Manage your audience-- how to deal with difficult Q&A periods
This has not been an easy experience to process. A couple weeks ago I delivered a presentation with interesting, well-supported content and fully expected it would encourage thoughtful discussion at the end. Instead, I got absolutely slaughtered in the Q&A. Maybe slaughtered is a bit harsh sounding, but it was a terribly disappointing and uncomfortable experience. Days later I was still reeling from how badly it had gone and brought it up to my team mate who regularly stands in front of highly critical audiences as part of her job. Her advice would have completely saved me from this experience, but I am at least more prepared for future presentations.
Repeat the question back to the person. The essential first step is to ensure you understand what the person is asking, or that you have interpreted their comment correctly. This also serves as a tool for helping the person feel they are being heard-- which is a critical psychological tool in disarming adversarial personalities.
Immediately correct any misinterpretations or facts that are mentioned in their statement or question. When faced with a question (or comment) which has the potential to derail or devalue the message you are delivering, be proactive in how you address the speaker. If any part of their question or comment contains errors which you can substantiate, take the time to flick back to a slide showing the correct data/info and leave it up on the screen while you finish addressing their question. The visual cue along with the verbal correction is more impactful. The skill in this step is to deliver the correction without escalating the disagreement. For example, "I think you mentioned you had concerns this product would only deliver full tensile properties up to -35C, and that was historically the case. So let's revisit that chart on the physical properties so we can see how we get full performance at -45C with the new formulation". Nobody likes to be told they're wrong in a room full of their peers, so tactful corrections are necessary here.
Align yourself with the speaker. Even if the question is outright rude or argumentative, you won't gain any points with the rest of the room for being dismissive or taking the bait. Alignment can be as simple as thanking the person for their insight. "That's wonderful you've asked, since this is a new concept for all of us," or "I'm glad you caught that, thank you" or "Your question is a powerful reminder of just how important this is to the ____". This part of the answer takes only a few seconds, but will build on the rapport you initiated in step 1.
Demonstrate that consideration or action has been taken to address their concern. Now it's time to provide your response. If you have the ability to answer the question, do so. If the question is outside the scope of your experience, or you cannot comment on it for legal reasons, then provide assurance that this lack of info is not an oversight. "Your question is one which our company has asked as well. Although I don't have an answer for you at this moment, we have done ____, _____ and will have an answer by _____". Nothing good ever comes of bullshitting your way through something, so "thoughtful transparency" is an acceptable way of providing assurance that action to collect information has been taken but is not yet available.
Deliver your message one more time to re-focus the audience. This is your opportunity to return to the message! You have the floor, so use it to deliver the high-level message one more time before resuming the Q&A period. Here is where your understanding of your key messages will be an asset, as this should be done in a way which ties to the theme of the question being asked. Seamless, and concise-- that's the goal here. The audience benefits from hearing new information retold in different ways, and gives you a moment to shift the energy in the room back to exactly where you want it.
Truthfully, I learn best from suffering the impacts of a trying experience like this. But that doesn't mean you have to. Managing your audience is much easier if you recognize that people voice concerns and argumentative questions for a variety of reasons: they genuinely don't understand and they want to learn; they enjoy intellectual debates; they feel impelled to demonstrate superiority; they have had an experience which has created an outcome bias; or at the far end of the malicious spectrum, they get a rise out of creating conflict. Whichever the case may be, the same 5 steps above can be used.
Happy presenting!
