How to manage questions after your presentation
‘What if they ask me something I don’t know?’ — a thought almost everybody has had in the lead up to a presentation. The dreaded questions that might come from your audience are enough to make you want to avoid speaking at all costs, yet it is a critical piece of the puzzle you have to solve.
All humans have a tendency to want to be right all the time, yet knowing all of the answers is not something anybody can do, and you aren’t expected to know everything either. Don’t put a meaningless ‘need to be right’ over effectively managing a Q&A with your audience after your presentation.
There are some ways to manage this that will give you more control over the Q&A section and keep you on track. Let’s run through them.
Be specific
You may have heard the phrase ‘a politicians answer’ where a politician will go around the houses, say a lot of words without actually saying anything it all. You should avoid doing this at all costs.
If someone asks you a specific question, give them a specific answer. Saying more words does not mean they will understand your point better, it adds the potential of confusing your audience. It is okay to elaborate by giving examples or quoting data, but ensuring you answer their question is the most important thing.
