Dealing with objections

Does the thought of someone objecting to some parts of your presentation make you feel uneasy?

Do you dread the question and answer (Q&A) session, because you are not sure you will always have the answer?

Many speakers share these fears, so don't feel bad if you are one of them.

The Q&A session can sometimes feel like the most stressful portion of your presentations. Here are some tips to help handle objections.

Prepare for the objections ahead of time: If you fear someone raising an objection after your speech, then you probably have a pretty good idea what that objection will be. Prepare for it. During your preparation, make a list of all the objections you expect, and prepare an answer to each of them. Better yet, during your presentation, address the objections head-on. If you are the first to address the objection, it longer becomes an issue during the Q&A session.
Don't answer it immediately: Instead of answering the question immediately (or even worse, interrupting the person in order to answer faster), let a few seconds go by. It gives you time to think, and it also makes your audience member feel that they are asking an important question.
Answer with a question: This is especially useful in a sales situation. If an objection comes up, it usually means that the person asking the question requires more information. Instead of answering directly, ask a question to determine what extra information the person wants to hear, and clarify as needed.
Don't end your speech with a question-and-answer session: many speakers make this mistake. They conclude the presentation, then they ask whether there are any questions. Once all questions, if any, are answered, the presentation is over. Instead, do the question and answer session first, and conclude afterwards. Keep in mind that you do not control the Q&A period, your audience does. You cannot end on a powerful note if your audience has control. Make sure you have the last word in all of your presentations.

Do you have any questions, comments, or requests for the newsletter? Then please send them to me. I will address them as best I can.

Dealing with the objections is an essential part of public speaking. However, you may also need to deal with objections in a one-to-one situation at work, or even at home. Apply these simple techniques and soon, you will become a master objection handler.