CorrectScenario: Right after your presentation you start taking questions from your audience. At some point, someone asks an emotionally charged question. It is best to:
A. Pause, think, then answer the question.
B. Tell them, "That's a good question," then pause, think, and answer.
C. Turn to the audience, or a colleague and ask if anyone has an answer.
D. Empathize with the questioner, then answer the question.
D IS CORRECT
The rationale behind answer D is as follows:
When someone asks us a challenging or hostile question, something happened to get them emotionally hooked. They likely connected dots from something you said to some bad experience they had, and now you catch the heat.
Since they are hooked, if you simply answer their question, it is unlikely they will hear your answer, as they have not yet felt heard.
If you stall and patronize them, it may cause them to become even more upset.
In some cases asking the audience for your help could work, but not likely in this case. It is a good recipe for you to lose credibility and control of the room.
You need to be sure the questioner feels heard – so empathize first, then answer the question.
