03.08.2023

SUCCESS TECHNIQUES: A QUESTION YOU CANNOT ANSWER

You've finished your presentation and it's time to answer questions from attendees. You see a lot of raised hands waiting for your attention. Some questions you answer easily, and for others you admit that there is no concrete answer. However, there are also questions you fear - the ones you can't answer.

Maybe it's about some functionality that your new app offers, or maybe it's about your company's initial public offering. Perhaps you are asked to comment on a recent significant event or respond to some criticism. In these types of situations, giving a clear, direct answer can put you at a disadvantage in some way. The real question is how to answer in such a way that you remain in good standing but also satisfy the questioner. Here are three techniques you can use to manage these types of challenging situations and answer questions you can't answer directly.

Reformat

When you get a difficult question, start by paraphrasing the query before you answer. This paraphrasing allows you to rephrase the question to make the process of finding an answer easier. For example, imagine that an important prospect asks you about the availability of a certain feature in your product—one that you know is unlikely to exist in the future. In this case, you might paraphrase the question like this: “Want to know more about our roadmap and the priority features we're working on? I will tell you more…”. By doing so, you broaden the question, giving you the opportunity to present a broader vision and perhaps highlight a close or related functionality to the feature your prospect is looking for. Reframing gives you a way to turn an awkward question into something more manageable while allowing you to redirect the communication.

Give a reason

Providing a legitimate reason for not answering a question directly is another tool you can use when you can't give a direct answer. Citing legal issues, regulatory guidelines, or established practices may serve as a valid reason not to respond directly. Alternatively, you can refer to an existing policy that prohibits commenting on questions like the one you were asked. Finally, you can attribute your inability to respond to a lack of information on the subject. For example, if someone asks what you think about the new direction a competitor is taking, you can say that you want to do more research before answering to make sure your answer is adequate and correct.

Give an explanation

In some situations, you can state that you cannot answer the question directly, but you can share some of the rationale or framework that will be used in addressing the topic of inquiry. For example, if you work for a private company and are asked about its plans to go public, you might say, "The question involves an internal decision that we may or may not make, but our choice will always be driven by a desire to we serve our customers, employees and investors in the best possible way.''

How to use paraphrasing, giving a reason, and giving an explanation

Using the rephrasing, reasoning, and explanation approach takes practice. Role-playing situations can help. For example, here's what this technique would look like if someone asked you, "When will this feature be included in your product?"

• Rephrase: “You are asking about our feature prioritization process. . .”
• Giving a reason: "We have a corporate policy that prevents us from talking about our product roadmap."
• Giving an explanation: "While I can't speak for this particular feature, I can tell you that all of our feature decisions are driven by how easy it will be for our customers to use."

Taking the time to think about and answer difficult questions will ensure that you feel more comfortable when faced with them. Here's how to prepare for situations where you may be asked questions that will be difficult to answer:

• Think about potentially challenging questions that you can't or don't want to answer.
• Identify possible avenues for reformulation. For example, "features are related to roadmap priorities" or "pricing is related to value."
• Prepare some justification as to why you cannot or should not respond, such as regulations, compliance with corporate guidelines, etc.
• Prepare explanations for your comments. For example, "customer and partner satisfaction will always be at the forefront of decision-making" or "quality is paramount in everything we do."

Then practice answering potentially challenging questions out loud. Finally, validate your ideas by sharing your potential answers with colleagues to ensure consistency and support for your approach.