When an audience member gives a speech instead of asking a question, politely ask, "Is there a question?" Say it lightly, steer them to one question, then answer only the part you want. At a Q&A you are the one in control, and you are allowed to act like it.

I covered this in a recent workshop when someone in the room asked what to do with a person who stands up at the end of your talk, takes the floor and rattles off three questions at once. It happens at almost every conference.

The moment it goes sideways

You finish your talk. You invite questions. Someone stands up and says, "I have three questions for you," and then they begin. Their first question is a speech. Their second is a story about their company. Their third is half a question and half an opinion. The room starts to fidget. You can feel the clock.

Most speakers freeze here, because they believe the questioner has the stage. They do not. You do.

Someone gets up at the end of your talk and says, I have three questions for you. Here's what I'll say for an event: you're in control.

Step one: ask whether there is a question

This sounds rude on paper. In the room, it is not. The audience has been waiting for exactly that moment, and when you say it gently, they laugh, because that person has the stage and is talking and talking.

You say, is there a question? The audience will laugh because that person has got the stage and is talking and talking.

The tone matters. Smile. Keep it warm. Add a reason that has nothing to do with the person:

Be polite about it. We just want to get to the questions so we have enough time. Then you should get to a question.

That phrase, "so we have enough time," gives the questioner a way out without embarrassment. You are protecting the rest of the room, not shutting them down.

Step two: pick one question

If they come back with three at once, you do not have to answer all three. You do not have to answer them in order. You do not even have to remember them all.

If they ask many at once, pick whichever one you want: the nicest one, the easiest one, the one we like.

I would add one filter: pick the one that helps your message. If one of the three lets you restate your main point, choose that. If one is hostile, leave it alone. Say something simple like, "Let me take the last one," and go.

The person will not mind nearly as much as you think. They asked three questions. You answered one. They usually feel heard.

I have seen the best do this

When I teach this, I play a clip of someone being interviewed who gets three questions in one breath: does it matter, will it change things, and how important are symbols? She does not try to answer them all. She picks a piece and runs with it, and nobody thinks less of her for it. You can do the same.

I have also done this from the other side. Years ago I was walking around a conference with a camera, interviewing people, and I asked someone who books speakers about the biggest mistakes speakers make, their pet peeves and what they wish speakers would do. Those are three different questions in one. The person on the other end could simply pick whichever one they wanted, and so can you.

Here is the funny part. When I have asked reporters why they stack questions like that, they usually say they are throwing out a few things to see what sticks. They are not trying to trap anyone. They are just being human. So pick one.

Keep it light

A Q&A is a conversation with a whole room, not a duel with one person. Your job is to make everyone else feel the time is being used well.

The goal is not to win. The goal is to keep the room with you. A few ways to stay on the right side of it:

  • Smile before you speak. Warmth makes the redirect feel like a courtesy.
  • Name the time. "We have a few minutes left" is neutral and true.
  • Thank them. "Thank you, great topic" costs nothing and takes the edge off.
  • Offer a follow-up. If the question deserves a long answer, say you will take it at the break. Then actually do it.
  • Never repeat anything you would not want quoted. If a long-winded question includes a loaded claim, do not echo it back. Restate only the part you want.

Prepare for it before you stand up

The best protection against this is knowing the rules of your own Q&A. Open by telling people how it will work: "Keep your question short, so we can get to as many as possible." Then when someone drifts, you are enforcing a rule you already set, not inventing one. I go deeper on structure in how to handle Q&A in a presentation, and there is more on a hostile room in how to handle a hostile audience.

For a moderated session, ask the host to introduce Q&A with a "short questions only" line. It takes pressure off you.

What to do next

Practise the redirect out loud, once, before your next event. Say "Is there a question?" in a warm voice, and then "Let me take the one about..." until it sounds like you. If you want to rehearse live Q&A with someone throwing the hard ones, get a quick quote. You can also see how presentation Q&A coaching works.

Jess Todtfeld, CSP, Guinness World Record holder, former ABC/NBC/Fox producer, and 20-year executive communication coach.