This is one of the most common fears that presenters voice to me. You are likely feeling vulnerable when someone, especially a boss or important client or prospect asks you a question and you can’t answer it. I sympathize with you; really, I do. But it is important to keep your potential problems in perspective.

Every time I speak to a large audience of 100, 500 or more, I ask the following question, “How many of you remember a time when you saw a presenter who couldn’t answer a question and it was embarrassing for the presenter?” Sure enough, 10 or 20% of the hands go up. So yes, this is real and legitimate concern.

But then I ask a second question, “How many of you remember hearing a presenter talk and the person was so boring, so deadly dull, that you didn’t remember anything that person said?”

Guess how many hands go up this time: 100%. So this should be your bigger concern, actually saying something that doesn’t bore your audience to tears! Don’t worry about the hangnail when you have a potential heart attack waiting for you.

But back to answering questions. Here is the real secret: it’s not important that you have a full, complete, great answer to every question. What most audiences remember is not your answer to the question, but your reaction to the question.

Quite often, when a presenter is asked a tough question, he or she reacts with one or more of the following:
1.    An expression of “oh crap!!!” flashes across the presenter’s face.
2.    A quick nervous look upwards to the heavens as if waiting for divine intervention.
3.    Beads of sweat break out on the presenter’s forehead.
4.    The presenter mutters under his or her breath something like “ugh, this is such a tough question…I wish you hadn’t asked me that…”
5.    The presenter breaks out in nervous laughter.
6.    The presenter slumps and sighs as if to convey to the audience “You got me! I am a fraud! We all know that I am supposed to know the answer to this question. I stand exposed. I am so ashamed! Please let me go home now and I promise to never bother you again!”
7.    The presenter looks back at the questioner with a barely concealed look of contempt.

It is these emotional and physical reactions that become so memorable to audience members. So the real trick is not as difficult as suddenly having a brilliant answer to every question. The solution is just to not look or sound embarrassed in any way when someone asked you a tough question.

There is no one perfect answer or dodge to tough questions, but here are a few possibilities:
1.    “I know that Jim Smithers in our organization has the complete answer to that question. I will find out from him and email you the answer by 4 PM today.” The trick is to look comfortable and confident the whole time you are speaking. Don’t look evasive. And then actually get back to the person with an answer by 4PM as promised.)
2.     “I don’t know. What I can tell you in general is that… (And then bridge to something you do know that touches on the subject of the question).” Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know, but always bridge to something else so you are not only say “I don’t know.”
3.    “That’s an interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing.” This works well if the person asking you a question was incredibly long-winded, seemed to contain a mini-speech, and was a little wacky. (This works well for politicians who get crazy questions at town hall meetings.

You can come up with your own answer and it will work, as long as you seem completely comfortable, relaxed, confident and not bothered it will work in the sense that people won’t remember that you bungled a question. Remember there can be no “gottcha” moment in your presentation if you don’t act “gotten.”

Now that you know how to answer tough questions during your presentation, you can now get back to more serious business, like making sure you have an interest and memorable message for your audience.