10 tips for nailing your Q&A session
Your presentation is flawless, the slides are vibrant, and you’re cool as the proverbial cucumber. Then come the live questions from the audience. Here’s how to not just survive, but thrive.
Public speaking typically makes people nervous, but question-and-answer sessions can terrify even veteran public speakers.
Press conferences are especially horrifying, because your answers will go far beyond the audience in the room.
PR and marketing pros speaking before reporters, community groups, company employees or potential clients might deliver flawless presentations by spending hours preparing and rehearsing.
Then comes the Q & A session that introduces a new level of uncertainty. Speakers don’t know what their audience will ask. Questions might be hostile, complicated or incomprehensible. Some may not even be questions at all. Perplexing questions can put speakers on the defensive and cloud their thinking.
These recommendations from public speaking experts can help PR and marketing presenters better handle Q&A sessions.
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