When You Ask a Question but Know the Answer
How to answer question you don't know the reply to
The problem
You are in a business organisation setting property some kind of presentation, either in person or remote through teleconferencing. A member of the audience asked y'all a question you immediately don't take a practiced answer for.
Your heart starts chirapsia, you mouth gets dry, you lot feel pain in your chest and your vision starts narrowing — does it sound familiar? The monkey in your brain just suffered a fate worse than death — social humiliation.
For nearly people speaking in front of a large grouping is very tough. We are genetically programmed to fit and piece of work in groups with other people. Anything that would jeopardise our social condition in that group our brain is programmed to perceive as a treat to our very own survival.
When you come solitary in front end of a group of people you lot make y'all self vulnerable, a target. Especially if you seem not to be that competent and people will remember of you less than before (loss of status).
1 of the toughest situations you may get is someone asking you a question you don't know the answer to. Well, don't fret nearly it , in that location are means effectually the trouble which will aid yous avoid a fate worse than death.
Read forth, just first some things you lot should not practice when facing such a situation.
What not to do
- Stay silent
- Answer with "I don't know" and autumn silent
- Repent and fall silent
- Simulated the answer
There are definitely less desirable ways for you as the presenter to deal with a question you don't know the answer to. Especially if the presentation is handled online and people tin't see your body (or non at all). Silence, proverb you lot don't know without a mode to resolve the question at a later on date are not good ways to deal with the problem.
The goal in this cases is always to present your self with confidence to the group and find a way to resolve partially or at a after date the problem posed by the grouping.
The solution bellow is an effective style how to bargain with questions you don't have an reply to.
The solution
- Echo or paraphrase the question out loud.
- Ask clarifying questions.
- Admit you don't know the full reply.
- Provide what information you do have
- Promise you will find the answer and come back to the questioner
- Ask the questioner how to best reach him, if you don't know how
- Enquire the grouping to keep the presentation
Repeat or paraphrase the question out loud.
"So to see if I understood the question correctly, the team you lot are working with is having trouble finding logs for this functionality, is information technology right?"
Repeating or paraphrasing the question our loud will give you fourth dimension to recollect about the trouble before you. Speaking the question aloud will actuate unlike parts of your brain which may help you formulate the answer.
Presentations are scary since we every bit humans fear social humiliation more than than death information technology cocky. And asking a question nosotros don't know in front of a group of people is the ultimate death for the monkey in our brain. Speaking the question aloud will help us at-home our selves.
It will as well allow the person who asked the question to confirm you understood the question. People will ofttimes elaborate more, thus providing you with more details and information to recall. Please allow the questioner speak and elaborate, people like to be heard so that volition win you brownie points with them and show them you are invested in answering the question.
Ask clarifying questions.
"Could you please tell me what you mean by …."
"I'g not familiar with this use case, could you please share how your team approaches this topic…"
People rarely make sense the first time you speak to them virtually the problem. You may speak about the same topic, but unlike companies or teams have unlike ways to sympathise the same matter. Don't be afraid to ask for clarifying questions to explain the concepts or the context. The meliorate you lot empathise the situation which prompted the question the better reply yous can give.
Admit you don't know the full answer.
"I apologize but I'm not familiar with the topic"
"I'one thousand sorry, I haven't worked with this function of the system before"
"I'm pitiful, I haven't revisited this area in some time"
"I have experience with this topic but from a different angle then yous, so I may not exist able to fully cover your topic"
This is the tough one. Yep, no torso knows everything , even experts accept gaps in their knowledge.Peradventure you have some knowledge about the topic just you have not revisted information technology in a yr or so.
Its fourth dimension to share with the grouping the fact that you may not be able to answer the question. Keep it simple, go along it short. There is no need to berate your self or to feel ashamed.
Stand straight, in your power pose and with a calm vox share with the questioner that yous cannot respond the question.
Provide what information you do have
"The functionality you lot are request about is a function of this bundle, I have worked with this area and know other groups have experienced this trouble and were able to solve information technology. I would become to this page, or this forum to find more than details most it or contact this user grouping to meet if someone has the same story to share."
If you accept some information to share which would assist the person who asked the question it is time to share. Start past explaining the context of the question, for instance what is the functionality the questioner is asking well-nigh, so provide what information you take and finally share what are the best ways for the questioner or the grouping to find the information for them selves.
Ordinarily you tin can embrace the concluding part by saying I would go into this are or ask this group to find the respond. Don't brand this office too long, keep ti short like one or two sentences. You can't provide what you don't have and then there is not point to faux it or raise dust by speaking nonsense also long. People volition get it and you brownie as a speaker will drop.
Hope you will find the answer and come up dorsum to the questioner
"Unfortunatelly this is what i have for now, but I can go back to the office and find this stuff for yous"
"I'll talk to my squad and come back with a better reply"
People really similar when their needs are met. In that location is zippo worse than a need to met. In this instance you were not able to satisfy the person who asked you the question. Tough luck. But it doesn't mean you will not be able to answer the question given more time to dig and enquire around, right?
Share with the person that y'all are going to find the answer to their question and come up back to them with information technology, or to the group in full general. This will evidence the group that you are willing to work for their needs and its reducing the emotional pain of the person who's needs were not met.
It volition also give you and opportunity to abound you skills and knowledge. What is important if you lot promise to do something you lot better keep it.
What happens if y'all tin can't observe an respond. Well , some questions are not that easy to reply. What you will do in this case you will contact the person and say what you lot did to find the answer (to show that yous put some endeavour and where you lot looked for the respond) and tell them you were not able to reply their question. If yous can propose steps for them where they can continue their search.
Ever provide a way for the customer to go and go on her journey and to attempt to solve the problem.
Ask the questioner how to all-time reach him, if you don't know how
"What would be the all-time mode to reach yous"
"Yous tin can reach me over my email over here and then I will send you the answer to your question as a reply"
If you promised to evangelize something you volition have to have a way to do it. If you don't how, you can always ask them. Ordinarily its email but it can every bit well exist a publicly readable page on the corporate intranet or blog, you just a twitter feed. Doesn't matter how, it matters that you know how to reach them.
Ask the group to continue the presentation
At this point you lot have done everything y'all could well-nigh the question. You clarified the question, admitted y'all tin can't fully answer, gave what data you had and agreed on a way how to contact the person making the question. Presentations have a limited time span and there are other people and topic to cover. It is best not to dwindle on the topic too long and just continue.
Only inquire the group and the person who asked the question to keep. Why the group and the person, well the person may not wish to continue (people similar to talk) but the grouping may experience differently and there is no better solution than peer pressure to get things moving once again.
Decision
Remember no i is perfect and everyone has gaps in their knowledge. It is perfectly normal not to have answers to all questions, particularly if someone is coming from a different business context than yours.
The feelings y'all have are perfectly natural, the shortness of breath , the tunnel visions are genetically coded responses to social humiliation which are built in our brains to let u.s.a. to survive as part of a grouping.
Concern presentations are rarely life or death so don't sweat information technology, take it as learning opportunity to learn something new and improve your presentation skills.
Source: https://medium.com/@nikolastjelja/how-to-answer-question-you-dont-know-the-answer-to-be5d231a1349
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