Opening an answer
“There are two parts to that.”
When to use it
Compound questions. Naming the parts shows you heard both and buys you structure.
What it replaces
"Umm, okay, so, regarding the first thing you asked…"
The hedged version is not wrong English. It is English that asks the interviewer to do the work of deciding whether you meant it. The confident version makes the decision for them.
In an answer
“There are two parts to that: how I found the leak, and how I stopped it recurring.”
How to make it automatic
- Say it aloud five times now, at normal speed, with contractions.
- Pick one story from your own work where it fits, and say that story once using it.
- Record a 60-second answer tomorrow and listen for whether it came out on its own.