Answering Questions
Written by: Anna Pasternak / Communication Coaching / October 13, 2021 / 5 minutes read
Working on professional communication with clients, I often have people come to me describing difficulties answering questions. Many people feel that they are able to complete their presentation well, but when it comes down to answering questions sometimes they blank or become less fluent. Many clients describe this as being caught off guard, or not be able to prep for questions, resulting in them becoming more nervous and less fluent in their speech. When it comes to answering questions, sometimes we may get a random question from the people listening, that we may not be prepared for or are unsure of, and this can cause us to become anxious.
When anxious, we begin to feel the effects on our body, such as heart rate increasing, turning red, and forgetting to breathe. This reaction that our body has can take away from our speech, as the reaction our body is having to anxiety takes away from the conscious effort we need to be putting towards out speech at that moment. If feeling nervous /anxious when answering questions, it is important to take a few deep belly breaths, to slow down your heart rate and allow yourself to relax. It is also important in that moment to slow down your speech to give yourself more processing time to find the right thoughts that you want to convey. Remember, if you receive a question that you are unsure of, you are not required to answer it. At that moment it could be better to let the person know that this is something you need to look further into and will get back to them on it. Some potential phrases that could be used in these moments are:
“That is a good question, I remember coming across this in the past, though I will need to look further into it, and get back to you later on.”
If asked a question in the middle of your presentation and you need some time to think about it you can use a phrase such as: “I’ll address this later on” or “Good question, let me think about this for a bit, and I will address it at the end.”
If you receive a question that you are unsure of, you are not required to answer it. At that moment it could be better to let the person know that this is something you need to look further into and will get back to them on it.
If you are asked a question during a meeting or presentation a few things you should not do is remain silent, fake your answer, or apologize and continue to be silent. When faking an answer many of us may feel that this is the route to take, but many people will see through it. As the uncertainty will be heard through your word choice and the sound of your voice. Instead, you want to sound confident even if you don’t know the answer to the question. Maybe you have a partial answer you can give and get back to them with more information at a later date. Or use the phrases discussed above, letting the person know that you will get back to them by a certain time. Here at least you give some type of response and there is a time set to make sure the question is resolved or answered.
When thinking of a solution to answering questions that catch you off guard a few thing you can do are:
Paraphrase the question out loud to make sure you have understood it.
If you do not know the full answer there is no harm admitting to it, and make sure to give the information that you do have on the topic even if it is not complete.
As questions to clarify the questions asked.
Make sure to let that other know that if you do not have an answer you will get back to them and find what would be the best place to reach them, whether it's phone or email.
Make sure to stay relaxed and breath- as this will only add to your anxiety.
Check out our Leadership Communication course for additional support in areas such as reading non-verbal communication and active listening.
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