Top tips
on handling a question and answer session
Rita Mascia gives her top tips on handling a question and answer
session. Rita is a member of West
Herts Speakers at the
St. Albans branch of Toastmasters
International - where
you can learn to speak in public with confidence.
Among
divorce, death and moving house, public speaking ranks way up on the list of
most stressful events.
Giving a
speech or presentation doesn’t have to be scary though - if you prepare well in
advance and you know your topic. However, even the most experienced presenters
face difficulties during the Q&A session. Sometimes an expertly-presented
speech can end up with a defensive set of answers and a feeling of having been
ambushed by the audience.
Help is
at hand though with the following top tips:
- Get to know your audience – Break the ice before your
presentation by speaking to as many people in your audience as possible.
People like to get to know the speaker before the presentation begins and
knowing a few people beforehand helps you to feel calmer as well.
- Anticipate your audience
questions –
What possible questions may you be asked? Practice by listing a series of
questions that may arise from your presentation. Better still, rehearse
your presentation with someone who doesn’t know anything about your topic
and get them to ask you questions. Often that will enable you to
identify areas that you have not thought of.
- Split multi-layered
questions –
Often the audience will ask a question that is really three questions in
one, preventing other people from asking theirs. Acknowledge the
multiple layers of the questions and say: “I would love to cover all three
aspects of your question, but as I know there are other people who want to
ask questions, I will limit my main answer to your first question and if
there is time at the end I will answer the remaining two”. This will show
you are not skirting the question but also managing your time effectively.
- Limit the ‘air time’ of
hecklers –
Beware of those people who fire question after question at you. You run
the risk of engaging in a one-to-one debate and alienating the rest of the
audience. Just say “I think we have spent enough time on that aspect,
let’s get another question from someone else now” and look at the audience
seated in the opposite direction to your heckler to encourage the next
question.
- Keep calm – Nothing is more annoying
than a defensive or argumentative speaker. Stay polite throughout, even
when the question is provocative. Use humour to deflate any tension.
- Keep stating your core
message at every opportunity – Decide at the start on the top three or
four key issues that you want your audience to remember and ensure you
include those in your answers throughout, even if it’s only one message
per question.
- If necessary, repeat or
rephrase the question for the benefit of the public
- It is ok to say “I don’t
know the answer to that” – People don’t mind you admitting to not
knowing something, but always add: “That’s a very good question and I will
find out for you. Be sure to give me your card at the end so that I can
get back to you”. And, to maintain your credibility, make sure you do!
- What if nobody asks you a
question? – No
need to panic. Turn it on its head. Ask them a question. Have
a couple of questions ready for the audience. Often that creates a
discussion and people then start asking you questions.
- End on a high! – After you have thanked
your audience for their contribution, use a little story or anecdote to
summarise your presentation. Metaphors work wonders and will leave the
audience with a strong message. The more personal the story or
metaphor the better!
– Often not everyone would
have heard it or understood it. By repeating or paraphrasing, you will
help the audience get the most out of the Q&A session and also get
more time to think of the answer.
(December 2009)
