How To Handle Those Pesky Q & A's

I can’t tell you how many of my executive coaching clients fret about the Q & A section that often follows their delivery of a presentation. "What if I don't know the answer?" they worry. "What if I only sort of know how to reply?"? Here's a little except from the book I'm almost finished writing (Charismatic Presence: Five Principles for Magnetic Presentations-- to be published later this year) that addresses some questions on questions:?

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How to answer when you?sort of?know the answer:

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In this case, you want to be able to buy yourself some time. Here are a couple of responses that allow you to regroup for a moment and formulate on the spot:

?--“What a great question! Give me a moment to think about it.” (And then do just that: Ground yourself, take a sip of water, inhale and exhale deeply, and?then?speak.

?--“Thank you for asking that question! Just to be sure I understood it, would you mind repeating it?”

Then, commit to answering the question as best you can, based on what you actually know.?Keep your answer simple and clear.?Stay close to the core of a single idea and explore it fully, much like master-level jazz musicians do when they improvise within a chord structure.??

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How to answer when you?absolutely don’t know?the answer:

?--“That’s an excellent question! Unfortunately, I don’t have a definitive answer for you. Let me go research it a bit, and I’ll circle back to you with what I found out.”

--“Great question! I have no idea how to answer that, but I wonder if someone in the audience does?”? This takes the focus off of you, and allows for the potential to make someone in your audience a rock star for sharing their knowledge.

?--“That’s a fantastic question, and right up the alley of my colleague, Sylvia.? Sylvia, would you like to take a shot at answering it?” (Note: Never do this unless you are sure your colleague really might know the answer!)

“Should I end my Presentation with a Q & A? Or invite questions as I talk?”

Wondering when and where to allow Questions to be posed by audience members is a huge dilemma for many speakers.? Here are my general rules of thumb:

First and foremost, take charge!? Your audience members follow your lead-- so tell them what you need or intend when it comes to entertaining their questions.

Questions As You Go: If you don’t mind your flow being interrupted, and you’re giving a more relaxed talk that doesn’t have strict time parameters, invite them to raise their hand, virtually or otherwise, and share their questions when --but let them know you reserve the right to cut responses short or move forward in the interests of time.? A better way to manage questions-as-you-go is to let your audience know you have planned specific, five-minute increments of time at strategic places within your presentation in which to entertain their questions. Encourage your audience members to write down their questions so they don’t forget them in between those time frames. Then, honor the pre-determined Q & A time frames by answering as many questions as you can comfortable handle within the parameters. If you don't get to all the questions, you can always save an addition Q & A period for after your talk; or you can choose to respond to those questions via email to the individual or to the the group as a whole after your talk is over.

Waiting Until The End: If you prefer waiting until the end of your presentation to answer questions, because you have a lot of information to share and only a limited time in which to share it, let your audience know that at the onset of your presentation. Suggest to them that they jot down their questions for later discussion.? Bring your talk to a close, with a brief ?summary and a call to action, and a definitive “thank you.” ?Pause. And then open it up for a defined Q & A period.? Having a Q & A period after your talk is officially over is better for you, and for your audience. It allows you to stay in control of your presentation from beginning to end; and it gives your audience time for their brains to shift from passive listening mode to engaged conversational mode .

Like life, presentations and Q & A sessions are not always going to be smooth sailing. But if you’re willing to commit to going all-in with your intention, choices, and the connection with your audience, you will be less inclined to be thrown by what comes at you in both scripted or unscripted moments.? You’ll learn to?turn icky into sticky,?which builds your confidence and your presence and makes for maximally magnetic presentations!