Whether you’re leading a meeting or driving a sales demo, what do you do when you’re running out of time and the questions keep coming?
This question came up a few times during a training I led last week (pictured above). For the solution consultants and enterprise architects in the room, this was a real issue!
On one hand, questions mean your audience is engaged. But when there’s too many of them, they also mean you might not get through all of your content.
So when you’re handling a ton of questions from your audience, how do you answer their questions while also protecting your agenda?
- 1Start by asking what THEY want to cover: In the beginning of the meeting, ask your audience what’s on their mind. Learning what topics to spend more (or less) time on will help you manage your time better. What if someone wants to cover something you’re not prepared for? This is also a win! Set a time to follow up with them outside of the meeting and reconfirm the expectations for the call. Otherwise those unaddressed priorities will turn into a series of questions that can completely derail the meeting.
- 2Focus on driving decisions, NOT covering information: One of the most common mistakes I see presenters make is spending too much time covering metrics (“Weekly KPI Sync” 🤦♂️). All of that information can and should be sent separately! Instead, allocate more time to discuss 1) what decisions require alignment, and 2) what actions will be driven from those decisions. It’s okay to cover a few key metrics, but structuring more time for discussion results in a far more efficient and effective meeting.
- 3Set expectations on handling Q&A: Random one-off questions can be fine, but allowing a ton of them mid-topic can completely derail your meeting. When this happens, manage expectations by clarifying when you’ll address questions. For example, “I’d love to address more questions after we finish this topic - let’s discuss together after we cover this information.” Alternatively, build in designated Q&A time into your agenda and review said agenda at the start. Setting expectations goes a long way!
I help sales, customer success, and leadership teams maximize the impact of their communication. Have a question similar to above? Email me and ask! Whether it’s about sales calls, client 1:1s, or presenting to leadership, I’ll answer every question and feature the best ones in upcoming posts.