At the beginning of your presentation, outline how you’d like to handle questions and interruptions. For example, encourage questions at the end or designate specific times for discussion. When interrupted, take a deep breath and remain calm. Your composure will set the tone for how others react. Politely acknowledge the person who interrupted. For example, “I appreciate your enthusiasm! Let me finish this point, and then I’d love to hear your thoughts.” Use pauses effectively during your presentation to signal transitions or emphasize points, which can also help minimize interruptions. Use phrases like, “That ties in well with what I was just discussing…” to smoothly transition back to your presentation.

This really depends on the nature of the ‘interruption’ - questions are great, debate is great, getting off presentation is great. PowerPoint and presentations are a trap that lead most to speak their language and present topics which are actually meaningless to a buying customer. A dialogue defeats presentation. If there were no ‘interruption’ I’d worry that you’d leave with no differentiation, no guarantee to get to the next conversation or phase of the process. Better to know your topic, better still to know your client, you can always land back to your flow if needs be.

My opinion and strategies in this are that when facing interruptions during a presentation, it's crucial to remain calm and assertive. One can start by setting clear expectations at the beginning, such as letting the audience know there will be a Q&A at the end. If interruptions do occur, politely acknowledge the point but guide the conversation back to your presentation, saying you'll address it later. Use pauses and steady eye contact to regain control and adjust your pace or tone to draw the audience’s attention back to you. This approach ensures you maintain authority while keeping the presentation on track.

When interruptions occur, I’ll often pause and say, I’d love to hear more about that, but let’s explore it in a few minutes. This way, I can regain control while showing that I value their contributions!