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CHAPTER 5 QUESTION TIME

1 h

Learning Objectives

After studying of this chapter, you should:
 Know the ways how to understand questions from the audience;
 What strategies to use to get some time for consideration of the answer;
 How to admit you don´t know the answer.

The question time is often a nightmare for the speaker. If you are clever enough,
you should take these several minutes as a chance to precise your ideas and get
new impulses from experts or public. However, the true is that you must
understand not only the area you are directly discussing, but also the
background to the problem.

A good message for you is that some types of questions can be expected after
your presentation. Some speakers even don´t give some information
intentionally, or because of a short time they don´t discuss some points and
expect the discussion at the end of the presentation. So, in the stage of
preparation think about possible questions, or ask your friends what they would
ask about and prepare answers. You can even prepare visuals to support your
answers; these are not to be shown in the presentation but are ready to be used
in the question time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AhWUJ-n0Rg (Frequent Types of Asked
Questions 4:17)

If you want to provide a good answer, first you have to understand the question.
Sometimes it is really a hard job if the inquirer has a strange accent, which you
don´t understand. Make really sure you hear the question properly. If you don´t
understand, ask the questioner to repeat (“Could you repeat the question,
please?” “I didn´t quite catch what you said, could you repeat it please?”).
Sometimes it is quite difficult to understand a native speaker who uses some
dialect or accent. In this case, try to get at least the key words from the question
and paraphrase it. They will either agree with your version or will modify it, but
you´ll get closer to the aim. When answering, address your remarks to the whole
audience, not only the questioner. This will keep everyone involved.

If, for a while, no one asks a question, don´t rush ahead. Pause for several
seconds to allow the audience to gather their thoughts. To reinforce your

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From the beginner to the mentor (Supporting strategies of education of teachers in Zlin region)
Fund of Educational Policy project, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports