Question & Answering

A well-handled question-and-answer session can strengthen your credibility, demonstrate your knowledge, and give you a chance to clarify and expand your ideas. A poorly handled session can hurt your credibility, alienate your audience, and give your adversaries an opportunity to make their case.

Answering Questions

"You've delivered a speaking presentation, with an opening, body and a conclusion, gestures and vocal variety. And, now we want you to DO WHAT?? Answer questions!! Your skill and confidence are back at ZERO once again!!"

Handling questions can be nerve wracking because of the potential to get questions that you can’t or perhaps don’t want to answer. However, just as with presentations, preparation is a vital tool to help you perform with ease and confidence in a question and answer session.

Preparation

How can you prepare for something you can’t control? It may seem impossible. However, if you think about it, you do have a fair idea as to:

• what questions might be raised,
• the expected attitude of the audience (i.e. hostile, friendly, curious or confused).

The best way to prepare yourself and build your confidence is to take the time to write down as many possible questions as you can think of, and then practice answering them prior to the event.

To get more ideas of possible questions, you can ask others to pose questions to you and practice answering them.

It is particularly important to practice answering what you consider the most difficult questions. Then, if you do get that question or a similar one you will be better prepared to respond than if you received it totally unprepared.

If you don’t hear the question or understand it, ask the questioner to repeat it.

Try to keep calm, even if your audience is hostile or upset.

Always respect the questioner, even if you do not like the question or the manner in which it is posed.

Don’t feel offended if someone asks you a question that you feel you already answered in your presentation or a previous question, they may not have heard or understood the information previously presented.

Honesty is the best policy, so if you don’t know the answer to something, admit it - you can offer to get in contact the person later with an answer.

Try to anticipate difficult questions in advance. Play the “devil’s advocate” and guess which questions your opponents might ask. Write down the toughest questions you can think of and strong responses. Practice your answers out loud, preferably with someone else asking the questions. Have friends ask hostile, aggressive questions so you’re less likely to get rattled by the real thing.

Remember that tough questions aren’t necessarily hostile. If you can remember that, you won’t get defensive or nervous. You can also “buy time” to collect your thoughts by repeating or rephrasing the question, e.g., “You’re wondering why we should avoid dairy products.” Then answer the question.

Respecfulness Defuses Hostility

If someone is hostile, stay cool. You must appear calm and reasonable, even if you don’t feel that way. Listen carefully to each question, be tactful, and avoid using such emotionally charged words like “obviously” when you answer. Stick to things you can prove and stick to facts.

Use the “feel, felt, find” method to disagree with someone: “I understand how you feel. Others have felt that way. But I find in my experience...”

Answer to the entire audience, not just the questioner (especially if it’s a hostile question). If someone tries to get control of the session to make a lengthy statement, ask, “What is your question?” or say, “I’ll be happy to hear your comments afterwards, but we’ve got to end soon, so let’s go on to another question.”

Never forget why you are speaking in defense of what you believe in: you are right. If you speak sincerely and with conviction, you will reach your audience. They may not walk out agreeing with you, but you will plant an idea in their minds that can grow.

Ending the Session on a High Note

While a question and answer session can be stressful, it can offer you an opportunity to clarify things your audience may not have understood; repeat things you think are important. In ending the session you will usually have the last word. Use it to summarize your position or stress what you think is your most important point of your presentation. This will be your last chance to impress or inform your audience - use it to your advantage.