How to ace the QA (when you dont know the answer)

How to ace the QA (when you dont know the answer)How to ace the QA (when you dont know the answer)Even the most confident communicators can fumble when fielding unpredictable questions in front of an audience.While some leaders shine at open forum QAs, others can experience stomach butterflies or existential dread. I spoke to Leigh Buchanan at Inc. about some strategies to maintain credibility as you react and respond, even if you dont know the answer.Empower your expertsFounders know more about their companies than anyone. But as companies grow, that knowledge becomes less comprehensive. So let employees know, as a matter of course, that you cant answer every questionbut that the team can. Then make your experts available whenever questions will be asked.Build up people around you so that they are willing to step up and have a voice, says Jo Miller, founder of Be Leaderly, a career strategy firm for women. During QAs, call out your experts and encourage them to share the answer. Tha t tactic not only takes pressure off of you, Miller says, but also develops your team members confidence and leadership skills.Theres no reason to say I dont knowEven if experts arent handy or cant answer a question, you can totenstill do better than a straight-out confession of ignorance. Miller recommends language like, That is just what we are trying to determine or I dont have enough information yet to answer your question.Alternatively, You can just turn it back on the questioner and say, Why is that important to you? Miller says. The response may give you more information to work withor an opening to answer a different question entirely.Manage the mansplainersSometimes people dont have real questions, just axes to grind or criticisms to level. Or they just like to hear the sound of their own voices. Women leaders, in particular, face the prospect of men wanting to enlighten them, Miller says.In those circumstances, dont get defensive. The best way to deal with those questions is to have a confident and unapologetic posture, she says. Adopting a tone of amusement can help get the audience on your side, she adds Respond as though you are enjoying a game of intellectual ping-pong.Thisarticlewas originally posted onBe Leaderly.