed fact. If you have a numerical estimate or a formal assessment, preserve its level of precision rather than replacing it with vague wording. The European Food Safety Authority recommends matching uncertainty language to the assessment and using that language consistently: Guidance on Communication of Uncertainty.
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- Known: State what reliable information supports.
- Unknown: Name the specific missing detail, if you can.
- Tentative: Label an early interpretation as provisional and say why it could change.
For instance, “We have not received the test result yet” identifies a gap; “The result will probably be negative” adds a prediction that may not be supported.
Explain what happens next only if you know
If someone is checking the answer, say who or what the next step involves. Give a timeframe or an update channel only when it is established. If no follow-up is planned, do not imply that one is. A practical template is:
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“I don’t know that yet. We’re waiting for [specific information]. What I can say now is [known facts]. I’ll check [next step] and update you [time or channel, if known].”
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Use the bracketed details only when they are true; remove them rather than filling them with a guess. CDC guidance recommends acknowledging uncertainty, stating what is known and unknown, explaining what is being done to reduce it, and setting expectations about when new information may be available: Understanding and Applying Risk Communication Principles.
When the situation is changing, say so
In an unfolding situation, an answer may be accurate now but later need revision. Say when information is preliminary and explain that guidance could change. If there is a dependable place where updates will appear, name it; do not promise a specific update time unless one has been set.
That distinction matters in high-stakes settings such as public health, where interim recommendations may change as evidence develops. WHO advises communicators to explain current knowledge and its limits, anticipate that interim guidance may change, and correct errors openly: Be transparent. The detail should fit the audience: EFSA’s assessment guidance offers different levels of explanation for entry-level, informed, and technical readers without changing the underlying conclusion: EFSA Journal, 2019.
Do not force certainty out of a witness or interviewee
When someone is recalling an event, a pressure-filled follow-up can make an answer sound more precise without making it more accurate. The College of Policing says witnesses should be able to say “I don’t know” or “I don’t understand.” If greater precision is necessary, record how sure the witness is and retain the less-specific answer rather than replacing it with a forced guess: Allowing uncertainty.
Correct an answer that turns out to be wrong
If you learn that an earlier response was inaccurate, acknowledge the error plainly and provide the corrected information. Do not quietly change the account or defend a claim that the evidence no longer supports. WHO’s transparency guidance includes correcting errors openly: Be transparent.
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