Bad Ass Q&A - stop undermining your presentation

BAD-ASS Q&A

STOP UNDERMINING YOUR GREAT PRESENTATION

your presentation material and delivery are obviously

important

but it is in Q&A where the rubber really hits the road

where I really decide if I trust you

so, if you handle Q&A poorly

all your effort on the deck will have been for naught

because you'll have lost the room

most entrepreneurs should spend just as much time on

Q&A prep as they do on presentation prep

but they don't

so to make sure you're not one of the unprepared bozos

here are 14 practical things you should do for Q&A

ONEstay on message

Q&A is not something separate from the

presentation

you are answering questions for the same reason you

presented

to influence your audience

to make them think something

to make them feel something

to make them do something

so the objectives of Q&A are the same as they were for the

slide deck

you’ve got marketing messages to push

so push them

even if that means taking a question

giving a complete answer

and

pivoting from there to one of your messages

most importantly

don’t allow a single, aggressive member of the

audience to take you down a line of questioning that drives

you off message

pivot

pivot politely

but pivot all the same

TWOpredict the questions

good presenters

are good

because they prepare and practice

the same is true with Q&A

the best way to predict what questions will come out

during Q&A

is to do Q&A 4-5 times in advance

with friends, family, and strangers

and prepare answers to the 10 most common question

themes that come up

in addition

remember we just talked about the importance of

messaging

so, in addition to preparing answers to the top 10

questions

prepare pivots

from the most common topics back to your marketing

messages

so you have scripted, memorized transitions

THREEparaphrase before answering

while, you don’t want to be monotonous

good audience handlers paraphrase questions before

answering

this makes the questioner feel listened to

it also ensures that you really do understand the question

and it gives you time to think about your answer

FOURengage everyone

make eye contact with the person who asked the

question

this makes them feel heard

but maintain eye contact for only the first 15% of the

answer

for the next 70% of the answer

move your gaze to other audience members

and in the last 15%, try landing eye contact on

someone who you’d like to ask the next question

this helps keep everyone engaged

even if the topic is not one that everyone cares about

personally

discourages side conversations

or quick email checks

and keeps you from getting sucked into a single person’s line of questioning that can take you off message or eat

up valuable time

FIVEbe nice

don't criticize, belittle, or fight with anyone in the room

and never be sarcastic

be firm and confident, but friendly, respectful, & inviting

if you need to, agree to take confrontational issues offline

acknowledging the importance of the

disagreement

but also the need to cover all questions by all participants,

given limited time

ultimately, if things go well, the audience are likely to be

your implementation partners

so you can’t burn any bridges

SIXdon’t bullshit

just acknowledge if you don't know

and commit to a time by which you will get back with

the answer

oh

and actually do get back with the answer

SEVENpass the mic

don't let one person hog the microphone

you want to show the audience that you have a

strong, informed, confident team

that can work together

that has no weak link

consider assigning specific individuals ownership of

topics

so that everyone on your team is crystal clear who leads

for any given answer

and then let them lead

even if they don’t have the 100% perfect answer

the statement of teamwork will have greater impact than a clarification in the moment

that means you, confident and excited CEO

shut up

and let your team shine

at the same time

do your best to ensure that no audience member hijacks the

discussion

politely, but firmly, encourage everyone to have

their chance

EIGHTdon’t end with an answer

keep track of time

when you have reached the final question

save 30 seconds

to re-summarize the key presentation points

your marketing messages need to be the last thing your

audience hears

NINEknow your audience

this is not always possible

But, wherever it is possible

know everything you can about the audience

know who they are

know their role in the decision-making process

know the relationships between them

know their personal communication styles and

quirks

know what pre-existing knowledge they bring

know what’s in it for each of them (WIIFM)

but if you can’t do recon before the session

make sure to study them before and during the

presentation

so that you can make reasoned guesses during Q&A

TENgrok the subtleties

98% of the time

the questions you are asked, are actually not the questions

troubling the audience

sometimes, people are not sure yet what they don’t

understand

so they ask a question to help themselves understand what

their real question is

other times, the questioner has an agenda

there is actually a question behind the question

and the first question is actually leading you into trap

whatever the case, you need to ask yourself

why

why are they asking this

where are they going

and how can I short circuit the process and go straight to the

real issue

this is hard to do on your feet

in the moment

but if you can learn how to do this, you’ll be powerful

ELEVENbe brief

answer the question

pivot to a marketing message

and then stop

and let the audience decide if they want to dig deeper

TWELVEdon’t forget you’re still on

stage

Q&A is still part of the presentation

so you must still use all the tricks of a good presenter

body language matters

where you stand relative to the audience matters

gesticulation and eye contact matter

fidgeting matters

Smile and humor matter

rhythm, pace, and volume matter

THIRTEENdon’t fumble with the slides

unless you can flip right to a slide in less than 2 seconds,

don't use slides

FOURTEENrecord the questions

the questions are incredibly valuable to you

you should record every single one asked

so you can ask yourself later why the questions were asked and what that means for next

time

and if you write them on a notepad during Q&A

the audience will feel appreciated

FIFTEENget your mojo on

honestly, 2 months later, all they will remember is their

impression of you

were you confident

did they trust you

did you impress

so showing up ready to rock is often more important than

showing up with great content

Stop changing your material 24 hours before you go on

stage

eat some comfort food

get a good night’s sleep

any last-minute changes to the Q&A script (or

presentation slides) will make minimal difference

but showing up calm and collected will

SUMMARY

1. Stay on Message2. Predict the Questions3. Paraphrase Before Answering4. Engage Everyone5. Be Nice6. Don’t Bullshit7. Pass the Mic8. Don’t End on an Answer9. Know Your Audience10. Grok the Subtleties11. Be Brief12. Don’t Forget you’re still on Stage13. Don’t Fumble with Slides14. Record the Questions15. Get your mojo on

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