How to Survive a Question and Answer Session

At the conclusion of a presentation, a question and answer session can be very beneficial. It allows you to interact with your audience, and it serves as an effective way to self-evaluate how much you actually know about the subject matter. Q & A can also be an opportunity for redemption in case the presentation didn't go over very well. This article offers some tips for surviving any question and answer session.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Stay on your toes, because Q & A is not a time to relax! Questions can be hostile and deal with controversial topics such as dishonesty, corruption, racism, sexism, etc.

2. If you anticipate having a shy audience, put a "plant" up front - someone who asks one or two scripted questions. This way, everyone else will warm up and feel more comfortable asking their own questions.

3. If certain questions are not to your liking, "bridge" them by answering them the way YOU want to. (Examples: "Well, I think the REAL question is..." or "That's important, but have you thought about...") You can also deflect sensitive questions with legal protocol. (Examples: "The matter is still in litigation." or "Not all of the facts have been reviewed.")

4. Take brief pauses before each answer. This gives you time to think before you speak, and it shows the audience that you are actually putting some sincere thought into what you are saying. In addition, it provides consistency in case a particular question throws you off-guard (which you don't want the audience to notice).

5. Tell the truth! If you don't know an answer, offer to find one as soon as possible. And if the truth hurts, be prepared to handle it accordingly.

6. Be concise, because too much talking during Q & A can be counter-productive. Studies show that most people are okay with listening to sound bytes as long as eighteen seconds.

7. Sincerity and personality are saving graces, but be wary of using humor. Humor can be effective when trying to ease tension, but especially with a larger audience, an ill-advised joke is likely to offend someone.

8. If a question is based on incorrect facts, make sure that you set the record straight before you provide an answer.

9. If someone in the audience asks multiple questions, pick one to answer right away and offer to answer the other(s) later if time permits. Furthermore, if the session has a time limit, do not exceed it - doing so is disrespectful to the audience.

10. NEVER respond with "no comment"!

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful of bridging or deflecting (see step 3) too many times, or else you may be accused of avoiding the questions.