Last week it happened again. Stephanie a very intelligent women, that really knocked me of my feet with her knowledge, suddenly froze when the subject came to the answering questions part. Spoken from experience; if you want to get most people stressed, just start talking about the questioning part during a presentation, you will be quite sure to get to see this remarkable "bright person changes to helpless creature" transformation.

What can you do when you identify yourself with Stephanie and want to change this attitude and to metaphorically unfreeze yourself? How to get rid of all these irrational fears of standing on the spot and feeling that slowly but surely your standing ground is being wiped away?

Follow the step by step approach written down below and experiment. You might surprise yourself and find that the excruciating answering questions section, might someday become your most favorite part!!

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1) First examine your attitude towards answering questions during a presentation and see if you can look at it from a different point of view. What is your mindset concerning this part? Do you see it as a chance to interact with your audience and learn? Or do you see it as a potential threat, where the audience is going to discover that you do not know the answers? Did you answer the question with the latter? Visualize yourself answering questions in a proper way and having fun with it.
 
2) Secondly just plain practical. Rehearse your presentation with someone including the questioning part. What are the most likely questions to arise when you do this particular presentation. So, be prepared!
 
3) Who says you need to know everything? Is this prove that you are a true professional? Eeehhh no. It is keeping you incarcerated with irrational thoughts and will prohibit you from learning and being flexible and having fun with it!
 
How to deal with question at the supreme moment.
 
1) Always repeat or summarize the question!!!
Example: "So you are asking me if......." "This lady here, asks if........."
There are 5 good reasons why, so not doing it, is just not using your excellent communication skills ;-).

1. Most important, everybody in the room will be able to follow it. If not, they will lose interest and that is something you would like to avoid at all costs!
2. To prevent miscommunication. Did you indeed hear this question correctly?
3. The person who asked the question feels acknowledged.
4. To buy yourself time, to properly answer the question.
5. It may provide a great chance to make the question universal. "This lady asks if,.... are there more people here that......."

2) When finished answering the question ask the person if the question was answered.  
Why? Again 3 good reasons.

1. You would like to check this, because otherwise the person will leave the room unsatisfied and so will the others in the public that were keen on knowing the answer.
2. The person again feels acknowledged.
3. It provides structure. It is clear for the audience that this question is answered and the presenter will move on. And the better your structure, the better your message will come across. (It happened last time that the presenter was talking for 5 minutes, while the audience was thinking that he was still answering the question, whereas he by long had picked up his story. Very confusing!!)