HOW TO HANDLE

QUESTIONS

RESOURCE MANUAL #3

This manual was compiled by Battalion Chief Steve Lewis.

HOW TO HANDLE QUESTIONS

The Basics of a Q & A Session

· Anticipate Questions

o Think of all the possible questions they may ask, even the tough ones, before you speak. Prepare ahead of time.

· Answer Questions at the End

o Tell the audience at the beginning to hold their questions until the end. If they ask questions throughout the talk, it may throw off your rhythm.

· Don’t Let a Few People Dominate

o Take people in order, establish ground rules. One question per person; a dominator frustrates the audience too.

· Don’t Let the Questioner Give a Speech

o There’s one in every crowd. Interrupt with a smile and ask, “Do you have a question?” or “I probably missed it, but what was your question?” Or interrupt politely and ask, “So what you’re asking is…”

· Listen to the Question

o “Really Listen” – It’s exhausting work to listen. Try to read between the lines. Listen to the tone of their voice, watch their body language.

· Repeat the Question

o Only a few people ever hear what the questioner asked. It not only helps the whole audience, but it buys you a little time to formulate an answer. Repeating also makes sure that you heard the question correctly.

· Don’t Guess

o Messing up with a guess will earn you “0” credibility with the audience. They’ll begin to wonder if you’ve been “bluffing” them on everything else too. A better way to resolve this if you truly don’t know the answer would be to ask the audience if anyone of them knows that particular answer. Maybe you can suggest a resource that the questioner can go to, to obtain the answer, or you may tell the questioner that you’ll find out the answer and get back to them.

· End the Q & A Time Strongly

o Don’t wait for the audience questions to peter out and then say something like, “Well I guess that’s it.” Another thing not to say is, “We only have time for one more question.” Try to end your Q & A time on a brilliant question. If no one asks that particular question, ask it yourself. Don’t feel you have to answer all the hands that are raised. Remember you have to end on time. Finish on a great question, then explain to everyone that if they still have questions you’ll be around for a while afterwards to answer any more questions.

Coming Up With a Perfect Answer Every Time

How to Treat The Questioner

The questioners may be rude, obnoxious, opinionated, antagonistic; remember they’re still part of the audience. They need to be “heard out” before you make judgements about them. And also remember, the audience will always side with the questioner at first; the questioner is “one of them,” but if you remain patient with this obnoxious person, the audience will come over to your side.

· Assist the Nervous Questioner

o If the questioner is struggling terribly, after gentle encouragement, gently interrupt them and finish the question for them, then ask them if that’s what they were asking.

· Recognize the Questioner by Name

o It’s a powerful control factor; questioners love recognition.

· Compliment the Questioner (if appropriate)

o Try to stay away from saying, “That’s a good question.” That implies that all the other questions weren’t. Say something like, “That’s an especially interesting question.”

· Don’t Make the Questioner Feel Embarrassed or Stupid

o It also makes you look bad, and trust me, no one else will ask any more questions.

· Don’t Send the Questioner a Negative, Nonverbal Message

o No matter how bad the question is, look the questioner in the eye, lean forward and look fascinated by the question.

· Don’t Attack the Questioner

o Remember, the questioner wants to provoke you. Don’t take the bait; use diplomacy and finesse to dispose of them. The audience will recognize a jerk.

Designing Your Answers

· Keep it Brief

o This isn’t a time for an encore or second speech, and remember the whole audience may not care about that particular question. The only one it may concern is the one questioner, so don’t spend a lot of time on any one question.

· Refer Back to Your Presentation

o In your answer, refer back. It’ll help reinforce the points you made earlier.

· Define the Terms Under Discussion

o Make sure everyone is on the same “page” with the topic being discussed. For example, when we say, “The middle class deserves a tax break,” let’s define middle class first. If you don’t define particulars, the questioner will be “taking you on” on everything discussed.

· Refer to Your Experience

o It gives credibility to your answer. The audience wants to hear from you, the “expert.”

· Don’t Assume That You Know the Question

o Let the questioner finish the question before you start in. Don’t interrupt unless you’re dealing with the extremely nervous person.

· Don’t Let the Questioner Define Your Position

o Don’t let the questioner put words in your mouth. An alarm should go off when you hear a questioner say something like, “Well based on your presentation, its obvious that you think…” If their assumptions on your topic are wrong, reinforce them on the correct facts.

· Don’t Get Locked Into the Questioner’s Facts or Premises

o If you disagree with the questioner’s facts, say so. Gently inform them that the figures or quotes they’re using are not correct. For example, “Its been 9 years since this station was last painted.” Reply with, “Well, in fact it’s been only 3.5 years since the station was painted.” Remember they may skew their facts to make their point seem “better.” So correct their factual mistake and help them search for the “core” or real question that they want answered.

· Don’t Make Promises You Won’t Keep

o For instance, “I’ll find out and get back to you.” If you have no intention of finding out, don’t say you will; you’ll lose credibility forever with that person, and maybe the group.

· Don’t Evade Questions by Acting Like You’re Answering Them

o If you don’t want to answer a question, say so firmly and politely. You may even state the reason for not answering it, then move on to the next question.

· Don’t Depend on Being Asked a Particular Question

o Don’t leave important points out of your presentation thinking you’ll cover that in the Q & A time. The question may never come and you’ll forget to bring it up.

Delivering Your Answer

Remember, having the perfect answer doesn’t matter if you can’t present it properly.

· Be Appropriate

o Never be discourteous. If someone is confused, be understanding; if someone is blatantly offensive, be forceful and disapproving, but don’t be discourteous.

· Don’t Assume a New Persona

o Speakers sometimes undergo a transformation at the end of their talk. Stay in character; if your talk was serious, don’t all of a sudden become the jokester during the question and answer time.

· Don’t Limit Your Eye Contact to the Questioner

o As you answer, look at everyone.

· Don’t Be Smug

o The audience will turn on you. The minute they catch a little of “I’m better than you” attitude coming from you, they’ll begin to look for ways to trip you up.

Six Great Question-Handling Techniques

· Reversing the Question

o For example, if you get a questioner who makes a big deal of looking bored and then asks, “What time are we going to take a break?” put it back on the questioner by asking “What time would you like to take a break?”

· Redirecting the Question

o Get the audience involved; ask, “Does anyone have any thoughts on the subject?”

· Rephrasing the Question

o If the questioner asks a question that is confusing, put it into terms that the audience understands. If the question is complicated, change it so everyone understands it. If you don’t understand it either, have the questioner do the rephrasing.

· Exposing a Hidden Agenda

o Look for a question containing an “accusation” or a “hook,” this is a set up for an argument. For example: someone asking “How could anyone in good conscious possibly suggest cutting funds for the nursing home?” That really isn’t a question, its more of a statement than an implied question. The first thing to do is rephrase the question leaving out the emotional implication, and then try to address the reduction in funding for the nursing home. If the questioner won’t let the “good conscious” part go, they try to force the questioner to expose their motive for this line of questioning. A way to defuse the situation, because the questioner isn’t going to let it go, is to ask the questioner, “Do you have some thoughts on that?” If they say they do, either answer them right then if you think it would help the “whole” audience, or tell them you’d like to discuss them at one of the breaks.

· Putting the Question in Context

o Explain the facts to show the truth, for example, if someone asks, “Why did all of you guys decide on that at the meeting?” If you were at the meeting as an observer only, state to the questioner, “Yes, I was at the meeting, but only as an observer…” The questioner may have his/her facts wrong, which need to be set straight.

· Building a Bridge

o This is a political favorite. I personally don’t like it, but it does work well in certain political situations. Construct a phrase that allows you to move from a question you want to ignore to a topic you want to discuss. Be aware that using this style may allow you to lose credibility with your audience. Its best to try to “move” a short distance from the question you dislike; ignoring the question will get you in trouble.

Bridge phrases are like the following: “I understand (topic of question-mention something short on it, then go into) but I feel the real issue is…” “If you look at the big picture, your question becomes…” “It makes more sense to talk about…”

Dealing With Common Types of Questions

Remember some questions are asked to put you at a disadvantage; identify and handle them.

· The Yes or No Question

o Evade this form of question if it needs more than a yes or no to answer it; a yes or no is usually too simplistic.

· The Forced Choice Question

o This questioner wants you to choose between two alternatives, THEIR two alternatives. Simply inform the questioner that there are more than just those two choices to pick from.

· The Hypothetical Question

o If the question start with “What if…?” beware; let the questioner know that you have enough problems dealing with the “real” things in front of you without coming up with unknown possibilities. Another way to answer may be to say, “I don’t anticipate that happening, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

· The Top Question

o This question may sound like this: “What are the top three problems with your department?” When answering this type of question, eliminate the numbers from your answer. The reason you do this is because the audience will argue with you for hours over your choice of which three are the top three problems in your department. Answer the question like this: “We could debate what the top three are all day, but some of the major challenges we face are…”

· The False-Assumption Question

o This question is formed like the famous question “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?” You better not answer this one with a simple yes or no; this question has a built-in assumption within it. Point out the false assumptions and correct them immediately. The question may include incorrect facts or false conclusions from your talk.

· The Implied Question

o Some questioners will use this time to make a comment that is formed “sort of like” a question; the comment may “imply” a question. For example, “The time frame you outlined for the yearly training just doesn’t seem like it will work.” If there is a question in that statement, you may have to flush it out. You may have to answer by saying, “It sounds like you really want to know if we can get all the training planned for and done in a 12-month period, correct?”

· The Multipart Question

o This question may sound something like this: “Could you tell me if we’ll be receiving raises this year, and if not, why not, and if so, how big will they be?” As you can see there’s more than one question there. Divide it up and answer one part at a time. If answering all the parts will take too long, just answer one or two of the important ones, and tell the questioner to see you afterwards to discuss the rest.

Responding to Special Situations

Common problems; use a firm hand but don’t alienate.

· Questioner Interrupts You as You’re Answering

o Don’t interrupt the interrupter, let them finish, then say politely, “Please wait until I’ve finished.”

· Someone Asks About Something You Covered in Your Presentation

o Realize that maybe you weren’t clear enough; repeat the point from your topic, and maybe state it another way for clarification.

· Someone Asks a Question That Was Already Asked

o If answering the same question takes more than 10 seconds, politely refuse to answer. Give the person this statement, “We already addressed that, but come up and see me afterward and I’ll make sure I get you that information.” and do it with a smile.

· Someone Asks a Completely Irrelevant Question

o Politely point out that it is not pertinent to this discussion and go on to the next questioner. Give them a chance to ask if they have a relevant question.

· Someone Asks a Completely Disorganized Question

o You have two choices: Number 1, ask the questioner to restate the question; Number 2, you grab a part of the question that you understand and answer that part, then with a smile, tell the questioner to see you afterwards and you’ll go a little more in-depth with them then.

· Someone Asks a Question to Promote Him or Herself

o An example would be, “I’ve been in the fire service 25 years, I’ve been on dozens of 2^nd and 3^rd alarms, I’ve worked in the busiest stations within the department, I’ve been nominated 12 times for employee of the year, wining it in 1987 and again in 1996, and I’ve never seen…and I should know because…” Answer this question as succinctly as possible. Call on the next questioner quickly. Don’t allow “Pompous Pete” to ask any more questions.

· Someone Asks a Question That Only They Care About Hearing

o Answer the person’s question as briefly as you can, then ask for a show of hands to see if anyone else is interested; if a number of people are, go on. Remember, the audience will be bored real quick with a long question that only one person cares about.

· Someone Asks Multiple Questions

o Tell him/her that you’ll only answer one of the questions due to time constraints and fairness to everyone else.

· Someone Asks a Long, Rambling Question

o If you see where its going, gently interrupt (time constraints) and pose the question concisely in your own words. Confirm with the questioner if what you’re posing as the question is correct. One way to say this is, “So your question is…correct?”

Handling Hostile Questions

· Identifying Hostile Questions

1. Don’t assume that because someone disagrees with you that they’re hostile. They may have a legitimate question; they may want clarification on what you said.

2. If someone asks a “trick” question, that’s hostile.

· Heading Them Off at the Pass

1. The inoculation – Beat them to the “punch;” answer the tough question you know is coming with this topic in your presentation.

2. The admission – Tell the audience that you’re not the “brain” of all knowledge on this subject, that way you won’t disappoint them as being this giant of an expert.

3. The revelation – Ask “all” questioners to identify themselves by their name, organization and anything else you require. Hostile people don’t like losing the “cloak of anonymity.” It’s a lot easier to be a jerk when no one knows who you are.

· Dealing With the Actual Hostile Questions

1. Empathize with the questioner; try to see where they’re coming from; let them know that you have no personal animosity towards them directly, only with the issue.

2. Establish common ground; try to find somewhere in the hostile question, the place where you can establish a starting point to find a compromise if possible. For example, if you are discussing budget cuts within your department and things are starting to heat up, ask or state, “I think we all agree that we need to limit our spending to 75% of last year, we just disagree on how to allocate it, correct?” Some topics, just because of what they are, will generate a lot of energy. At some point you may just have to “agree to disagree.”

3. Put the question in “neutral;” get a question charged with emotional words and phrases into neutral. Take the emotional words out and rephrase the question so its just a plain question.

4. Be very specific; talk about specific facts and figures. Try to be concrete with these facts and figures. Stay away from theory, speculation or opinion. Unless you want to go in that direction, “philosophizing” will leave a lot of room for disagreement. You want to limit the opportunities for arguments.

5. Ask why they’re asking that question. If someone asks a blatantly “loaded” or hostile question, don’t bother answering it. Ask them with a smile, “Why did you ask that?” It may help to defuse the situation. It’ll probably embarrass them that you spotted their trap, and they may withdraw or modify their question.

6. Elude the jerks; don’t take any more questions from people who are hostile; give everyone else a chance at questions. Tell them to talk to you at the conclusion of the Q & A session.

Getting Your Audience to Ask Questions

The program contact has asked you to plan 10 minutes of questions at the end of your talk, and you ask if there are any questions, and you get no response, no hands raise, nothing but dead silence. That’s a terrible feeling, but there are some ways to get around that. Following are some ways to avoid that.

· Plant a Question

o Give a friend who’s in the audience a question to ask you. This may get the ball rolling

· Ask Yourself a Question

o No one wants to be the one who breaks the ice, so you do it. Say something like, “When I talk about…the one question everyone wants to know is…”

· Ask a Question You were Asked Privately by an Audience Member

o That means you have to arrive early to talk to audience members. Use the question someone asked as you were setting up, such as “As I arrived here today, someone asked me…”

· Solicit Written Questions in Advance

1. Arrange for the audience to submit written questions before you start the Q & A session, probably during one of the breaks.

2. The audience members who are uncomfortable speaking out loud have no problem writing.

3. Using this process you can choose the questions you like.

4. If you don’t like any of the submitted questions, submit your own.

· Refer Jokingly to the Dearth of Questions

o Say, “Well, I’ve either made this completely clear or its so confusing that you don’t know what you don’t know.”

· Offer to Take Questions Privately

o If the topic is very sensitive, its sometimes hard to ask in public.
Workshops | Home|Top of the Page