Episode 32: How to Prepare for a Presentation Q&A
You can actually prepare for your presentation Q&A portion, even though your audience hasn’t asked you a question yet!
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What You’ll Learn in this Episode
- 5 ways you can prepare for a presentation Q&A
- What to do if you don’t know the answer to a question
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Episode Transcript
Generated automatically – there may be some errors.
[00:00:00] Hana: no matter how much you prepare for a data presentation, there’s one portion that makes most people nervous because it’s so hard to prepare for, and that’s the q and a portion. , I get why this can make you nervous. You don’t know what questions will be asked, who will be asking them, and more importantly, if you will have a good response to them.
[00:00:20] This is a valid concern because you need to have your audience see you as a credible source of information. Fumbling on a question could make you lose your authority on the subject, and we don’t want that. But you can actually prepare for this portion and have your audience notice this prep too. Here are a few steps you can take to prepare for the q and a for your next presentation.
[00:00:42] First is anticipate the questions you think your target audience will ask you. Two create hidden slides with answers to these questions that you can pull up. If a question relevant to the slide comes up, this is how you will look prepared to your audience and maybe they even will think your psychic. Three. If you don’t know the answer to the question, I want you to practice confidently responding that you don’t know the answer right now and that you’ll follow up.
[00:01:11] Obviously, this only applies to questions you do not prepare for and don’t know the answers to. , I don’t think it’s a good idea to make up answers on the spot or make some assumptions that you may have to correct later on, so it’s better to be on the safe side and say that you don’t know the answer right now and that you’ll follow up.
[00:01:31] There’s nothing wrong with saying that. Four. Have a note taking tool handy during the presentation so you can note down questions you want to follow up on. Assure the questioner that you will follow up once you find out the answer. Five. you can have a dedicated q and a section towards the end of your presentation, and this will prevent you from getting sidetracked in the middle of your presentation or also help avoid people from asking questions your presentation will address later.
[00:01:59] So by following these steps, you will feel more confident and in control of this otherwise unpredictable section of your presentation.