Running a Smooth Q&A Session

When you deliver a business presentation, you are in complete control of the content you include, the slides you design and the amount of preparation and practice you put in. The only section of the presentation you don’t control is the question and answer session. You can prepare all you want, but you can never fully anticipate exactly which questions you audience will ask. As a result, the Q&A session can be intimidating.

Even so, your audience still expects that you will handle your Q&A session professionally and it’s your job to meet those expectations. To help you maintain control and manage your Q&A session with confidence, here are five easy guidelines that you can follow.

#1. To help you and your audience relax, begin the Q&A session with a question of your own. This will break the ice, get your audience talking and create an atmosphere for discussion. Once you’ve created safe space, your audience will be more likely to ask questions of their own.

#2. Make questions and answers an interactive dialog. If someone in the audience asks you something clever, respond by saying “Good question” before you answer. When you’re through, go back to that person and ask, “Does that answer your question?” and then thank them for asking. Everyone (especially you) will feel more relaxed if Q&A is conversational.

#3. Clarify questions to ensure that you understand. Repeat them back to the person asking. This is useful not only for your understanding, but for everyone else in the room as well.

#4. Answer the questions you receive. Many speakers are skilled at talking back to questions in circles and moving on without providing an answer. This may be allowable in politics, but not in business. Your audience is asking questions to obtain information necessary for important decisions. They rely on your expertise and on your answers.

Finally, #5. If you don’t know an answer, don’t fake it. A non-answer may do more harm than good, and there may be someone in the audience who calls you on your bluff. Professional presenters know how to use techniques that help them to maintain credibility even when they don’t know the answer to a question.

Good presentations can be impressive, but the question and answer session is what’s going to make it or break it for you. Managing a good Q&A session professionally will convince your audience of your confidence and your credibility.

Standing Up to a Challenge

An engineer from Penang told me his story about an IT marketing presentation he was doing for his company in Europe. He had done the presentation several times before and knew his stuff in and out, so his audience of about 25 people listened politely and received him well. When he finished he opened the floor for questions, but before anyone had a chance to ask, someone from the back of the room, without standing or raising his hand, shouted out, “That’ll never work.”

Not knowing how to deal with this sudden challenge, the engineer lost his nerve. He mumbled a few words, and realizing that he needed to clear his head, he called for a quick break, leaving the audience somewhat puzzled.

He received a challenge that knocked him off of his feet, dissolved his confidence and left his professional credibility damaged. What could he have done better? How would you handle a challenge like this? Let’s examine a few options together.

You could ask the challenger to elaborate. Doing so will help you determine whether he has a legitimate point or not and will allow you some time to get your thoughts together. On the other hand, he may raise a point that takes your audience away from you. You’ve got 24 others on your side. Do you really want to jeopardize your hard work by allowing someone else to take over?

Alternatively, you could throw the question back to the audience. This will take the pressure off of you and turn the challenge into an open discussion. Be careful, however, to throw the question back to someone whom you know is on your side. Otherwise you might single out someone who has no opinion, or worse, someone who agrees with your challenger.

If you would like to discuss your challenger’s position but not in front of the audience, another option is to take the challenge offline. Acknowledge his position and invite him to chat during the break. After all, you tell him, several people in the audience have questions, and you’d like to allow your challenger as much time as he needs.

A final option, and probably your best, is to stand your ground, keep the floor and meet the challenge. He has told you that your idea won’t work. Smile back at him, acknowledge his point of view, and then go ahead and explain why it will work. Give examples of where it has worked before. When you’re through, go back to your challenger and ask him, “Does that clarify things for you?” In nine out of ten cases, he’ll say yes. If he comes back with another challenge, take it offline.

Remember, a challenge can be as easy to handle as any other question -- just as long as you’re prepared to meet it.

Three Types of Questions to Expect During Q&A

You’ve come to the end of your business presentation and your audience gives you a round of warm applause. You smile, nod, open your body language and oozing with obvious confidence you ask them, “Do you have any questions?” But, in your mind you’re thinking, “I hope not, I hope not.”

Because you never really know what’s coming, the Q&A session at the end of your presentation can be the most difficult part to handle. However, it can be easier for you if you know and anticipate the three different types of questions that your audience is most likely to ask you.

The first type of question is for clarification. These are by far the most common questions that you’ll receive, and fortunately, they’re the easiest to answer. Your audience will ask for clarification when they need further explanation of an item you’ve delivered. All you’ve got to do, therefore, is go back, display the slide they have in question, and re-explain yourself a different way. Answering clarification questions is pretty straightforward and usually requires no additional knowledge on your part.

The second type of question is for additional information. Receiving questions like this is a good indication that your audience liked what you had to say, and now they want to hear more. They may ask for more detail, for specifications, for alternatives, and so on. Like clarification, these questions are common and easy to answer – IF you know your stuff. Prepare for these questions in advance. If your audience asks you for additional information, make sure you can provide it. "I'll get back to you" is an answer you'll be luck to get away with just once.

The last type of question your audience may ask is the most difficult to answer. This happens when they ask a question meant to challenge you. Your audience may challenge you for three different reasons. First, they might need absolute confirmation that the information you’re delivering is accurate. Important business decisions may depend on your presentation, so decision makers need to be certain. Expect to be challenged by senior management attending your presentation and be confident. This is what they want to see.

Second, they might disbelieve or find fault with an item you’ve presented. Be careful here, because they may be right and you may be wrong. If you realize your mistake, apologize and acknowledge the correction. If you are uncertain, commit to rechecking and getting back to the questioner. But, if you know you are right, stand and hold your ground. Accuracy must be defended.

The third reason your audience may challenge you is just to give you a hard time. Fortunately, these are few and far between so you may never have to deal with this type of challenge. However, if you do, these are the challenges that are most likely to put your professional credibility on line.

How do you deal with a tough challenge? Check in next week and read on...