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Get Down To It: What Lies Behind That Dreaded Question?

6/02/2020 By Jim Donovan Leadership Professional Development

I see it all the time, and it’s painful.

You’re up there presenting, and you’re doing great. Your audience is cruising along with you, smooth sailing, until—*scary movie music*—the bomb drops.

Someone hits you with that question—yes, you know. THAT ONE.

The question around which you specifically designed your entire presentation to avoid.

There’s no avoiding it now! You’re up in front of everyone, and you’ve got to come up with an answer on the spot. But WHAT are you going to say?

I was working with someone in a workshop recently—we’ll call him George. He was in a start-up servicing the hospitality industry, and he needed to pitch his service to a boutique hotel chain.

The dreaded question he didn’t want to answer was,

“Has your team done this before?”

The answer was “no,” although his team did have strong expertise in the hospitality industry (over 100 years between the four partners).

As part of the training, and to his dismay, I had him get up and role-play answering this dreaded question during his pitch.

When he got the question, he tried to plow right through it—which is exactly what I see most people do during pitches or presentations when they get that real zinger—they just want to “get through it,” and don’t end up really addressing the question.

So here’s how we handled it.

I had him slow down, and asked him to get present to what was happening for him. He noted that his heart rate was elevated, and that his breath was shallow—he had gone into “fight or flight” mode.

This is really common, and when we’re in fight or flight, the blood moves to the core, and away from the brain—our thinking becomes limited, and our only focus becomes escape or attack.

I had George counteract his physiological response by slowing down, breathing, and getting really present. Then I asked him one simple question: What do you think Suzie (the questioner) is thinking?

“She’s thinking that I’m not qualified to help her, and she is trying to highlight this.”

Now, this was just a role-play exercise, but I asked Suzie to really get into character as she played the role of George’s client.

Suzie’s character did want to know the answer, because it was important to her. But more importantly, she was in trouble, and needed help.

Her real (unspoken) question was, “Can you really help me?” And it was up to George to get down to the “question behind the question.”

I helped him do this by asking him to get curious about Suzie. What was she really asking? After some coaching, I had him ask this question:

“Suzie, we can talk about my team’s experience—collectively, we have over 100 years of service in the hospitality industry—but first, I want to ask, why is that important to you?

Suddenly, the dynamic of the conversation changed.

George had turned it into a dialogue instead of an inquisition, where he was unlikely to have gotten out alive.

Suzie, in role, explained that it was important to her that they have a lot of experience, but the main thing she wanted to know was if could they help her.

This led to her really expressing her needs and concerns, and a productive dialogue ensued, where they could get down to whether they were truly a fit for each other.

The next time you get a dreaded question in a pitch or presentation, slow it down, get curious, and get to the “question behind the question.”

How you handle yourself when that question comes up is the moment of truth, and it will either send people running, or have them eager to take the next step with you.

I’d love to hear more about the challenging situations you have found yourself in when answering questions in front of clients, board members, or your team.

Like this resource? Drop me a line and let’s start a dialogue.

Get Down To It: What Lies Behind That Dreaded Question?

6/02/2020 By Jim Donovan Leadership Professional Development

I see it all the time, and it’s painful.

You’re up there presenting, and you’re doing great. Your audience is cruising along with you, smooth sailing, until—*scary movie music*—the bomb drops.

Someone hits you with that question—yes, you know. THAT ONE.

The question around which you specifically designed your entire presentation to avoid.

There’s no avoiding it now! You’re up in front of everyone, and you’ve got to come up with an answer on the spot. But WHAT are you going to say?

I was working with someone in a workshop recently—we’ll call him George. He was in a start-up servicing the hospitality industry, and he needed to pitch his service to a boutique hotel chain.

The dreaded question he didn’t want to answer was,

“Has your team done this before?”

The answer was “no,” although his team did have strong expertise in the hospitality industry (over 100 years between the four partners).

As part of the training, and to his dismay, I had him get up and role-play answering this dreaded question during his pitch.

When he got the question, he tried to plow right through it—which is exactly what I see most people do during pitches or presentations when they get that real zinger—they just want to “get through it,” and don’t end up really addressing the question.

So here’s how we handled it.

I had him slow down, and asked him to get present to what was happening for him. He noted that his heart rate was elevated, and that his breath was shallow—he had gone into “fight or flight” mode.

This is really common, and when we’re in fight or flight, the blood moves to the core, and away from the brain—our thinking becomes limited, and our only focus becomes escape or attack.

I had George counteract his physiological response by slowing down, breathing, and getting really present. Then I asked him one simple question: What do you think Suzie (the questioner) is thinking?

“She’s thinking that I’m not qualified to help her, and she is trying to highlight this.”

Now, this was just a role-play exercise, but I asked Suzie to really get into character as she played the role of George’s client.

Suzie’s character did want to know the answer, because it was important to her. But more importantly, she was in trouble, and needed help.

Her real (unspoken) question was, “Can you really help me?” And it was up to George to get down to the “question behind the question.”

I helped him do this by asking him to get curious about Suzie. What was she really asking? After some coaching, I had him ask this question:

“Suzie, we can talk about my team’s experience—collectively, we have over 100 years of service in the hospitality industry—but first, I want to ask, why is that important to you?

Suddenly, the dynamic of the conversation changed.

George had turned it into a dialogue instead of an inquisition, where he was unlikely to have gotten out alive.

Suzie, in role, explained that it was important to her that they have a lot of experience, but the main thing she wanted to know was if could they help her.

This led to her really expressing her needs and concerns, and a productive dialogue ensued, where they could get down to whether they were truly a fit for each other.

The next time you get a dreaded question in a pitch or presentation, slow it down, get curious, and get to the “question behind the question.”

How you handle yourself when that question comes up is the moment of truth, and it will either send people running, or have them eager to take the next step with you.

I’d love to hear more about the challenging situations you have found yourself in when answering questions in front of clients, board members, or your team.

Like this resource? Drop me a line and let’s start a dialogue.

Get Down To It: What Lies Behind That Dreaded Question?

6/02/2020 By Jim Donovan Leadership Professional Development

I see it all the time, and it’s painful.

You’re up there presenting, and you’re doing great. Your audience is cruising along with you, smooth sailing, until—*scary movie music*—the bomb drops.

Someone hits you with that question—yes, you know. THAT ONE.

The question around which you specifically designed your entire presentation to avoid.

There’s no avoiding it now! You’re up in front of everyone, and you’ve got to come up with an answer on the spot. But WHAT are you going to say?

I was working with someone in a workshop recently—we’ll call him George. He was in a start-up servicing the hospitality industry, and he needed to pitch his service to a boutique hotel chain.

The dreaded question he didn’t want to answer was,

“Has your team done this before?”

The answer was “no,” although his team did have strong expertise in the hospitality industry (over 100 years between the four partners).

As part of the training, and to his dismay, I had him get up and role-play answering this dreaded question during his pitch.

When he got the question, he tried to plow right through it—which is exactly what I see most people do during pitches or presentations when they get that real zinger—they just want to “get through it,” and don’t end up really addressing the question.

So here’s how we handled it.

I had him slow down, and asked him to get present to what was happening for him. He noted that his heart rate was elevated, and that his breath was shallow—he had gone into “fight or flight” mode.

This is really common, and when we’re in fight or flight, the blood moves to the core, and away from the brain—our thinking becomes limited, and our only focus becomes escape or attack.

I had George counteract his physiological response by slowing down, breathing, and getting really present. Then I asked him one simple question: What do you think Suzie (the questioner) is thinking?

“She’s thinking that I’m not qualified to help her, and she is trying to highlight this.”

Now, this was just a role-play exercise, but I asked Suzie to really get into character as she played the role of George’s client.

Suzie’s character did want to know the answer, because it was important to her. But more importantly, she was in trouble, and needed help.

Her real (unspoken) question was, “Can you really help me?” And it was up to George to get down to the “question behind the question.”

I helped him do this by asking him to get curious about Suzie. What was she really asking? After some coaching, I had him ask this question:

“Suzie, we can talk about my team’s experience—collectively, we have over 100 years of service in the hospitality industry—but first, I want to ask, why is that important to you?

Suddenly, the dynamic of the conversation changed.

George had turned it into a dialogue instead of an inquisition, where he was unlikely to have gotten out alive.

Suzie, in role, explained that it was important to her that they have a lot of experience, but the main thing she wanted to know was if could they help her.

This led to her really expressing her needs and concerns, and a productive dialogue ensued, where they could get down to whether they were truly a fit for each other.

The next time you get a dreaded question in a pitch or presentation, slow it down, get curious, and get to the “question behind the question.”

How you handle yourself when that question comes up is the moment of truth, and it will either send people running, or have them eager to take the next step with you.

I’d love to hear more about the challenging situations you have found yourself in when answering questions in front of clients, board members, or your team.

Like this resource? Drop me a line and let’s start a dialogue.

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