Access the essential membership for Modern Managers
Once a speaker has delivered a speech or presentation, the next step is to field questions from the audience. This article outlines a process for dealing effectively with questions after a presentation.
1. Listen
Listen carefully to the question being asked. For many people, the temptation is to start answering the question in their head before the questioner has actually finished. This means that the latter part of the question is sometimes lost and the question is not answered completely.
2. Rephrase and Repeat
Once the question has been heard in its entirety, rephrase and repeat the question out loud. This serves several purposes: First, the person being questioned can check with the questioner that they have fully understood what is being asked. Second, rephrasing the question affords time to think and helps the presenter to develop an answer, and third, repeating the question aloud will ensure everyone in the audience has heard the question.
3. Answer
Now that the question has been fully understood, answer the question clearly and concisely. It is better to answer concisely and be asked to expand on the answer than to go into too much depth and go on too long. If someone in the audience asks for further explanation, it may be best to inform them that this can be discussed in greater depth after the question and answer session. This will ensure that a reasonable variety of questions are asked and answered within the allotted time.
