Written by Jan Bailey, Communication and Speaking Coach
Jan Bailey is a seasoned communication and public speaking trainer specializing in leadership presence, clear communication and confident presenting. Fascinated by the reluctance most people have around speaking up, speaking out and speaking in front of others, Jan set out to change the way people think about public speaking and presenting.
As the speed of all things work-related increases, from the way we gather information to the immediacy of customer feedback, we’ve also begun to put that time pressure on ourselves and our staff. We want immediate changes and immediate results, and we certainly want immediate answers. From my experience as a communication trainer, that’s where the immediate stress starts.
Have you ever noticed in a presentation you’ve attended or a panel you’ve watched that when people are offered a specified time to present their ideas, they speak in one fashion, and then when expected to answer questions they are not necessarily prepared for, they become an entirely different speaker? Though I’m generalizing, often the second, less prepared speaker is far less effective and suddenly begins to rely upon odd or distracting verbal crutches. What’s happening here? These people (and maybe you’re one of them) obviously have the skills to speak well, after all, they’ve demonstrated those skills, so what’s happening?
Time. I’m going to hazard a guess and say that if you’ve been asked to speak to a room or participate on a panel or field questions from clients, you are well qualified to do the job. In other words, you have the answers to the questions, or you certainly have access to those answers in short order. So the reason you feel like you fall apart during the Q & A is not that you don’t have the answers, it’s simply that you don’t feel like you have time to collect and organize the information in your brain before spitting it out. So what do you do? You stall for a bit of time and you say, “That’s a great question, Phil”. And you say it every time – every time, no matter who asks the question, so you can buy yourself a few seconds of precious thinking time.
Let me tell you a story about Kathy, a client of mine who moved from Germany to a job in the West. Though her English was perfect, she expected some business practices and customs to be different, so she was hyper-aware of what people were doing and how they were doing it in her first couple of months. During one of our sessions, she came to me with a funny yet disappointing realization.
“I’ve been attending lots of meetings and presentations to get the lay of the land, and I’ve been delighted that so many of my colleagues and superiors were telling me I asked such great questions!”
Naturally, I said, ' That’s great news—good job creating a strong first impression by putting your hand up.’
“Well”, was her response, “I have to admit, I was really pleased at first, but now I realize they say ‘great question’ to everyone, so I have no idea if I ask insightful questions or not!”
Hmmm. And here, it seems, we’ve uncovered a universal problem.
So, how do we bridge the gap between a question and an answer without feeling like we’ve fallen into a void of awkward silence or used the same crutch statement for every question that’s posed? There is no one-size-fits-all approach because different situations call for different approaches.
Three clear strategies to bridge the Q & A gap
Q & A strategy 1: Expand on the obvious
You don’t have to completely throw out the phrase, “That’s a great question.” However, if it is actually a good question – expand:
That’s a great question; I’ve never looked at it that way, or
That’s a great perspective; thanks for sharing it in your question or
That’s a great question; I’ve never thought of it quite like that or
That’s a great question and my favourite question to answer.
You get the idea. Tell the person why it is, in fact, a great question if and only if, you believe it is.
Q & A strategy 2: Come clean
Tell people what you’re doing, you’re thinking! A silent few seconds isn’t awkward if people know what’s happening and that the silence will end. I recommend you compose a few of these sentences for yourself so they ‘feel’ comfortable and like something you would genuinely say.
Start with these options and personalize them:
Hmm, let me think about that one for a second
I’m not sure that I’ve thought about it in that way; I’m thinking about how I’d like to answer
I know what you’re thinking, right now. That’s great, Jan, but what if I’m not thinking, I’m stumped? In a scenario where you don’t have the answer (everyone’s nemesis), come clean and own it.
Say the VP of Sales asks for the 4th quarter numbers, and you don’t have them at your fingertips, or your brain has inconveniently gone blank at that moment. Own it. Come clean and say something like, ‘Instead of fumbling around looking for that number or giving you a ballpark figure – let me email you the specifics right after this meeting.’
Smile confidently, and move on.
Q & A strategy 3: Umbrella it
All of the Q & A strategies offered here work, and work in various situations, but I must admit this third strategy is my favourite for a couple of reasons:
You can use it successfully in many work situations
It makes you sound thoughtful, confident and prepared even when you aren’t
With it, you can share information that’s peripheral to the question that demonstrates your skills, breadth or depth of knowledge.
Strategy 3 is an umbrella overview statement that speaks generally about the topic before you answer a question. Think of it like the general opening statement in an essay or an abstract – it’s a broad-reaching sentence that sets the stage for the topic to be discussed.
Here’s an example:
The question: How will this technology improve our efficiency at work?
Umbrella overview: We live in a world where there is always a ‘new’ technology that promises much and often delivers very little. The technology I spoke of today is.
Or:
Umbrella overview: Efficiency in an organization is the true differentiator. Companies that offer service to clients in a timely fashion move out ahead very quickly. The technology I spoke of today can.
Or:
Umbrella overview: Change can be a daunting thing in every organization and adoption is often a challenge. This new technology I spoke about today is.
As you read these examples of the Umbrella Overview statement, you’re likely starting to get a sense of how it might work. Notice;
How it brings your audience into the subject and onto the same page.
How you’re not offering specifics that answer the question, you’re setting the stage.
The statement is general enough that it gives you time to think and focus your answer.
Like any strategy you begin to use, these take some practice to discover where you can use them and some repetition to make them feel like your own. It takes only a few seconds for your amazing brain to focus and retrieve the knowledge you have stored, so the goal with the umbrella statement is to smoothly, calmly and confidently buy your brain the time it needs.
I’d love to hear how the Q & A Strategies work for you and how you make them your own. Follow me or DM me on Instagram @ovationspeakers, connect with me, Jan Bailey, on LinkedIn, or reach out via my website.
As a communication trainer specializing in public speaking and presenting, I work with people at all levels of business to improve their confidence in all speaking and presenting scenarios. I’d be delighted to help you give yourself or your team the skill of clear, confident communication every time you speak.
Jan Bailey, Communication and Speaking Coach
Jan Bailey is a seasoned communication and public speaking trainer specializing in leadership presence, clear communication and confident presenting. Fascinated by the reluctance most people have around speaking up, speaking out and speaking in front of others, Jan set out to change the way people think about public speaking and presenting. More laughter and less lecture, more personality and less powerpoint and a whole lot more confidence means professionals at all levels are more effective communicators. A dynamic speaker, an engaging facilitator and an insightful coach, Jan genuinely believes in the power of effective communication to change lives; personally and professionally.
