How To Have An Interesting And
Effective Safety Meeting . . .
With a Question and Answer Session - Part I
Audiences love to participate. It makes them feel
wanted. That’s why a question and answer session satisfies
them so much. Like a slice of warm apple pie topped with vanilla
ice cream, a Q&A session makes for a lovely dessert to most
presentations—provided it’s handled properly.
Still, many presenters quake at the prospect of holding
a question and answer session. This is especially true if the topic
is controversial. (Such as a recent change in a safety procedure
which means added work for your audience.) However, there’s
nothing to fear. Well, perhaps there is if you re not well prepared.
But even then, as long as you know how to say "I don’t
know the answer to that question, but I’ll find out for you,"
without losing your self respect— you’ll be fine.
Whether you allow questions throughout your presentation
or plan to answer them after you’re through talking, there
are things you can do to ensure your audience will feel you did
a good job of handling their queries.
Prepare and Rehearse
- Make a list of possible questions and answer them out loud.
(If you really want to prepare well, then tape yourself.) Why
rehearse the answers? So that you can deliver them with machine-gun
rapidity? Of course not. Instead, you are preparing your ammunition.
Finding those areas where more backup data will be required. Anticipating
objections.
- Think about the many reasons audiences ask questions: for attention,
to test you, to help you (or sometimes to hurt you), to seek help,
to show how knowledgeable they are, to make their own points with
preambles to their questions, to lay the groundwork for a second
question, for approval, and to just hear themselves talk. Whatever
their reasons, it’s not the rationale behind the question,
but how you handle it that’s important.
- Keep this in mind, usually questions are asked to gain information.
Have as much of it available as possible.
- Save a clincher statement, a summary of your topic, or a dynamic
ending to use at the end of your question-and-answer session rather
than just mumbling "thank you" and trailing off after
the last question.
Alert Your Audience
- If you don’t want your audience to ask you questions during
your presentation, alert them before you start. Let the audience
know that you will welcome questions later on. This gives them
the opportunity to formulate questions. It also helps preempt
the possibility that someone may ask a question while you are
talking.
- At the end of your talk, tell your audience again that you welcome
their questions; then tell them how much time is left on the agenda.
- Let the audience know the rules. Spell out the guidelines. Ask
that they keep questions within the subject, for instance, and
that they keep questions short so others can have a chance.
You’ve just finished a brilliant presentation
on back care. Now it’s time for some questions. You raise your
left hand and say, "Are there any questions?" Nobody says
a word. You wait, nothing. You begin to feel uncomfortable (you’ve
allotted 30 minutes for a question and answer session). What are
you going to do now? Rehash the material, play bingo, go home?
Fret not, you can read on for tips and techniques
on how to jump-start a question and answer session. Read
On ...
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