Handling the Audience Q&A with Aplomb! – Part One

By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

For some presenters, the Q&A is the best part of any speaking engagement. They are more at ease, enjoy the exchange and sharing knowledge.

But for others, the question-and-answer segment can be extremely testing even for the most seasoned presenter. Here are a few challenges:

Online events: Questions pour in via the chat, leaving the presenter frantically scrolling up and down to find the pertinent questions.
External events or conferences: When audience members seize the opportunity to talk about their organization or experience, rather than ask a question to the presenter. (As a panel moderator, a comment rather than a question from audiences is an occupational hazard!).
Town halls: When the presenter/speaker is faced with a challenging staff member, keen to ask that killer question.
Formal meetings or hearings: The presenter is required to answer many questions in a fixed amount of time, often from members who ask multiple questions on a wide variety of subjects.