- Welcome Questions – Treat them as a sign of engagement, not challenge. Smile, thank the person, and show openness.
- Pause Before Responding – Take a beat to think. It signals confidence and helps you avoid rambling.
- Clarify if Needed – If a question is unclear, repeat or reframe it: “So you’re asking about…”
- Be Concise and Focused – Give clear, to-the-point answers—don’t drift into a second presentation.
- Bridge Back to Your Key Message – Even if the question is off-track, connect your response to your main theme.
- Handle Tough Questions Calmly – If you don’t know, be honest: “That’s a great question—I’ll follow up.”
- Engage the Whole Room – Repeat the question (briefly) so everyone hears, then answer to the audience, not just the asker.
- Set Boundaries – If time is short, let people know you’ll follow up offline for longer discussions.
End with a Strong Close after Q&A is over so you wrap it all up in a bow instead of it trailing off, plus you want to remind people what you talked about so it ends with YOUR strong point, not the energy from the last question asked.
Some resources for you:
Project more confidence and credibility with my free tips: 9 Words to Avoid & What to Say Instead: https://portal.karenlaos.com/words-to-avoid
My book “Trust Your Own Voice”: https://karenlaos.com/book/
Episodes also available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEwQoTGdJX5eME0ccBKiKng/videos
Karen Laos, Communication Expert and Confidence Cultivator, leverages 25 years in the boardroom and speaking on the world’s most coveted stages such as Google and NASA to transform missed opportunities into wins. She is fiercely committed to her mission of eradicating self-doubt in 10 million women by giving them practical strategies to ask for what they want in the boardroom and beyond. She guides corporations and individuals with her tested communication model to generate consistent results through her Powerful Presence Keynote: How to Be an Influential Communicator.
Get my free tips: 9 Words to Avoid & What to Say Instead: https://karenlaos.com/words-to-avoid/
Connect with me:
Website: https://www.karenlaos.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenlaosofficial
Facebook: Ignite Your Confidence with Karen Laos: https://www.facebook.com/groups/karenlaosconsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlaos/
Episodes also available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEwQoTGdJX5eME0ccBKiKng/videos
My book “Trust Your Own Voice”:
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