Handling Q & A

1. Handling Q & A

2. Purpose of Q & A • Address audience concerns • Interact with audience to further develop rapport • Reinforce arguments or ideas • Reinforce credibility: can think on your feet

3. Preparing for Q & A • Anticipate areas where questions may arise • A related current event • Myths often believed • Areas of presentation that naturally could provoke questions due to who your audience is • Anticipate hostile questions • Challenges to your information • Challenges to your authority

4. Answering questions • Listen fully • Ask for clarification, if needed • Repeat the question for others to hear • Answer honestly • Admit ignorance and offer to get answer • Be brief • Be simple • Be concise • Never respond with a simple yes or no

5. Maintain control • Ensure everyone gets a chance • Avoid calling on same person until others have asked their questions • Only briefly repeat something covered in the speech that a questioner appears to have missed

6. Handling hostile questions • Stay calm • Look for areas of agreement to avoid defensiveness • Address the issue only • Ignore personal attacks or inferences • Avoid bringing in new information that could spark further disagreement • Don’t allow questioner to belabor the situation • Explain politely and calmly that you have explained your position and that it is time to move onto others’ concerns

7. Some final tips • If no one has a question. . . • Ask them what they think of a particular point you made • Share a common question you get asked • Offer to answer questions individually after the session has ended • Maintain eye contact and do not nod while people ask as this could indicate agreement • Deliver answer to invite questions from entire audience • Look at questioner at beginning of answer • Move eyes to others throughout answer • End with eyes on someone other than questioner