What do you do if your Q&A session becomes a conflict zone?

?? Before you do anything else, BREATHE. Take a deep breath in, fill your lungs and your belly, feel the nourishment of that fresh oxygen, and let it out through your mouth, taking all your tension with it. Now that you feel calmer, let's deal with your audience. Listen to the challengers and do your best to understand their point of view, even if it is difficult. You have reason on your side. Allow them to make their point, within a reasonable time. If needed, summarise their question or comment to ensure you understood correctly. Respond briefly, and invite further conversation after the Q&A if appropriate. Your equanimity is the most powerful "weapon" you have. No matter how emotional your audience gets, take the high road.

Don't panic. You are in control of the conversation. You can find ways to pivot the questioning. Don't dismiss people but shift the energy by saying something along the lines of "we will respect everyone's perspective and their stance, but we want to make sure we keep moving the event/day forward." You can avoid all disagreements especially in a Q&A. You have to ask yourself is your stance worth embarrassing the client, or even embarrassing yourself. Take a breath, assess and then decide to move on.

Listen very carefully. If someone or several people are in conflict, showing them that you are listening will help you resolve the situation. Acknowledge what they are saying. Ask a warm question to try and understand more. Often these moments can help you connect with someone and engage them further in your talk if you show them you are listening to them.

?? Listen. Listen. Listen. With all your senses and between the lines. Listening actively and visibly, giving those who are speaking your devoted attention. Even if you think you understand, go deeper into the heart of what they are saying. If they are irate, what is the root of their anger? It is probably far deeper than your speech or their questions. Simply observing that you are genuinely listening can begin to unravel the tension. Knowing that you genuinely hear and see them and are trying to understand their point of view can make all the difference. When you do respond, after listening, draw on this to build a bridge that can long outlast the conflict.

It's hard to manage a crowd if the participants are taking the conversation in a different direction. The last thing you want is for participants to feel uncomfortable or hurt. I would address the situation head-on but with tact and empathy. You could even say that you want this group to feel heard but also for everyone to feel safe and supported. You could say, because the conversation has gone to a place that is contentious or may make some people uncomfortable or uneasy, you'd respectfully ask to table the question and set it aside -- perhaps it could be properly addressed 1:1 or with human resources (if it's a corporate presentation). Just one possible solution to ask audience's permission to change topics and steer back on course.

Montrez que vous êtes à l'écoute, c'est globalement le SEUL conseil valable lors d'un conflit. Derrière, le but ne va pas être de prouver que vous avez raison, mais faire comprendre à l'autre que vous avez compris la réaction émotionnelle dans laquelle cette personne se trouve et essayer de trouver une solution qui pourra vous satisfaire tous les deux. Et si vraiment vous tombez sur un troll : don't feed.

If you anticipate that a Q&A session may become controversial or elicit heckling, consider preemptively introducing strict guidelines at the beginning of the Q&A to keep the focus narrow (and acknowledge the likely desire for folks to delve into adjacent topics or controversies, which you can happily discuss afterward).

?? Talk is cheap, they say. So what can you offer that goes beyond just talk? When moods run high, it is impossible to win an argument. But it is possible to start building a bridge. In fact, conflict can show us exactly where those bridges can best be built, and from what materials. Those materials are often the very issues at hand: the grievances that lead to conflict. Can you demonstrate your understanding of these root problems to identify solutions? Common ground is another ideal material for building bridges. What is important to both parties? Is it possible to set differences aside to work towards those ideals together? Sometimes the best solution is to open up an opportunity for dialogue with a forum, event or meeting.

Ensure your Q&A Session is never at the end of your speech. You can host this 4/5 of the way through the presentation to end the speech on your terms. You can invite the audience to come up to you after the speech is done and continue to ask you questions. Then, finish up your talk with your final points and ending story. This strategy keeps you in better control of the final message you are sharing.