There is no question that first impressions count. But too often we forget about the importance of last impressions. And the end of the speech is usually not the last impression that an audience has of a speaker. More often than not, it is the way you answered the audience’s questions that sticks in people’s minds.
Success in fielding questions after a presentation depends to a large extent on the quality of the preparation before the presentation.
Perhaps the best at answering tough questions was President Kennedy. His Q&A following his Houston Ministers’ Speech (1960) was masterful.
Some things to keep in mind:
- Know your audience: anticipate their concerns, issues, questions, and reactions.
- Prepare and rehearse answers to their most likely questions.
- Wherever possible, design the presentation to address their concerns/answer their most likely questions in the course of the presentation itself.
- At the outset of the presentation provide a “roadmap” of where you’re going; i.e., explain what your presentation/paper/study does and doesn’t cover and let people know the details (scope, methodology, terminology, sample size, etc.), and say how and when questions will be dealt with.
- Know and follow the organization’s or conference’s “ground rules” regarding questions and allow as much time as possible for them after a presentation.
- If feasible and appropriate, encourage questions during the presentation. This helps create a dialogue with the audience and gets their participation as you present.
- Have people in the audience you know be prepared to ask questions just in case there’s a lengthy pause between the end of your presentation and the first question.
- Listen carefully to the question; make sure you understand it. If necessary, ask the questioner to repeat it or clarify it.
- Make sure the audience heard the question; repeat the question if it wasn’t heard; paraphrase it if that helps you frame the answer.
- Resist the temptation to rush out with an answer. Pause to gather your thoughts, then answer the question directly and succinctly; e.g., give a conclusion first, then elaborate, explain, and provide support.
- Support your answers with facts, analogies, anecdotes, illustrations, and visuals. If you’ve used slides in the presentation, refer back to them if they’ll help answer the questions. Or, have some summary slides available for the Q&A.
- Wherever possible, use your answer to the question to reinforce the main point of your presentation.
- Be aware of your nonverbal signals when listening to questions; observe their nonverbal signals when they’re asking questions.
- Avoid getting defensive if challenged or confronted by apparently hostile questioners—respond to the question versus reacting to the person asking it.
- If a questioner is confrontational, remain polite and professional, take a deep breath or two and offer to talk with them after the session.
- Try to connect with the questioner and converse with him or her (e.g., if appropriate, come out from behind the lectern to engage the questioner), but don’t turn your back on or neglect the rest of the audience.
- If someone monopolizes the Q&A, politely ask him or her to let others ask their questions before taking another question from that individual.
- Treat whoever asks the question with respect regardless of what they asked or how they asked it or who they are.
- Be honest, don’t be afraid to say you don’t know the answer; if appropriate, say you’ll get the answer and get back to the person who asked it…and do it.
- Try to visualize and “visceralize” your answers, not just verbalize them; i.e., help the audience see and feel the answer, not just intellectualize it. Use examples, stories, and illustrations.
Your answers to the audience’s questions are the last impression the audience has of you…make it a good one.
