If you're in a business field, it's good to have tips for answering direct questions. If you have been offered the opportunity to represent your company or organization at a conference or other networking event, you cannot be sure what you might be asked from the people that you meet. For that reason, you must be prepared to answer any question, no matter where or when it might get asked. In other words, you should become familiar with the tricks that you can use, when answering a question on-the-spot. So, here are the best tips for answering direct questions, no matter what they might be.
One of the best tips for answering direct questions is to take a deep breath. Be sure that you have no trace of a frown on your face. Make a point of looking and feeling confident. If you can do that, then you should manage to maintain an air of confidence, as you offer your answer. In other words, you will increase the likelihood that you will sound confident.
Maintain eye contact with the person that has chosen to pose the question. Still, do not ignore that same person’s body language. It could tell you a little something about the reason that you have been approached by the person.
Do not hesitate to say that you would like to hear the question again. This is one way to gain some extra time for putting your thoughts together. Alternatively, you might want to state when or how you acquired the information that you are about to share in your answer.
Be ready to allow for a short moment of silence before you give a response. Of course, you must be sure to make good use of that brief moment in time. It is a time when you should be thinking, with a focus on what you plan to say.
At this point, you will have to forget about any temptation you might have to launch into what is called a stream of consciousness. Instead, you must offer a structured answer. Try to identify two or three key points that would help to satisfy the person that has made the inquiry. Include those same points in your answer.
Instead, make a point of summarizing what you have said. Still, do not repeat, word-for-word the information that you have put in your response. Be prepared to stop when you come to the end of your summary. You do not want to drown the listener in information. Instead, show that you are ready to comment further, if your answer has pushed the listener to seek a few added details.