Handling Questions & Answers Sessions like a Professional – Part 2

In the previous article, we gave you a glimpse of the fundamentals. In this issue, we will provide you with the nuggets of handling the Q & A session during the event.

There are three main reasons why participants ask questions:

• The need to appear smart or knowledgeable

• The desire to disprove the speaker

• A genuine doubt or a clarification

Whatever the reason, your approach should be professional and enable the audience to understand your perspective better. By adhering to these tips, you will emerge as a confident and credible speaker.

• Set the rules:

Taking questions during or at the end of the talk is left to the speaker's comfort. Set a time limit and the number of questions. Whatever method you choose, make sure that the rules are clear in the beginning.

• Appreciate the questioner.

The following responses will build a rapport between you and the questioner. Thank you. That is a wonderful question, or a very interesting one. I was hoping someone would ask this question.

• Listen and repeat the question:

Listening helps you understand the question clearly. Remember to listen without the burden of agreeing. Repeating the question helps clarify whether you heard it correctly and gives a second chance for the audience to get the query right.

• Pause, eye contact and smile:

Pause exemplifies calmness and maturity and allows time for thoughts to flow. Eye contact indicates that you are focused on the questioner. A smile is a sign that you are a friendly person and you are happy to answer the question.

• Handling a difficult audience

Some people may ask silly or foolish questions for the sake of asking. Some others may disagree or want to discredit you. Be calm and polite while responding. Handling a hostile participant is a fine art. You should be graceful yet assertive. You can tell them that you will be happy to discuss their point of view after the session. The same rule applies to frequent disruptors. Don’t get baited or reactive, but defend your ideas. The audience will evaluate you based on your knowledge, sincerity, and conviction.

• When you don’t know the answer:

Being honest is more genuine than giving half-baked or misleading answers. You could respond in the following manner:

That is an interesting question. Would anyone in the audience like to answer it?

This question is beyond the scope of my topic.

I'm still researching this aspect of the topic which covers your question.

I’m not sure about this. Can I get back to you post-conference? Be sure to keep up the promise.

• Using a Moderator :

A moderator ensures that appropriate questions are asked and sets the rules of the engagement. This person is an experienced speaker who can handle pressure, be polite, and be assertive when needed. The moderator can collect the questions before, during, or at the end of your speech. He plays an important role during online meetings, where he keeps tabs on the chats and ensures that crucial queries are answered. A moderator doesn’t answer questions but only facilitates the Q&A session.

• Using Tools to Engage the Audience: Using a tool like Mentimeter helps the audience ask questions using their smartphones. This is a wonderful tool for the online platform where you can conduct quizzes, polls, collect feedback, etc. It has features where you can export and use the data to analyze the audience response.

• End the session with a crescendo: Don’t end the Q&A session abruptly. End the meeting by thanking the audience. Specify if you will be present after the session and for how long. (For example, 15 minutes or during dinner time, etc.) Closing the talk with a short summary, a riveting story, or an experience can further highlight your topic and enhance your name.

The Q&A session is a challenging yet wonderful opportunity for speakers to make their monologue into an engaging dialogue, a conversation that the audience will remember for a lifetime.