Pitching or presenting? Don’t get derailed by tough questions
So you have made WOW speech or pitch. You have blown away the audience or investors. The room vibrates with positive energy. The sale or idea is in the bag.
Then…comes a difficult question. Something about revenue, projections or customers.
It not only makes you stumble, you see the audience’s energy melt away. Your credibility shrivels. The audience hedges. Those that were convinced slide back to neutral.
Having seen and coached hundreds of presenters and those making pitches, I have seen all too often the devastating impact a seemingly tough question can have on imploding a speaker’s confidence.
Some recover. Others stumble onward. But many speakers falter, negating all their hard work and their excellent presentation.
Here are three tools on how to answer hard questions, not lose your inspiration mojo and to get back on the influence track.
1. Pause…Think…Regain Your Composure
Many entrepreneur and presenters feel they have to answer any question right away. They believe that not having the answer on the tip of your tongue is a sign of weakness, if not incompetence.
However, the reverse is true. Yes, you should anticipate key questions. But no one is a walking encyclopedia. Never bolt out of the gate with an answer, just because you are scared of silence.
As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”
So, ask if you can take a moment. Compose your answer. Be thoughtful.
Respond when you have regained your sense of equilibrium. After all, it shows calmness under pressure. A valuable ingredient for any leader. One which investors will back.
2. Ask Clarifying Questions
Presenters often stumble trying to answer an ill-defined question. As a simple rule bad questions, lead to bad and unsatisfying answers. Leaving everyone frustrated.
The truth is asking precise questions is an art. An art form, few consciously learn. Many people who ask questions are not sure what they are asking. They are fishing, trying to digest what you have said and absorb it.
So never, assume your questioner has a clearly developed line of inquiry. Often, this is a mistaken assumption. In fact, you can help them explore their idea, through asking clarifying questions.
Doing this can be liberating. Rather than being adversarial, as you can change the dynamic to one of joint discovery.
“So I am not sure, I understand your question on the market growth in the Mid-West. Are you looking to understand our sale or revenues projections by state? Because I do have those numbers, close at hand.”
By acknowledging their question, repeating it and refining through inquiry. You can answer a clearer, better-defined question.
You may not give the perfect answer, but you have built rapport by the fact that you listened.
3. Taking it Offline…I Will Get Back to You
The fact is some questions come from the left field. Going through the discovery route highlighted above should help you dig down to the root of the question. But, some questions require archeology not just digging.
In its worst manifestation, I have presenting teams get totally off track by an obscure line of questioning that have wasted valuable time, in front of the audience.
Remember, minutes count. Spending time on a dead end can be pivot that leads to a failed sale.
So the trick is to notice a winding path when you see one. Disengage as quickly as you can and reconnect into a more important topic that adds value to your pitch.
The key is to always to this respectfully. Often, you can spot a distracting line of questions if it comes from a self-proclaimed “subject matter expert”.
Often, you can spot a distracting line of questions if it comes from a self-proclaimed “subject matter expert”.
Here is the giveaway, they start their sentence with something like, “Speaking as a…(fill in the expertise blank)…I would like to know…”
In some cases, the “subject matter expert” just wants to be heard. In more challenging cases the questioner is trying to assert their dominance.
The good approach to follow is first, acknowledge, “You know that is an excellent question, why do you ask it?” Let them answer.
But then move to say, “I think a good answer would require more time than we have here to give it justice. However, I am more than willing to follow-up with you to give you a more comprehensive answer.”
Final Thoughts
All presenting and pitching is a balance between delivering your message and engaging your audience. Questions are a vital component in the engagement process. Questions are a way to judge whether your message was understood, digested and influenced your listeners. But questions can derail you too. Learning how to handle a question periods can be as vital as learning your pitch. You should always know the most obvious questions. But when faced with tough or strange questions, never lose your head. Think first. Clarify second. Acknowledge and answer at another time, if you can. Then get back to your message.
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About the Author
Simon Trevarthen is Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer of Elevate Your Greatness (EYG). EYG helps individuals, teams and organizations unpack the secrets of success by becoming even better versions of themselves through dynamic keynotes, seminars and workshops on innovation, inspiration and presentation excellence.
Learn more about Elevate Your Greatness see www.elevateyourgreatness.com
Follow EYG on twitter: @Simon Trevarthen
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