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When we have prepared our presentation, practised and become familiar with its content, the assumption might be that we are ready for the podium. Not so fast. There’s still the outstanding task of preparing for a question and answer session — that moment near the end of our presentation when we ask for questions…and our hearts jump.

When it’s managed well a question and answer session serves several vital purposes: it emphasizes our grasp of the presentation subject; it boosts our standing with the audience; it enables audience participation and it builds the prospect of a grand finale to the presentation. And typically a good question and answer session is well managed and planned. To get the best results there are 5 main points to note before the event:

1. Be prepared. Each and every point made in our presentation could invite a question from the audience. To be prepared for this we need to work through all of our material. We need to imagine and note down the questions that might crop up. These questions might require further explanation, clarification or opinion. And our opinion will be sought — it does count for a lot. For each question that we note down we should prepare a written answer. And finally we should aim to become totally familiar with each of these question and answer pairs.
2. Consider the audience. No matter how much thought you put into predicting questions your audience will think of something else. But that’s not a problem either. Our audience is likely to have a shared, or known, background. They might be members of the same trade association, work in the same area, live in the same State or work for the same employer. Our knowledge of their shared interests will go a long way in anticipating their questions — questions with a local angle, an industry viewpoint or a trade association perspective.
3. Note the news. In spite of all our preparation news events can still conspire against us. But it’s still not a problem. The evening before the presentation simply pick up that copy of USA Today that’s sitting in the hotel lobby. Scan the headlines for topical events and anything that might be relevant to the presentation. We can go further by picking up a local newspaper or watching the local TV news reports on the day that we present. Sports, politics, business or even entertainment news might be a lead into a question area with our audience.
4. Place a question. That awkward moment between the call for questions and the first question being asked might well define the success of our whole presentation. Anything other than some interest from the audience is tough to manage. But there’s a method that we can use. First we must be conscious of the time. If we have overrun the time slot or if we can hear the caterers massing for lunch then we must be brief. Second, we must remember to outline how many questions we will take or how much time we have — a physical look at a watch works well at this juncture. And finally we need to take a pre-placed question from the audience. This is not trickery and it’s not underhand. But it’s rare for an audience member to pop up with an engaging inspiring question immediately. Our pre-placed question does the job. Once that’s out the way other questions will follow naturally.
5. Be brief. Our answers must be brief, concise and to the point. This is not the time to discuss a mass of arcane detail. That can be kept for later. Our answers should be directed back to the questioner — with plenty of eye contact. If necessary we might need to repeat the question for the benefit of the rest of the audience before we give an answer. This might be needed if microphones are not available. Our answer is not a chance for a debate with the questioner. Should our answer invite further questions from the same questioner then we must volunteer to take the matter up later in the lobby — and then ask for the next question. And, of course, the whole exercise must be handled courteously.

With the time available for questions at an end now is the time to bring our presentation to an end with the grand finale — our concluding remarks. Some event organisers try to secure questions at the end of a presentation but the ending typically does not do justice to the speaker’s work. Resist them. The best practice appears to be a question and answer session followed by a presenter’s concluding remarks.

A properly executed question and answer session can be a rewarding experience for both speaker and audience alike. Yes, there’s a dependency on us to use imagination and resource in our preparation. And yes, we do need to apply some stage management to prime the first question. Preparation and execution is everything. And when it’s followed by a resounding thought provoking conclusion the importance of the question and answer session is clear to see.

How do you know you have a presentation? I posed this question to a sales team I was working with recently. One gentleman said, “If I win the business, I know I have a presentation.” To that excellent response I replied, “That’s how you know you have a good presentation. How do you know, before you even arrive at the prospect’s site, that you have a presentation?” Another gentleman offered, “Well if I have some PowerPoint slides that I can talk from, then I have a presentation.”

The belief that visual aids equal a presentation is a very common misconception. Visual aids are aids. They are not even necessary, usually. A presentation is the information, stories, statistics, quotes, and opinions that the presenter shares. Visual aids, if used, enhance the presenter’s message, not the other way around. Anytime visual aids become the presentation and the presenter becomes the aid, you will probably be boring your audience to tears. Below are three specific examples of how this happens.

Words, Words, Words

The visual aids are nothing but the presenter’s notes, which the presenter proceeds to read from the screen to the audience. Imagine you are sitting in an audience waiting for a presentation to begin. The presentation is scheduled for one hour. The presenter walks to the front of the room, clicks their clicker, and a large blue screen fills with a yellow, bulleted, run-on sentence that flies in from the left. For me, this is when dread sets in. Glaze is starting to form over my eyes. Fog is rolling in on my brain. The battle to stay alert and appear interested has begun and it intensifies with every bullet that appears.

When visual aids say as much or more than the presenter does, one of them is not necessary. Reading from wordy slides is not only boring, but also insulting to an intelligent audience. Many presentations I have suffered through would be more economical, less stressful, and better received as memos, special reports, or CDs that the audience could read individually on their own time. Unless the audience is taking notes, as in a training situation, wordy visual aids undermine a presentation. The point of a visual aid is to make the presentation more interesting not boring.

Tired Graphics

If your audience is thinking, “This is the 762nd time I’ve seen that piece of clipart.”, your visual aids are undermining your presentation. Similarly, if your audience recognizes your visual aid background as one of the popular software templates, your visual aids are undermining your presentation. Graphics are the solution to the wordy visual aid problem discussed previously. However, freshness now becomes the issue. Ideally, all visual aids would consist of simple, powerful, interesting graphics. In reality, time and money may be constraints.

Let the nature of the presentation dictate how far you will go to secure fresh looking graphics. For high profile or high opportunity presentations, more time, money, and effort should be placed on creating visual aid graphics. My recommendation would be to have a graphic artist assist if talent is not available internally. Examples of high profile, high opportunity presentations include the unveiling of a new product or service and sales presentations.

Just Like Everybody Else

If your visual aids fall into either of the previous two categories, Wordy or Tired Graphics, present without them unless the audience needs to take notes. Because most presenters use wordy or tired visual aids, audiences are conditioned to become bored at the first sight of a bullet. A bulleted list is like a timepiece on a chain that sways in front of the eyes chanting, “Sleep…sleep…sleep” I have discovered that being contrarian and forgoing visual aids can actually make a presentation a huge success.

I was presenting to 120 salespeople at an annual conference. I was the only non-industry, soft-topic presenter on the multi-day program. I arrived early and attended the presentation before mine. There were two presenters standing on an elevated stage behind podiums with a huge screen centered between them. The room was darkened as the PowerPoint slides clicked by. I surveyed the salespeople. No one was jumping out of his or her seat with excitement.

My host asked if I had any visual aids. I had PowerPoint slides but claimed that I had none and that I would work from my handout. I asked them to turn all of the lights up and requested a wireless microphone. Just turning the lights on had a huge impact on the audience. I moved around freely and referred to the handout periodically so the salespeople would feel anchored and take notes. When the conference was finished, I was the highest rated presenter. They invited me to come back immediately for the next year.

Summing Up

Visual aids are powerful. They can be the icing on your cake or the rain on your parade. To ensure visual aids are not undermining your presentation, use words sparingly and find fresh graphics. Even have the courage to present without, if your visual aids are not truly aiding you.

© ProEdge Skills, Inc.

Do you dread public speaking? Do you avoid situations where you might have to stand up in front of others? You are not alone! Research once found that people feared public speaking even more than death!

I was a particularly shy and quiet child. When I started work and had to speak in front of groups, I was filled with terror. I I learned ways to overcome my fear and present successfully. Now I work as a management trainer/facilitator, standing in front of groups on a regular basis. And I feel fine.  I want to share with you what has worked for me. If I can speak with confidence, so can you!

Step 1: Tune in to WII FM Radio

You will be presenting to a group of people. Why should they listen to you? They will be thinking:”Whats In It For Me?“ Put yourself in their shoes. What information do they need from you? What concerns do they need addressed? You may have different interest groups in your audience so give them what they are looking for.

Decide what you want them to do or remember as they leave the room after your presentation. Use that as a starting point to put structure into your presentation plan. Remember to KISS (Keep It Short And Simple)  – put the detail in a handout or softcopy so as not to confuse your audience.

Think about how you are going to hook them in with your opening sentence. If you feel your subject  may be boring, find some interesting angle to bring it to life. Tell a story, show a photograph, ask a question, give a surprising statistic – anything that relates to your subject. And when you close at the end of your presentation, end with a bang and not a whimper.

Step 2: Get Creative with your Content

Often when people have to present, they play it safe and build a series of text slides on PowerPoint. And then they hold a “Read With Me” lesson with their audience.  Also known as “Death by PowerPoint”. This is usually quite swift, as a person’s attention span is only 20 minutes even with a good presentation!

So think outside the box and make your presentation an enjoyable experience. Experiment with different ideas that relate to the topic. Tell personal stories. Use PowerPoint to show photographs or simple diagrams. Bring physical objects into the room and pass them around. Show video clips (YouTube is a great source) or play sound bites. Arrange your audience into small groups and get them to answer some good, probing questions.

Step 3: Get into The Zone

So, you have sorted out what you are going to say, and decided how you are going to get your message across.  In the few days before I present, I mentally “get into the zone” to banish the nerves.

For me, that means visualising myself in front of the group, presenting with passion to a delighted audience. I can see it, hear it, feel it. Any negative thought is forbidden. (Your brain is like a computer; tell yourself you can’t do something, and it will comply).

Then on the day, I put on my best clothes (to give me confidence) and my best smile.

Follow these three steps and find opportunities to present regularly. You will find your confidence will grow in other areas of your life too. As Susan Jeffries once said: “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway!”

See my presentation skills audio guide, presentation planner and delivery tips checklist on my website for more help on this topic.