Home College Insider “Q&A round after presentation is a chance to show your mettle” - Mohit from IIT Delhi

“Q&A round after presentation is a chance to show your mettle” - Mohit from IIT Delhi

Mohit Prabhakar - DMS IIT Delhi

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“Q&A round after presentation is a chance to show your mettle” - Mohit from IIT Delhi

0 min read

One of my favorite professors once gave me a tip: Deliver a presentation as you want to listen to other’s presentations. Delivering a presentation is not an easy task, especially if you dislike public speaking. And the questions of the audience may create a panic in the speaker. Even before making a presentation, one should observe the thinking process of the audience. They are as human as you are. Put yourself in the shoes of the listener while preparing. Don’t worry too much about the questions; it’s actually a chance to show your mettle. Here are five simple tips to nail the Q&A round after presentation:

Appreciate the questions

Fearing that the audience will ask questions is a quick way to lose confidence and project the same. If someone has squeezed his or her time to listen to you, they have the full right to ask questions. And welcoming their questions is a way to show respect to them. Some specific things to try:

At the start of the presentation, set the time of the questioning: during the presentation or after the presentation. This will maintain decorum, and the audience will not question abruptly. You could say something like, “You can ask any question after the presentation. Even between the presentation, if you don’t understand anything or have questions, feel free to ask. Just raise your hands, I will come to you.”

When someone asks a question, greet them, or praise them a little, “I appreciate you asking that question,” or “Thank you, that’s an important question.”

Write only what you know

Presenters put loads of unnecessary information to impress the panel. You may get blank when someone asks a question from the content which you have no idea about. If you know each and everything about your presentation, you can tackle most of the questions. Just know your stuff.

The content should be easy to understand and should be written lucidly. No one likes an unstructured presentation. Even if your content is good, a messy presentation earns you a bad impression. Especially in a long and complex presentation, it is wise to take a few seconds to explain briefly what are the contents and the sequence of the presentation. A clear flow will minimize the confusion among the audience and reduce questions.

Practice, predict and practice again

It is one of the most crucial parts. An excellent presentation and still the speaker might fumble if he or she didn’t practice enough and may get nervous about impromptu questioning. Practice several times before the final day. It will not only ensure a smooth and continuous flow of the presentation but you can also confidently answer the questions. Have some variation in the practice.

Try to predict all the possible questions that can be put. First, think by yourself, then practice in front of an expert like a professor or senior. Take note of the questions and try to answer them. If you tackle their questions at this stage, then the same questions will be a cakewalk during the presentation. Predicting questions and practice is like revision. It is the most boring and neglected part of the preparation but helps immensely. So, do your homework.

Encourage discussions

As I said earlier, you don’t have to fear the Q&A round after presentation. Instead, it’s an opportunity for you to show your mettle. It is hard to maintain focus and attention with the presenter. A good presentation is one that the audience remembers after going out of the room, and when their questions are answered satisfactorily. Encouraging discussions between the presentation can enhance the quality of the questions.

You don’t have to be a master storyteller to engage and encourage the audience. The focus shouldn’t be entirely on the presentation. Instead, it should be on the mood of the audience. Sometimes, you can see in which direction your presentation is going by watching the faces of the listeners. Not interested or no questions asked, at times, is the sign of a boring presentation. Rather the efforts should be made so that the audience asks questions in a desirable direction. For example, a listener should say, “Wow! That is an awesome point. I want to know more about it.”

You can question the audience also. Convert your delivery style into the form of questions. Have some guessing elements that create a fun environment. A good question can invoke their interest, make them think and wonder why, and motivate them to make connections with the content. You can say things like, “Can anyone guess how much this will increase the sales.”, “Now let me ask you something, who will tell me this?”, “You are right, but there’s a catch.” Etc.

Accept

Now you have prepared your best, practice immensely, and have full confidence to ace the questions. You finished your presentation, and the audience starts shooting questions. You become blank, and you don’t know the answers. The Q&A round after presentation can make this happen to the best of the company executive presenting in front their most important clients. If you are not able to answer a few questions, that doesn’t mean you have less talent.

The best thing you can do is to accept the situation. Instead of panicking, take your time, have a little smile, and confront. It is completely okay to say, “I am sorry, I don’t know about this or currently, can’t comment on it, but I will definitely get back to you.” Moreover, it would help if you take feedback whenever possible. Just remember, being not able to answer few questions, doesn’t mean you will not be able to answer the questions for all of your life. So practice, present, improve and repeat.

This article was submitted as an entry to Become an Author 2.0 with Dare2Compete.

Edited by

Mohit Prabhakar - DMS IIT Delhi

2018-2020

He is currently pursuing MBA from IIT Delhi and has worked as a programmer and lead. His interests lie in innovative technologies, product designs and creative writing. He believes in learning and loves to read, travel and watch movies.

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