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If someone offers
you gold, you take it. And if one of your listeners raises her hand,
you stop your presentation and take the question.
In general, that’s
the rule that we teach at Speechworks.
That’s because one
of the most important things that can happen during a presentation
is for someone to ask a question. It’s a golden sign that the
audience is interested. And it’s a chance to make the presentation
even more relevant to your audience’s needs. That’s an extremely
valuable opportunity that you should embrace.
We’re always
puzzled when presenters delay or even avoid questions by saying
things like “I’m actually going to address that issue in about five
minutes,” or “Why don’t we put that question in the ‘Parking lot?’
and we’ll address it later.”
No! Don’t put it
in the “Parking lot.” Address it now! Even if you have to give a
quick answer to avoid getting off track. Answer quickly with a
promise to explain more later.
If you delay the
answer, you risk losing your audience because they’re focused on
their own question.
Think of it this
way. Imagine that your audience members are passengers on a train
going through the Wild West. You’re the Conductor on the train.
And that train is headed for a destination called “Buy Into This
Idea, Calif.” And imagine now that at some point, the train is
boarded by bandits. As the Conductor, your job is to get rid of the
bandits immediately. If you don’t, then the passengers are going to
get off the train before reaching the destination.
The questions are
the bandits. The bandits represent the audience’s doubts or
concerns. Those doubts and concerns are impediments to buying into
your ideas. On the other hand they’re also golden opportunities to
get your listeners to buy in. You need to address the needs
immediately. If you fail to do so, then there’s a good chance that
your audience will lose interest before you can make the sale.
So next time
someone raises their hand during one of your presentations, don’t put
them off. Stop your presentation and address the question.
After all, who is
the presentation for?
You?
Or your listeners?
At Speechworks we
help our clients learn how to communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a great communicator
give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net. |
