Do you have challenges answering technical questions from the audience during your presentations? You are not alone. Fortunately, there is a myriad of information on how to overcome the challenges presented by audience questions.

Below are three of these challenges and how you can overcome them:

Understanding the Question Clearly

Technical questions from your audience may be vague, overly broad, or poorly phrased.

You might struggle to interpret what the person is asking, especially if the questioner lacks technical expertise or uses incorrect terminology.

Some things you could do to address this challenge are:

• Politely ask for clarification or restate the question more straightforwardly to confirm understanding (e.g., “If I understand correctly, you’re asking about…”).

• Actively listen without interrupting, and ensure you understand the question’s intent.

• Paraphrase the question and ask the questioner if you have the “gist” of the question.

Encourage the questioner to clarify ambiguities. In other words, ask your questioner to clarify their question.

Above all, ensure you are patient and open to what the questioner is asking. Your ability to value whatever a questioner asks will significantly increase the audience’s trust in you.

Most of communication is body language and tone of voice. Non-verbal ques from your audience provide valuable information of the questioners intent.

So, one of the challenges in answering technical questions from your audience is understanding the question clearly.

Another challenge is balancing depth with simplicity.

Balancing Depth with Simplicity

You may struggle to balance providing sufficient technical detail and avoiding overly complex or jargon-heavy explanations.

This is especially true when your audience’s technical knowledge is unknown or varied.

Tailor your response to the audience by assessing their familiarity with the topic.

Start with a concise, high-level answer and offer to elaborate if needed. Use analogies or visuals to simplify complex ideas.

As technical people, we suffer from the Curse of Knowledge. The Curse of Knowledge is when you are entirely comfortable with the material you are presenting and do not realize the material may be, at best, somewhat familiar to your audience and, at worst, utterly unfamiliar to them.

You can lessen the effect of the Curse of Knowledge by finding out as much as you can about the technical competence of your audience on your topic.

Your audience’s knowledge of your subject is critical to know. It will determine the depth of material in your presentation.

Then, determine your audience’s opinion of your presentation subject. Try to anticipate how they may challenge you on what you are saying and have cogent responses ready.

So, two of the challenges in answering technical questions from your audience are understanding the question clearly and balancing depth with simplicity.

A third challenge is handling questions for which you do not know the answer.

Handling Questions for Which You Don’t Know the Answer

You may face questions outside your expertise or ones requiring further research.

You might feel pressure to provide an immediate answer, risking incorrect or incomplete information.

The best way to initially handle a question you don’t know the answer to is to admit you don’t know. Then, commit to following up with accurate information within twenty-four (24) hours. Then, get back to the questioner within twenty-four (24) hours even if you don’t have the answer.

Fulfilling your promise to get back to the questioner within twenty-four (24) hours is almost worth as much to the questioner as the actual answer. This is true because the questioner knows they can trust you. Not everyone can be trusted, but you will if you follow through with what you say.

Another way you might try to handle a question for which you don’t know the answer is to, again, admit you do not know the answer and then ask the audience if anyone knows the answer. If no one knows the answer, you should get back to the questioner within twenty-four (24) hours.

By asking the audience if they know the answer to the question, you engage your audience, which is always a good thing to do.

At first, handling questions for which you do not know the answer will be challenging. But with practice, you will become more comfortable with these audience questions.

If you try some of the methods above, you will get through this situation and build trust with your audience.

So, the three challenges you might encounter in answering technical questions from your audience are (1) understanding the question clearly, (2) balancing depth with simplicity, and (3) handling questions for which you do not know the answer.

Take solace in knowing whatever challenges you face when answering audience questions someone else has faced in the same situation. The knowledge of how to handle tough questions has been documented.

All you have to do is find this knowledge.

Call to Action

• Ask clarifying questions about vague, overly broad, or poorly phrased audience questions.

• In your response to an audience question, start with a concise, high-level answer and offer to elaborate if needed. Use analogies or visuals to simplify complex ideas.

• Concerning audience questions, if you do not know the answer, ask the questioner to give you their email during the break. Tell them you will get back to them within twenty-four (24) hours.

References

• Carnegie, D. (1936). How to Win Friends and Influence People. The book emphasizes the importance of listening and clarifying for effective communication.

• Gallo, C. (2014). Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds. The book highlights the importance of storytelling and analogies in making technical content accessible.

• Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The habit of “seeking first to understand” aligns with acknowledging limitations and committing to clear follow-ups.

Being a confident, engaging, and effective technical speaker is a vital personal and professional asset. With more than 40 years of engineering experience and more than 30 years of award-winning public speaking experience, Frank DiBartolomeo can help you reduce your presentation preparatory time by 50%, overcome your fear of public speaking and be completely at ease, deliver your presentations effectively, develop your personal presence with your audience; and apply an innovative way to handle audience questions deftly.

Working closely with you, Frank provides a customized protocol employing the critical skills and tools you need to create, practice, and deliver excellent technical speeches and presentations. Connect with Frank and explore how he can help you become the exceptional speaker you were meant to be. Please reach out to him at frank@speakleadandsucceed.com or 703-509-4424 for a complimentary consultation. Schedule a meeting with him at calendly.com/frankdibartolomeospeaks. Listen to his Successful Speaking for Technical Professionals podcast