How to overcome/answer unexpected questions in presentations with major stakeholders

Question

My role at my company is a project manager on a fairly large project. Every month, I am required to present the status of my project to executives within my company and the customer's company. Since being in the role, I have overcome my nervousness during these presentations (for the most part).

During the presentation, the stakeholders present will typically ask questions and sometimes these questions can put me on the defensive of having to explain why certain things may be running late or over budget. For the most part, I am usually prepared for these questions, but every once in awhile, there will be a question that completely catches me off guard. This is when my nervousness really shows. I become long winded, talk in circles, etc. This is due to me second guessing my answer or feeling the need to defend myself and the team when in reality, I should be able to simply point back at the customer and remind them of their commitments that they failed to meet.

I have tried searching for classes, videos, and reading material that can help with this issue, but it’s difficult, because I do not know what to search for exactly.

Here are my questions:

• What would be the specific search term/phrase that you would use to search for solutions and/or learning material for this issue?
• Can anyone provide some reference material on how to overcome this specific nervousness issue?
• I think that I would be able to better overcome this issue if I was a better "bull**** artist"; can anyone provide some reference material on how to better "wing" these types of questions with confidence?

** Edit Nov-3 2021 **

Let me provide some clarification.

An example of a question that recently caught me off guard:

• Earlier this year the customer requested multiple amendments to the statement of work which resulted the schedule being extended along with the need for additional funding.
• 6 or so months after those initial requests, an additional amendment was needed due to a mix of customer requests and internal delays
• At the next major status meeting, referencing the latest amendment, one of the stakeholders asked me, "Why does this keep happening? There was just a request for additional funding, not too long ago.."

I knew exactly what the answer was, but I felt that it was too obvious. This made me start to second guess myself to the point where I thought that maybe I had mixed up something. This made me flounder and start to over explain the details versus just stating the high level facts.

Answer 1

This is going to be a bit of a frame challenge.

The way to handle a situation where you don't know the answer is simply to be honest about it:

Sorry, I don't have a complete answer to that right now. I will get the information you're looking for to you by close of business tomorrow.

(obviously adjust "close of business tomorrow" as appropriate for when you can have an answer)

And then make sure you follow up and complete that action.

One other thing:

I should be able to simply point back at the customer and remind them of their commitments that they failed to meet.

Never, ever, EVER do this in front of the customer's senior management. This is a discussion for your senior management to have with their senior management, calling them out in a public meeting even if it's true can only possibly lead to bad things happening.

If it is really the case, ideally you will have talked to your senior management before the meeting to ensure you have a consistent position on the subject. If not, talk to them as soon as possible afterwards while you are preparing the answers you committed to provide.

Answer 2

I disagree with the other answer. It doesn't look like your problem is you don't know the answer to the question, but you've not mentally prepared yourself to answer. In addition, I believe your problem is you're predisposed to get defensive.

The simple fact of the matter is if there is something you should know, you can't simply defer it to answer it later. It makes it look like you don't know what's going on.

I also dispute that being a bullshit artist means you are good and responding to unexpected questions. Responding to unexpected questions just makes you a good communicator and quick on your feet.

If you are asked in a meeting on why things are delayed, you should be prepared to answer both honestly and tactfully. You can start with facts, which parts of the project are running over, which parts are proving difficult to get right. Keep it quite high level. But be prepared to go into detail if they probe.

If there is a part of the project where you were blocked on the customer, it's fair enough to say it in a tactful manner. That's what these meetings can be about. You know that your employees don't always get things right. They know the same. It comes down to shouldering some blame as well, and making sure they don't lose face.

I think taking a public speaking course is the best course of action. It will give you tips on how to frame things in a positive light, and how to mentally stay ahead of the conversation.

Answer 3

Have a go-to plan

In high stress situations, we tend to freeze up. So it is extremely helpful to have a plan, a specific "go-to" set of actions that you take when this happens. If you use these consistently (you can even practice in front of a mirror) then they will be automatic at times of stress.

Your plan is going to be specific to your company, your client, your culture, and you as an individual. Here is example of my go-to plan when the client puts me on the spot.

1. I furrow my eyebrows and use a tense mouth; this helps prevent a nervous smile or laughter, which can come across as dismissive. Hands clasped in front, almost as if begging--this is a disarming posture.

2. Brief pause, then literally say the word "Hmm," which helps me remember to take a beat, and relaxes my muscles a little bit. This is also helpful on a teleconference because it fills the awkward silence while I think about what I'm going to say.

3. I repeat the question and acknowledge their point, as if it is the most important thing in the world. "You're right, we needed XYZ not too long ago, and now we need it again. Is that your question?"

4. If their question implies something negative, or there is some sort of elephant in the room, I like to confront it directly-- this tells them that their concerns are my concerns. "You're asking how many more times we're going to need XYZ." or "You're wondering if there's a more efficient way we could do this."

From this point, the response is going to depend on the question and the circumstances. If you have to say "I don't know," that's okay, but it's not a great way to start the answer, so I always precede it with one of these canned responses:

• "Let me consult my team. I don't know."

• "I want to make sure I get you the right answer, so let me take that one away."

• "It's a reasonable question. I don't know."

• "I hear you. I'd be concerned about that too. Let me get back to you."

• "Yes, we're aware, and we are escalating internally. I will have an answer for you on ______."

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

From some of your examples in your comments, it seems the questions mostly feel "unexpected" because the question contradicts something the person asking the question previously told you.

My technique in those sorts of situations is to acknowledge the miscommunication, but clearly leave open the possibility that the misunderstanding was on my end or that circumstances may have changed. For example:

My understanding was that XYZ was specifically requested. If that's not the case, we can leave it out, which will cut a week off the schedule but also mean we can't do ABC.

Another reason questions can be flustering is if the asker seems to just be trying to shift blame for an unmet dependency. In that case, just politely stand your ground, leaving open the possibility that the problem might be on your end.

We've gone as far as we can without XYZ dependency. As soon as we get that, it should be about a week of work. If there's something I'm unaware of that you need from us in order to provide XYZ, please let me know.

If it's flustering because you really did goof up, briefly acknowledge without making excuses, and provide a plan to correct it.

That one slipped through the cracks. Thanks for reminding me. I'm making a note to make sure it gets addressed when I get back to my office.

In general, just pause for 5 seconds or so while you think of a diplomatic answer, instead of just starting to talk. The silence feels a lot more awkward on your end than it actually is.

Answer 5

Bring in backup

Have someone else in the meeting who can help answer questions. Bring subject matter experts who can talk about the occasional difficult questions

Don't answer immediately

Take time to think about the question, and if you cannot answer it right away, say you'll get back to the question after some time researching it.