Handling Questions in a Presentation

Whether you present online or in-person, you often will have to answer questions. Or, maybe you will have to field several questions in a question and answer session (Q&A).

The Question and Answer (Q&A) session will probably be at the end of your presentation and might be what you are most remembered for. Make sure you are prepared so that you can show up with confidence.

Below is a video with tips to prepare for questions, followed by the tips written out.

1. Prepare for Questions

Write down a few questions that you anticipate you might be asked. Rehearse your answers. One of the questions can be used to get the ball rolling in the Q&A session, especially if no one has a question right away.

Reinforce key messages. It can be very effective to end your answer with a relevant key point from your presentation. “And that’s why we need to [state a point from your presentation].”

Focus questions on specific topics you are comfortable discussing. You can define your question topics for the audience before taking questions. For example, when discussing an upcoming project, and your part is mostly the project timeline, you can ask, “What questions do you have about the project timeline?”

2. Increase Audience Engagement

Let them know near the start that there will be a Q&A session, and to write down questions as they think about them.

Ask presumptively. Instead of asking, “Are there any questions?” Ask the more presumptive prompt, “What questions do you have about (Topic)?” And then pause, look around and wait several seconds.

Encourage questions with your body language. Lean in or take a step toward the audience, smile, and ask, “What questions do you have . . . ?” while extending one arm toward the audience, palm up.

Plant a question or two. If you have a buddy in the audience, your buddy can “break-the-ice” for the Q&A with a question for which you have a great, short answer prepared. Then say, “Next question?”

Answer your own questions. If you didn’t plant a question, or no one asks a question, try saying something like, “Many people have asked me . . . [a typical question]?” And then, answer your own question, followed by, “What questions do you have about [related topic to the question you just answered]?”

3. Respond Intelligently

Listen. Pause. Repeat. Respond.

1. Listen to the question, without interrupting the questioner (unless the person isn’t asking a question)
2. Pause a few beats. You will look thoughtful.
3. Repeat the question, paraphrasing if needed, to both clarify your understanding of the question, and to allow the audience to hear the question in a large meeting room.
4. Respond. Choose your response:
5. Answer: Give a short, direct answer. Get to the point.
   1. PREP method:
      1. Point: state your point
      2. Reason: give a reason
      3. Example: provide an example or evidence
      4. Point: restate your point
6. Clarify: Question the question, for clarification.
7. Delegate: Pass the question on to someone else who can answer it, or provide greater detail
8. Defer: Put off answering the question if it is beyond the scope of the presentation, one you will answer later in the presentation, one that you don’t have an immediate answer for, or one that requires more detail than you want to get into right then (“Let me talk to you later”).
9. Alternatives to “I don’t know”
10. “I don’t know, but I’ll find out and let you know. However, I do have some thoughts around that question . . .” (And then give some of your related thoughts).
11. “I don’t have enough information on that yet. I’ll need to get back with you.”
12. “That’s an interesting idea—I hadn’t thought of that.” 

Start and end your response by making eye contact with the questioner. Look at other audience members in between to involve them.

4. Deal with a Presentation Hijacker

Cut off the long comment. When the person takes a breath, cut in and say, “Excuse me, do you have a question?” Or, “I’m looking for a question. Do you have a question?”

Redirect the off-topic comment: “Excuse me for interrupting, but we need to stay on-topic. Do you have a question related to [your topic]?”

Move on from the persistent questioner. While you should allow for a follow-up question, if the questioner persists in a line of questioning, your next sentence can be: “I’m happy to discuss this with you after the presentation.” If one person is asking almost all the questions, you can answer their second or third question, thank them and encourage others to ask questions.  “Thank you for your interest! I’d like to hear from others, as well.” Break eye contact with the questioner and look around at others. “What other questions are there?”

5. Deal with a Dissenter

• Validate the dissenter. “Thank you for your opinion. There is almost always more than one way to look at a situation.”
• Agree. If possible, find something in common to agree on. “I think we can both agree on . . .”
• Offer to discuss later. “Let’s discuss this later.”
• Move on. Break eye contact with the dissenter and appeal to the audience, “Next question . . . ?”

If the person is highly disruptive, ask for someone else to deal with them so that you can continue.

6. Defuse the Loaded Question

Loaded questions can be tricky because the question includes an assumption that puts you on the defensive. For example, “Has your project stopped falling behind schedule?” Whether you say yes or no, you are admitting to falling behind at some point. The general rule is to never answer the question as it was asked, but to deflect or to defuse it.

Question the assumption. (Ask, “What makes you ask that?”, “What are you basing that on?”).

Empathize and redirect. If you get a loaded question, such as “Why are you charging so much for your program?” try empathizing and redirecting. Empathize with the person, “I can understand your concern with the price.” Then, redirect the question to one that you want to answer. “I believe your concern is whether you are getting a good value for the price . . . “

Defer. If the person is unsatisfied or becomes hostile, offer to speak with them after the presentation.

Only for the very confident: Laugh at the question, especially if it is over the top (“Have you always been this stupid?”), or if it was asked humorously. You might even add, “There’s one in every crowd . . .” (Yes, this implies the person asking the question is a jerk, or at least not to be taken seriously.)

7. Own the End

Do you want someone else to control the end of your presentation?

Of course not. But that’s what you do when you end your presentation on your last Q&A response. Your response to that last question is not something that you can plan as you don’t know what the last question will be. Then because you have run out of time, you will probably conclude with “Well, my time is up . . .”  You lost control.

There is a better, more confident and more compelling way to wrap up the Q&A: save your concluding words for after the Q&A. Your concluding words would reinforce your key message and probably have a call-to-action.

To do that, you will have to watch your time. As you get within a few minutes of the end, offer to “take one last question.” Or, if you realize you don’t have time for one last question, segue into your conclusion as you end your response.

Follow these tips and the Q&A session can be the best part of your presentation!

Reference:

The PREP method for answering questions is found in the book, Speaking Up: Surviving Executive Presentations by Frederick Gilbert