In this post, I present my fourth secret that will improve your confidence and get you excited about speaking in public. The fourth secret that great public speakers practice is….
Public Speaking Secret #4 – Be prepared to handle questions and answers
Anticipating what your audience might ask by recognizing “what’s in this presentation for them” is the first step in successfully managing questions and answers part of any speaking engagement.
The Q & A part of any presentation is the part that even seasoned speakers fear the most because it is the part that is “out of your control” – you have no idea of what people are going to ask. So be prepared by having control over IF questions will be asked and when. Will you want Q & A during your presentation or at the end?
Set the expectation at the beginning of the presentation so that your pace isn’t stalled by unexpected questions. I sometimes will say that I won’t be doing a Q&A session but will make myself available afterwards to assist if anyone has questions.
And lastly, if a question is asked and you don’t know the answer, it is okay to say you don’t know as long as you promise to follow up with an answer at a later point in time – then make sure you keep your word and do it!
I hope you enjoyed this blog series about the 4 secrets to help you gain confidence and get excited about public speaking. I like to share my experience in this area to help prospective public speakers overcome the jitters and make more money by public speaking.