Unit

HANDLING AUDIENCE
QUESTIONS
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the unit, you will be able to:

Handle questions and comments from the
audience
Set ground rules for presentations

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 HANDLING QUESTIONS AND
COMMENTS FROM AN AUDIENCE

 11 Ways to Help You Handle the Q&A Session

Professionally
– Listen to each question attentively
– Keep a neutral stance
– Maintain eye contact with the questioner
– Ask for clarification or repetition of the question if
you are in doubt
– Allow yourself a minute or two to think about the
question

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 HANDLING QUESTIONS AND
COMMENTS FROM AN AUDIENCE (cont.)

– Be honest
– Give credit to the person who asked the question
– Correct the questioner if he/she has misunderstood
what you have said during the presentation
– Do ask the questioner if you have answered their
question
– Keep track of the allocated time
– Thank the audience for their questions, then
conclude with a brief summary of your presentation

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HANDLING QUESTIONS AND
COMMENTS FROM AN AUDIENCE (cont.)

 Anticipating the Questions and Comments

– Conduct an audience analysis
– Implement a brainstorming session

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IDENTIFYING THE TYPES OF
QUESTIONERS IN AN AUDIENCE

 Five Random Types of Questioners

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IDENTIFYING THE TYPES OF
QUESTIONERS IN AN AUDIENCE (cont.)

 Interacting with the Questioners

– If someone keeps asking questions and
dominates your Q&A session with his/her mini
speeches, you could just answer the first
question and move on to the next person.  

– If someone asks you a question about a topic or

an issue that you have already covered in your
speech, do reiterate your explanation briefly.

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IDENTIFYING THE TYPES OF
QUESTIONERS IN AN AUDIENCE (cont.)

– If someone asks you an irrelevant question, you

could just state that your presentation focusses
particularly on your topic.

– When dealing with hostile questions, you could

address only the questions. Avoid dealing with
the issues behind the hostility.

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SETTING GROUND RULES FOR THE
PRESENTATION

 Two Ways to Set Ground Rules

– Outline the format of the presentation
– Suggest written questions

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SETTING GROUND RULES FOR THE
PRESENTATION (cont.)

 Categorising the Questions

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SETTING GROUND RULES FOR THE
PRESENTATION (cont.)

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SETTING GROUND RULES FOR THE
PRESENTATION (cont.)

 Dealing with Interruptions

– Answer the questions quickly (provided the
questions are related to the topic)
– Ask the questioner(s) to postpone the questions

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CLOSING WITHOUT ANY
QUESTIONS

 If there are no questions during the Q&A session,

you could turn the session into an extended
session of your presentation.
– E.g. For a product/service presentation, you could
use this excess time to:
• Share more information about the benefits or gains
• Ask the audience a few questions to get feedback
that could benefit your product/service
• Explain about your company and other available
products/services
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