I emphasize that I am a facilitator, not a know-it-all person at the beginning of every facilitation. That sets the tone that when there are questions, it is not only me who is responsible to answer questions. Thus, when tough questions come up, I allow other participants to take part. It works.

I have talked about centering strategies in other articles. Step 1: centre yourself and focus on your breathing to align your mind. Step 2: Do you have a factual answer for their question? If not, you can confidently thank them for a pertinent question and say, at this moment, I do not have all the information in front of me to give you the most accurate answer so please allow me “x” time to get back to you. People respect those who are not going to respond for the sake of responding. You may even ask them to drop you an email and reinforce that responding to their question is important to you. Step 3: Follow through. People like to be seen, heard and made to feel significant. When you get them “complete” answers, they will appreciate it.

It is an unfortunate reality that a tough question will arise during a Q&A or someone in the audience wants to 'stump the chump'. My approach is to: First, acknowledge the position of the individual without conceding my stance on the topic. Second, elevate or broaden the purview to include context that might not be part of the feedback or question. For example, if the question is about something current, is there historical reference or future consideration that impacts my response Third, understand that this individual only represents themselves. Since my debate is with this one individual, I will try to take it offline by asking them to meet with me to discuss further after we complete the intended agenda.