5 Tips For Handling Difficult Questions

Have you ever had to answer difficult questions after a business presentation or during an important meeting?

As a manager, salesperson, executive or business owner, it is your job to arm yourself with information and set the tone of the meeting. The ability to appropriately address difficult questions will set a positive example in your organization.

Many business leaders find presentations and crucial business meetings extremely stressful. Usually, long meetings and presentations concern topics of change, such as changes in an established process. And generally, people do not react well to change if they like the way things are already going.

  

5 Tips For Handling Difficult Questions After A Presentation Are:

Tip #1: Be Informed ­- Arm yourself with necessary and supplemental information about your topic. Even if you cannot answer a difficult or emotional question, you can at least provide the questioner with facts, statistics, and evidence. If you do not have a direct answer to the question, offer to follow up with it in an e-mail to the group - and follow through on that promise.

Tip # 2: Maintain Control ­- Set some ground rules for your Q&A session. At the beginning of your presentation, ask listeners to hold their questions until you are finished. If you have a time limit, manage expectations by mentioning it at the start of the presentation. To prevent interruptions, provide your listeners with pens and notepaper - this will encourage them to write their questions down and ask them later.

Tip #3: Rephrase The Question - After you receive a question, rephrase it and confirm that you have understood the questioner properly. If the question contains incorrect information or assumptions, take this opportunity to provide the facts.

Tip #4: Answer Questions Carefully - A questioner might try to bait you with a question, so choose your words carefully when you respond. To avoid becoming too emotional over the topic, make sure you address the entire audience in your response. This will also make everyone feel included. Additionally:

• Remain professional towards all audience members.
• Answer questions directly.
• Construct your answer to relate to the point you wish to emphasize.
• If someone has a specific question that does not apply to others, offer to speak with him or her independently following the presentation. 

Tip #5: Prepare A FAQ Document - To save time, provide a FAQ (frequently asked questions document) that you can hand out after the presentation. This allows everyone to have firm answers in writing. By anticipating questions, you can also save on time.

  

Executive Summary: Difficult questions are a challenging aspect of leading a business meeting and/or presentation. To succeed, ensure that you maintain positive body language and continually demonstrate how the answers can benefit the audience.

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