U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia lashed out at a student
during a question and answer session recently in West Palm Beach,
Florida.
“That’s a nasty, impolite question,” said Scalia. He was responding
to a question from 20-year-old Sarah Jeck, a Florida Atlantic
University college junior.
According to the Sun-Sentinel,
“Jeck stood in front of 750 people and asked Scalia why
cameras are not allowed in the U.S. Supreme Court even
though the court hearings are open, transcripts are
available and the court’s justices are open enough to go
“out on book tours.’”
He initially refused to answer the
question.
Suffice it to say that berating the questioner is not a
good way to handle Q&A during a presentation.
Presentations are for the listeners. If they have a
question, you should take it seriously, even if you see
it as hostile.
If you get a hostile question, calmly answer it. And be
polite. Lashing
out will only make the audience turn against you.
Or worse yet, earn you a nasty article in the newspaper.
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. |
