It’s always challenging to respond to questions during a meeting. You don’t know what everyone else thinks about your presentation and what questions they’re going to ask. It doesn’t mean you will look terrible in front of the attendees. Here are some ways to prepare yourself in responding to these questions.
Study your presentation
Some people will ask questions based on your presentation. They will test how well you know what you presented. They’re easy to answer if you know everything by heart. You don’t have to memorize your entire presentation. If you understand what you’re saying and the overall point you wish to come across with, you will survive the tough questions.
Ask someone to help you
Find a person you trust and let this person go through your presentation. Allow some questions to go your way based on the provided information. Answer as many questions as possible. Who knows? Some of them might get asked during the meeting.
Refer to your slides
Some questions might have answers you already discussed. It helps to go back to your slides and use them to back your response. It also shows how well you know what you presented. Make sure you have access to your presentation and review it even if you finish talking. It’s also easier to make your response more meaningful if you use statistics and data in your presentation. Check the projector and ensure everyone in the room sees the slides. You might also receive questions coming from someone seated at the back. You must be loud enough that everyone can hear you. Invest in sound bar mounts like those from https://unicol.com/sound-bar-mounts to guarantee audio quality for everyone in the room.
Stay calm
These questions will help improve your ideas. Remember that the goal is to boost the business. Don’t take anything personally. If the questions are hard, they’re not an attack on you. Try your best to stay calm and focus on the question. Don’t let anything distract you. Focus on the question and not on the reason for receiving the question. Don’t analyze the person and feel bad because you didn’t expect it.
Pause before you respond
Just because you took a moment to answer doesn’t mean you don’t know what you’re talking about. You would rather think about what to say and get it right than say the wrong things. The people in the room will wait until you answer. You can also inject humor to explain why you’re taking the time to think of a response. Once you know what to say, explain your answers.
Apologize if you have no answers
The lack of an immediate response is understandable. Some questions have no answers at the moment. There’s nothing wrong with it. You don’t want to make false promises and let everyone expect something that won’t happen. Say sorry and move forward. You can also send the answers via email or a phone call at a later date.
With these tips, you will be confident in answering questions. You can also impress everyone in the room.
