Question-and-Answer Sessions
Deftly fielding questions is a final critical component of making a speech or a presentation. As the last step in preparing your speech, anticipate and prepare for questions the audience is likely to pose to you. Write these questions down, and practice answering them. Spend time preparing an answer to the most difficult question that you are likely to face. The confidence you will gain from smoothly handling a difficult question should spill over to other questions.1
Protocol during the Session
As a matter of courtesy, call on audience members in the order in which they raise their hands. Consider the following guidelines:
- Repeat or paraphrase the question (“The question is ‘Did the mayor really vote against . . .’”). This will ensure that you’ve heard it correctly, that others in the audience know what you are responding to, and that you have time to reflect upon and formulate an answer. Note that there are a few exceptions to repeating the question, especially when the question is hostile. One expert suggests that you should always repeat the question when speaking to a large group; when you’re in a small group or a training seminar, however, doing so isn’t necessary.2
- Initially make eye contact with the questioner; then move your gaze to other audience members. This makes all
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audience members feel as though you are responding not only to the questioner but to them as well.
- Remember your listening skills. Give questioners your full attention, and don’t interrupt them.
- Don’t be afraid to pause while formulating an answer. Many speakers feel they must feed the audience instantaneous responses; this belief sometimes causes them to say things that they later regret. This is especially the case in media interviews (see Appendix C). Pauses that seem long to you may not appear lengthy to listeners.
- Keep answers concise. The question-and-answer session is not the time to launch into a lengthy treatise on your favorite aspect of a topic.
Handling Hostile and Otherwise Troubling Questions
When handling hostile questions, do not get defensive. Doing so will damage your credibility and only encourage the other person. Maintain an attitude of respect, and stay cool and in control. Attempt to defuse the hostile questioner with respect and goodwill. Similarly, never give the impression that you think a question is stupid or irrelevant, even if it clearly is.
- Do not repeat or paraphrase a hostile question. This only lends the question more credibility than it is worth. Instead, try to rephrase it more positively 3 (e.g., in response to the question “Didn’t your department botch the handling of product X?” you might respond, “The question was ‘Why did product X experience a difficult market entry?’ To that I would say that . . .”).
- If someone asks you a seemingly stupid question, do not point that out. Instead, respond graciously.4
Ending the Session
Never end a question-and-answer session abruptly. As time runs out, alert the audience that you will take one or two more questions and then must end. The session represents one final opportunity to reinforce your message, so take the opportunity to do so. As you summarize your message, thank your listeners for their time. Leave an air of goodwill behind you.