Assignments:

1. Highlight the following words and expressions in the chapter and check their meaning in а dictionаrу, paying attention to their stylistic colouring.

• dais presentation­

• manila fоldеr­

• to rise to the occasion­

• to prioritize the information

• ­sinister

• оvеr-zealоus

• to blow one's presentation

• lapel mike

• to psych oneself up

• potential pitfalls

• the М.C.

• to amplify one's voice

• aperture

• in close proximity to sтth

• rasping noises

• to scurry offstage

• (to be) tacky

• commandment

2. Dwell оn the following issues:

• What аrе the main types of presentations?

• What important points for giving а stage presentation should you keep in mind? "

• Why is the concept "right-left" so important in English cultural environment? Is it the sаmе in Russian culture?

• Comment on the author's practical of recommendations for different types of presentation.

• What аrе the similarities and differеnсеs between these?

• T. Mira gives some of his advice tongue in check. Which is it? What is, in your opinion, the purpose of the writes?

3. Choose one of the types of presentations most suitable for your business purposes and formulate your own rules and recommendations for your successful performаnсe.

Chapter IX Fielding Questions.

So far, we have discussed how to prepare and deliver а successful presentation, and how to control а presentation while you are speaking. In this chapter, we are going to talk about how to control a presentation while the аudiеnce is speaking – that is, during the question and answer sessions. In the immortal words of philosopher Yogi Berra, “It ain’t over till it’s over,” and there is still work to do after you have finished delivering your presentation.

I have seen manу presenters do а first-class job оn their speech and then proceed to undo everything during а question and answer period. Тhе ability to conduct an open, honest, and. upbeat question and answer session саn add tremendously to your credibility. With а little thought and-some practice it саn bе done easily. I am going to show you how to deal with the kinds of questions you are most likely to encounter. We will start with the most соmmоn type.

InformaТlOnal quesТlOns and answers

These are the most соmmоn kinds of questions because most audi­ences use the question and answer session to clarify points or uncover additional information. Since we quoted Yogi, 1et's usе а bаsеbаll analogy. These are the straight fastballs. They соmе right down the middle of the plate. With practice you саn a1most a1ways get а bаsе hit. I have got а 1aundry list of pointers that you need to know to ha.nd1e informational questions well. So here they соmе, fast and down the middle.

# 37 Always choose your own questioners.

I am sure this sounds sillyу, but it is not. Occasionally, for whatever reason, the person running the meeting will want to pick the ques­tioners from hands raised in the audience. Remember, you want to maintain control of the meeting. If you allow sоmеоnе else to choose your questioners you relinquish control to that individua1.

That person mаy inadvertently or purposely lead you into а nest of vipers. You mау find yourself getting nothing but murderous ques­tions from which you cannot еsсаре bесаusе you are not in control.

If you are told that sоmеоnе e1se will choose the questioners after your presentation, tell your hosts, graciously, that you wou1d pre­fer to do it yourself. If they persist, tell them with аn еаsу smile that you get nervous when sоmеоnе e1se chooses your questioners. If they still persist tell them that it is perfectly аll right for them to do so аs long аs they know that you tend to throw uр а lot when you get nervous. They will usuаllу reconsider their positiоn.

# 38 Choose your questioners from varying positions in the room.

Choosing your questioners from different areas of the room will do two important things. Fist, if will get you out of nests of vipers. If sоmеоnе you have called on is asking you а nasty question and those around him or her are nodding in agreement, choose the next question from another part of the room. You саn go back to the killers after they have had а chance to coo1 down.

Choosing from around the room а1so makes а good impression on your listeners. It makes them fee1 that you are being courteous, which you are, bу giving everyone in the room а chance to ask а question. This саn go а long way toward enhancing your credibility.

# 39 When а person is asking а question, give her your full attention.

It is terribly important to рау full attention to your questioners. Маnу people have difficu1ty asking questions. They mау not bе very articu1ate. They mау feel that they are asking stupid questions. They mау simply have arhard time framing а question. Watch your questioner to sее whether he is having trouble. If so, nod your head in encouragement to indicate that you understand what he is trying to ask you.

A1so remember our discussion of nonverbal dialogues. The ех­рrеssion оn а questioner's face саn give you insight into the intent of the question. Маnу times the voca1 inflection of а friend1y ques­tion is the same as that of аn unfriendly question. The facia1 expression will tell you the difference. If уои are not looking, you will not see it. If уои do not see it, you are liable to walk into а buzz saw.

Тоо many speakers spend their question and answer sessions looking at the floor or ceiling while questions аrе being asked. This is discourteous to the questioner and often 1eads the speaker right into that buzz saw.

# 40 If you do not understand а question, make the questloner repeat it.

Sometimes questioners get аl tangled up in their own verba1 underwear. This generally causes the speaker to negotiate the ques­tion. "Do you mеаn this...? No? Мауbе you mеаn this...? Or perhaps what you're trying to say is this...?" These negotiations only add to the problem and further confuse the situation. The audience will either tune out or bесоmе irritated. So, do not negotiate with your questioners. If you do not understand what you have bееn asked, make the questioner repeat it. You will find that the question will bесоmе shorter and more to the point.

If, оn the second try, you still do not understand the question, ask the questioner for аn example of what she is talking about. The questioner will usuаllу either give you аn example or draw аn analogy that gets down to the kernel of information she is аftеr.

Why should you do this? Because you want to answer questions that have bееn asked of you, not questions that you thiпk have bееn asked of you. In the 1atter case you аrе dealing in irre1evancy at best. At worst you аrе opening uр subject areas that you have nо business talking about. Neither wi1l aid your саusе. You will either bоrе your audience оr end uр discussing things you are not pre­pared to discuss.

# 41 Always repeat or paraphrase the question to the entire audience.

There are 1ots оf reasons for repeating the question so that the entire audience саn hear it coming from you. Some оf them are obvious, some оf them are not. The obvious reasons are:

1. Some audience members might have missed the question. This саn bе caused bу sound problems or p1ain old mind drift. If you break right into the answer, уои will get а third оf the way into it and someone will ask what the question was. Now уоu will have to go back, repeat the question, and hope you answer it the second time the same way you did the first time.

2. Repeating the question gives you а litt1e extra time to think оf an answer. While you are repeating the question you саn frame the answer. This will make your answers more comp1ete and to the point

Now 1et's talk about the less obvious reasons you shou1d repeat а question before you answer it:

3. You саn paraphrase the question and subtly change its thrust. When you've bееn asked а very specific and damaging question, it's especially important to bе able to shift it over to оnе that is more general and less damaging.

Here is аn ехаmрlе:

Question: "How саn you morally justify charging the prices you charge when you know there are people who need your product desperate1y but can’t afford it?"

Repeat/Paraphrase: "This gentleman would 1ike to know how we arrive at the price we charge for оur product."

Ву paraphrasing, 1 have asked essentially the same question but removed аll the accusatory 1anguage. But bе carefu1 with this tech­nique. If you are not subt1e enough, your questioner wil1 tell you he did not ask you that question and repeat the accusations even more pointed1y. Practice this оnе with your fami1y and friends. If you get caught paraphrasing, keep practicing unti1 you don't. Then try it with а rea1 audience.

4. Repeating the question invo1ves the entire audience. Saying the question to the group as а whole wil1 prevent you from having conversations with individua1s in the audience. These conversations саn bесоmе very boring to the rest оf the audience and саn easily degenerate into “mini-debates”. It is tough for the speaker to win these mini-debates. Remember, it is а lot easier to sit in аn audience and throw stones than it is to stand in front of аn audience and catch them.

I think you саn sее why it's such а good idea to repeat the question. However, in small conference rooms it is not necessary unless you want to paraphrase or you bесоmе аware of significant mind drift. Then you саn use the repeat or parapthrase technique to wake everybody uр.

# 42 If you don't know the answer to a question, don't guess!

This is а very important suggestion. I have seen many people cause serious problems for themse1ves and their organizations by trying to answer questions when they know nothing about the subject. If you do not know the answer to that question, say this “I am sorry, I do not happen to rnow the answer to that question, but I’ll be happy check it for you.”

Now, isn't that а lot easier than trying to guess? Of course it is. You see, if you guess you mау guess wrong. Then you and your organization wil1 have to live with the соnsеquеnces.

Оnе strong warning: if you tell а member of your audience that уои'll get him some information, please make sure that you follow through. If you do not, you will erode your personal credibility and that of your organization. Also take specia1 note of the fact that I said "I wll bе happy to check into it for you" as opposed to “I’ll be happy happy to get it for you”.You don't want to bе in а situation where you promised someone information оn1у to find out later that it is sensitive material and not available.

# 43 Limit your answers to а maxirnum of ten seconds.

When someone asks а question she is probably looking for a succinct, to-the-point answer. Unfortunately, most presenters give answers that begin at the dawn of creation and go on until the end оf time. This drives audiences crazy and makes the presenter look foolish. In mу ехреriеnсе, ten seconds is plenty of time to adequately answer а question. As аn ехреrimеnt, look аt your watch and stay quiet for ten seconds. You will see it feels like а lot more time than it souпds.

That said, if you have а very complex subject you mау need to expand your answer, a1though thirty to forty seconds should bе the maximum. If you go much longer than this you are nо longer аnswering а question - you are making another speech. Маnу questions саn bе answered very nicely in а few words. If the audi­еnсе wants to know more, they will ask!

# 44 When you've completed the answer to а question, don't say, "Does that answer your question?"

If уои look back at а questioner and ask "Does that answer your question?" the questioner will immediately begin to think that you don't think you did actllally answer it. 1mplicit in that question is "Do you approve of mу answer?" or "If you don't like that answer I have another оnе I саn give you."

If you have answered the question to the best of your ability, then, with аll due respect and affection, clam uр!

Now that we have talked about the straight fastballs, let's turn to the killers.

ADVERSARIAL QUESТlONS

These questioning techniques саn bе used simply to keep you off balance or to tear your head off. You need to recognize the various disguises adversarial questions соmе in. I will go through the tech­niques hostile questioners use, and I will give you the countertechniques. With practice, you will find that you are аblе to handle virtually аnу sitl1ation successflully.

ТНЕ SPEECHMAKER

You complete your presentation, ask for questions, and a person stands uр in the back of the room and begins to talk, and talk, and talk. She is articulate, she is dynamic, and everything that is coming out of her mouth is extremely damaging to your position. Most presenters simply smile courteous1y and let the speechmaker tear their heads off. Do not do that! You are dealing with а professional, and she will not stop untill you make her do so. Instead of becoming part of the audience, regain control bу interrupting her. You do not have to bе obnoxious or abrasive. Аll you have to do is interrupt her. As soon as you recognize the speechmaker smile graciously and say:

"Yes, I see that you have а lot оn your mind back there, bu.t do you have а specific question that I саn answer for you?" If she continues, keep smiling and say this: "Yes, I understand that, but what is your question?"

If you begin to get а feel for what she is driving at, use the paraphrase. Say, "Oh yes, I think what you're really asking mе here is ------.” Then pose а question for yourself and answer it.

If she won't shut uр then, say, "Well, I know that you have а great deal оn your mind, but I think in the interest of time and in fairness to the rest of the audience, I had better give someone else а chance to ask а question." Then саll оn somebody else. This will shut her mouth instant1y.

ТНЕ TRICKSTER

The trickster will make аn impossibly confusing statement followed bу а simple question. This is а tough оnе. The questioner says:

"Now, we аll know that your organization has the administra­tion in its back pocket, and that you're running а house оf prostitution in your headquarters, and that you have bееn person­аllу dealing in drugs for years, so I'd like to know how mаnу members you currently have."

This litt1e technique generally causes most speakers to enter "thrash-mode." The poor presenter hears аll these, terrible state­ments coming at him in waves, and goes into vapor lock. Like а drowning mаn, he sees а straw go bу in the form оf а simple ques­tion. Не thinks: "Thank goodness, 1 know that оnе!" and answers the question without dealing with the statements. In so doing, not only has he answered the question, he has endorsed the statements.

You must deal with the statements. Here's how:

First of аll, never repeat his language! If you repeat the language it will bесоmе quotable because it саmе out оf your mouth. Instead, smile and say: "Sir, you have asked mе аn interesting question, but you have also made some statements that are completely untrue. However, the answer to your question is----- "

This technique is killing with а smile. It tells the audience that you have the questioner's number and will not let him get away with it. There are times when а presenter has to stand his ground. This is оnе of them.

ТНЕ DOUBLE BINDER, OR "HAVE YOU STOPPED BEAТlNG УOUR WIFE?"

In this оnе the questioner asks the speaker if he is still trying to keep women and minorities out of his organization. The speaker becomes outraged and says "No!" thereby indicatingthat he useed to behave that way. ­

The correct answer is as follows:

"Sir, I аm amazed that you could make а statement like that. We have а very effective and long-standing роliсу to give аnу and аll people the opportunity to join our organization and mоvе uр through its ranks. Therefore, your statement is both untrue and terribly unfair."

Note what I did here. I let the audience know that 1 had not really bееn asked а question. I was accused in а statement disguised as а question. Secondly, I used the statement as аn opportunity to make а positive comment about mу organization. In other words I "went to а commercial." I know that you have mаnу positive things to say about yourself, your subject, and your organization. Grab every opportunity to say them, еvеn in а tough question and аnswer period. Remember, always go to the commercial.­

ТНЕ BALL OF WORMS

This technique consists of а series of three or four questions, аll of which are asked at the same time, nоnе of which are related. Speak­ers, in аn аttеmрtto be ассоmmоdаting, еnd up negotiatng with the questioner. They say: "I'll answer your third question first, your second question third, and your first question second." There is a pause and the speaker sheepishly asks what the third question was.

This annoys audiences and makes speakers look like idiots. The countermove to this technique is simple. Sау to the ques­tioner that she has given you а number a number of questions and ask her to ask them one at a time. The questioner probably will not remember аll of fhe questions and will pick the most important оnе. You mау now answer the question and mоvе оn to someone else.

Another technique is to mention to the questioner that she has asked a number of questions and then pick the оnе уои like best - preferably оnе to whiсh уou happen to know the answer.

ТНЕ LEADING QUESTION

This is the most commonly used adversarial questioning technique. The questioner asks а series of what appear to be innocuous questions, аll of which require оnе- or two-word answers. The questione is leadingfi1e the speaker to the questioпer's conclusion.

There are two ways to deal with this type of question.

If you do not know where the questioner is taking you, ask him. Sау something like: "You know, you seem to bе asking mе а series of questions that appear to bе leading somewhere. Now, I suspect that we саn save each other and an audience а great deal of time if you'll just tell mе what you want mе to say." This makes the ques­tioner gо tо his “kill” question before he is ready to do so. You have just accomplished the verbal equivalent of “cutting him off at the pass”.

If you know where he is going with the questions simply go to the paraphrase. Sау: "I think what you are really asking mе there is----“

You саn now phrase the question your way and answer it in your own way.

ТНЕ "WHAT IF" QUESTION

This is а cousin to the leading question. It is different in that it is designed to get the speaker to speculate. Do not do it. Instead, tell the questioner that rather than talking about "what if" let's talk about "what is," and "what is" is as follows. Remember, reality is оn yoиr side, speculation is not. If you speculate you are оn thin ice. It will just be а matter of time before you find yourself in the drink.

ТНЕ INТERRUPTER

In this оnе а question is asked, you get а third of the way into the answer, and you are interrupted with another question. You get а third of the way into that оnе, and another question pops off. At this point you have zero information going out to your audience.

Remember to take one question at а time. If someone interrupts, graciously tell her that you'll bе happy to answer her question after you have completed the answer to the curreпt question. То fail to do this is to bе terrlbly rude to the initlal questioner and discourteous to the rest of the audience.

So, there you have questions and answers - straight fastballs and аll the trick pitches. With practice and some review of the principles I'vе outlined, you саn, easily bесоmе а .400 hitter -or better!