You’re in a meeting with the senior stakeholders for your project. You’ve just finished your presentation, and you’re feeling good about it—you did the work and prepared well.
With a few minutes left, you ask, “Any questions?”
An executive speaks up: “I don’t really have any questions about the project—you answered all those in your presentation. But while we’ve got you here, I do have a couple things I’d love to get your take on…”
Is this an opportunity or a minefield?
It depends on you. Being able to answer questions on the spot in a useful way can skyrocket your career growth and impact. But there are some common mistakes people make in this situation…
Mistake #1: Trying to look good
The most common mistake people make when they’re answering questions on the spot is trying to look good. Trying to seem smart.
Of course, you want to actually look good, to actually be smart. The problem is the focus on yourself.
For most people, thinking about how you’re being perceived is just going to raise the stakes and make you more nervous—and more likely to forget what you know.
Instead, put the focus on the person asking the question. Think about what they need. Consider how you can be helpful, how you can share something useful to them. This will make you more comfortable and more likely to share something that actually helps them. (And that will make you look good!)
Mistake #2: Faking it
Much worse than just trying to look good is trying to look like you know something you don’t.
First off, there’s the integrity issue. You’re trying to get people to think something about you that’s not true.
Second, you’re probably not going to give a useful answer.
And third, when you finally get to the end of your ability to fake it, you’re likely to crash and burn. When your bluff gets called, it’s ugly.
So what do you do instead if you don’t know the answer? Just say so. And then see if you can still be useful.
For example, “I don’t have much experience with that, but I can talk through how I’d think about it from the experience I do have. Would that be useful?”
Mistake #3: Winging it
Now, assuming you have some expertise related to the question you’ve been asked, there’s a another mistake many people make, and that’s winging it. Many people mistakenly think that if they have knowledge on a topic, they’re ready to answer questions about it. But knowing a thing and having clear words to explain the thing are very different.
The best way to avoid this mistake is to always be working out the words for what you know—before you need them. Richard’s go-to approach is writing on a topic to get his thoughts clear. Peter likes making visual representations of what he knows. Whatever approach you choose, you’ll often discover that something you thought you were clear about wasn’t quite so clear when you tried to write it down. Use the writing or drawing to find clarity.
The goal here isn’t to anticipate every question you might get asked. Rather, it’s to build your vocabulary of words, phrases, stories, and images on the topic, which you can reassemble as needed.
Mistake #4: Going right to an answer
Often, the initial question isn’t the actual question. We shared an example of this in a recent Humanizing Work Show episode. The question was, “How can I get my team to try a different Daily Scrum format?” But the actual conversation that needed to happen was about team size, work breakdown, and collaboration. If Richard had just answered the initial question, the person asking would have gotten a less useful answer.
The way to avoid this mistake is to ask a few questions back to understand the context behind the question. Or even just something like, “Before I can answer that, tell me a bit more about the team…”
Mistake #5: Soapboxing
Finally, sometimes even when you think you understand the context and the actual question being asked, you still can miss it. And if you get on your soapbox and just start talking, you may not even realize your answer isn’t useful (especially if the person asking is polite and doesn’t show you that you’re wasting their time).
To avoid this mistake, answer iteratively. Share a little bit. Ask a follow up question. Answer a little more. Check for understanding. Ask if more detail would be useful or if you’ve answered the question sufficiently.
Learn More
Learn how to articulate answers under pressure like a pro in our upcoming On-the-Spot workshop on Sept 19, 2024! Join us to master the art of clear and confident communication. Register and more info here.
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