Navigating ‘unusual’ Q&A scenarios

I believe we’ve all experienced how to deal with a question that we don’t know the answer to in some form of “I’m not quite sure of the answer to that question, can I get back to you later?’. By the way, my favourite response in this situation is “Rather than answer off the top of my head, can I get back to you later once I’ve checked some details” – it gives the message that perhaps you DO know the answer but you want to give the questioner the best answer possible.

But, what about some ‘tricky’ situations that might catch you off-guard?

I have three ‘unusual’ scenarios for you below, with guidance on how to deal with each of them.

1. The question the person is asking isn’t relevant.?

To be respectful to the rest of the audience and avoid them becoming impatient, you need to be assertive here and steer the question back to relevancy to the topic. You could ask the questioner to rephrase the question and to indicate which part of the topic the question is referring to. Alternatively, you could ask the person where they see the importance of what they’re asking about, again, in relation to what has been presented. Another useful strategy is to suggest you take the question off-line.

2. You get a question that has already been answered.?

In these days of short attention spans and incessant multi-tasking, this can easily happen so I think we need to be ‘forgiving’. Be careful not to be patronising in your response. Simply acknowledge the question then answer it clearly and concisely. If the question is about an aspect of the topic that is very relevant, at least you have the opportunity here to emphasise a key point.

3. You suspect the person is trying to trip you up with the question.?

Sometimes a questioner’s tone can come across as hostile if they have a very direct communication style, but perhaps they are simply asking for information from a perspective you haven’t thought about - don’t jump to conclusions.

However, to avoid getting on the defensive, get into a curious state of mind. Thank them for the ‘interesting/insightful’ question and then involve them – ask them for THEIR perspective first. Or you might want to ask them for the reason BEHIND the question, why it’s important to them. Their responses to your questions about their question will likely give you some valuable information which you can align with.

At the same time, if the question is a little off-topic, remember to check in with the rest of the audience to see if they wish to pursue this new perspective. If not, suggest you take if offline and follow up with the questioner later on.

How you handle unexpected and ‘unusual’ questions will directly impact on the audience’s perception of you as a speaker and subject expert. You really don’t want to be seen to be getting nervous and uncomfortable, this will of course, undermine your credibility.

Make sure you cultivate a ‘growth’ mindset before any presentation, especially high-stakes ones, so you go in with the attitude that any situation is a chance to learn and grow.

What other ‘tricky’ Q&A scenarios have you experienced and what did you learn from them?