I’ve seen many speakers give a great speech only to lose the audience through fumbles during the Q and A.  The speaker gets derailed because he can’t answer a question, or she can’t get a questioner to stop talking, or he gets into a shouting match with the questioner, or – the list of ways Q and A can go wrong seems to be endless.  Here are a few tips for making sure your interaction with the audience is as good as your scripted remarks.

Begin by listening closely to the question. That one seems like a no-brainer, but surprisingly it’s not. It’s often difficult for speakers who have been deep in adrenaline mode to switch off the talk track in their heads and listen to someone else. And the questioner may be nervous and fumble her words as a result or speak haltingly. So be patient. You’ll hear the first part of the question and be tempted to assume the rest. Resist. Wait out the question, standing still, facing the questioner, and listen to the entire question with your whole body. Why? People ask questions to get answers, sure, but also to be heard and seen.  It takes courage to ask a question in front of your peers. So show courtesy to the questioner. Wait the question out. You’ll get more and better questions, and by showing respect to the audience, you’ll get respect back.

Repeat the question to show you’ve understood it.  People often start talking before the mike gets to them, or from a corner of the room where not everyone can hear them. Repeating the question back to the questioner does two things: it makes sure you’ve got the question right, and it gives you time to prepare your answer.  “What you’re asking is whether honeybees lose their stingers after they jab you, or if they can sting repeatedly, right?”  Also, by repeating the question you can ensure the rest of the audience has heard it, so your answer can make sense to them. That way, if you need to, you can slightly re-phrase the question in order to be able to answer it more easily.  Don’t overdue the re-phrasing; keep it subtle.

But if the questioner is lecturing rather than asking a question, then cut him off – using body language. Sometimes the question isn’t one – it’s a mini-lecture, or a rant, or an attempt to trip you up in front of the audience or some other such nasty trick.  When a questioner runs long, walk toward him, and when you get near, turn and face in the same direction as the person, standing next to him.  That shuts up virtually everyone.

If you can’t get off stage to walk near the questioner, then move toward that person on stage, saying, “Let me stop you there so that I can answer the first part of your question.”  You just have to interrupt.  But in the era of lavalier mikes, it’s rare that you really can’t get into the audience.

Identify and label the emotion behind the question if you can.  It’s a more powerful reinforcement of the questioner if you can identify the emotion underlying the question.  “What I hear you saying is that, in the battle between the alligators and the boa constrictors, your fear of snakes wins out over your fear of gators, so you’re rooting for the gators, is that right?”  There’s something very satisfying and bonding for people to have their emotions spotted and ratified in this way.  To do this well requires close listening and some emotional intelligence, so don’t take it on if you’re not prepared to do your best in these areas. Never make fun of or belittle the emotion.  Treat it, and the questioner, with respect.

Finally, save a little of your speech to close off the session.  Cut off the Q and A before the questions peter out into irrelevancy, and close strongly by giving a bit of your speech that you’ve saved for the end.  Otherwise, the last thing the audience hears will be your answer to a random question.  Audiences remember best the last thing they’ve heard, so make it good.

With a little practice, you’ll find Q and A a highly successful, satisfying way to interact with your audience.