What If They Ask a Question I Can't Answer?
This excerpt is from the book Smart Speaking by Master Speech Coach Laurie Schloff.
Many speakers fear facing questions they can't answer–and sometimes “run out of time” for audience queries. There are, however, more credible ways to handle questions that stump you. Far from confirming you as a dummy, the following strategies will reinforce your professionalism.
When an audience member asks a question that you can't answer, don't:
• bluff or make up an answer
• offer an irrelevant answer
• put down the questioner
• simply say “I don't know” and go on to the next question
As a speaker, you have a responsibility to be as helpful as possible to your listeners. You should point the way to an answer, and how you can do that will depend on the situation. Some possibilities:
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If you are leading a program that has several sessions:
“You know, that's a really good question and I'm going to get into that tomorrow.” (Then find out the answer overnight, lol.)
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With an audience that has professional experience that may be different from yours:
“Any of you nutritionists want to offer an answer to that one?"
Even better, if you know people in the audience who are better qualified than you to answer, send the question on to them in a deferential way:
“Caroline, do you want to answer that one?”
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Where one listener asks for specific advice or information you don't have at your fingertips, offer to get them an answer later:
“As people become more and more health conscious, cholesterol content is certainly a big concern to many noodle eaters. If you message me, I'd be glad to send you the latest information.”
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When the question is clever and catches you off guard, take the focus off how blindsided you feel, l and acknowledge the questioner's insight and intelligence:
“The role of the nose in human communication—now that's an issue I've never thought about. Perhaps anthropologists like Desmond Morris or Ray Birdwhistle have written something about that.”
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When you should know the answer as an expert, and you're on the spot, find an angle to the question that you can answer:
“Though I'm not aware of any research on the role of the nose in human communication, there has been quite a bit written on the role of facial expressions. For example….
