How To Have An Interesting And
Effective Safety Meeting . . .
With a Question and Answer Session - Part II
"Anybody got any questions? No. Okay, then
get back to work."
If you feel comfortable with that kind of ending to
your presentation, then read no further. On the other hand, if you
think a Q&A session is a fine way to stimulate an audience’s
interest in a subject, but sometimes have a hard time getting one
started—read on.
Getting a Q&A Going
The first thing you must do is create a penalty-free
environment for asking questions. The audience must know that it
is safe to ask a question. That there will be no ridicule, no rudeness,
and no sarcasm. Welcome every question. Questioning is an expression
of genuine interest in a topic.
The beginning of Q&A marks an abrupt transition
from a formal presentation or speech. You have been talking; now
it’s time for you to both talk and listen. Sometimes it’s
hard to get questions going. An effective technique is to ask yourself
a tough question. It alerts the audience that tough questions are
wanted, and it usually elicits questions from the audience.
Many times, getting questions is like getting olives
out of a jar—after the first one, the rest come easily. You
can get the questioning started by planting one in advance with
someone you know in the audience. Or, if this seems somewhat underhanded,
merely get someone to promise they will ask a question of their
own choosing related to the topic you covered.
Tell them how important the Q&A portion is, and
ask them to help get things started if need be.
Try a little humor (if you feel comfortable enough
with your audience). Sometimes simple statements such as, "Wow,
I must have given a perfect presentation," will often loosen
up an audience enough to give someone the nerve to ask the first
question.
Listening and Responding To Questions
Once the questions start coming a good speaker now
should be a good listener. All you have to do to keep the attention
of many people is just listen intently to what they are saying.
- Avoid distracting gestures. Don’t show by mannerisms or
expressions what you think about the question. If you nod or shake
your head while the question is being asked, you’re answering
while it is being asked.
- When the questioner is speaking, keep eye contact with her.
The question deserves your full attention. Be cordial. Be open.
Be patient. Address the first part of your answer to the questioner.
Then scan the room as you give your response. Conclude by looking
at the questioner again and assessing her reaction. If she does
not look satisfied with your answer, you may ask her why. But
don’t get into a give-and-take with the questioner. Other
people have questions.
- "Never convey that the questioner asked what you thought
was a dumb question", suggests William C. Ferguson, NYNEX
Corporation’s CEO. "If it’s a dumb question, the
audience knows it’s a dumb question. But they don’t
want you to pick on that person. I saw a speaker say in effect
that a question from the audience was dumb. Then the speaker wondered
why he didn’t get any more questions.
One final point about Q&A sessions: If it is extremely
difficult to get questions from your audience, perhaps you spoke
too long.
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