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beinclarity · 3 years

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How To Navigate Townhall Q&A

You may have heard of reports and surveys about social anxiety and how public speaking tops the charts as the number reason.

It’s no wonder – many of us have anxiety about being the centre of attention in a group setting be it in school and even as adults. Public speaking has the potential to cause us so much embarrassment in from of our colleagues, bosses and the public. Some people even get fired from a public speaking event gone wrong(1).

However, you can’t avoid public speaking entirely especially if you are playing a senior role in your company. So, lets discuss about lowering your risk of a gaffe in one of the regular company public speaking events, the Town Hall.

“Shyness is about the fear of social judgments – at a job interview or a party you might be excessively worried about what people think of you. Whereas an introvert might not feel any of those things at all, they simply have the preference to be in a quieter setting.” ~ Susan Cain

The Town Hall is an important communication event. It’s an opportunity for aligning the employees with the company’s current direction and goals. When employees hear directly from the head of the company, it can create a sense of ‘togetherness’ and bonding where employees not only hear, but they can see with all their colleagues in the same room, their role is part of something bigger.

Not only that, Townhall is also a good place to give public recognition to well-deserved employees. Yet as much benefit as it brings, organising and speaking in a Town Hall is no fun job for anyone, even the CEO due to the risk of public speaking failure.

Let me tell you a story of a CEO who fumbled an important question in the Town Hall Q&A session.

This CEO was well admired for turning companies around. The company was doing well after he joined and started implementing his strategy. As part of his blueprint, he regularly held Town Halls to keep everybody informed because he believes communication is a key leadership skill. And so, it was ironic when his standing and connection with employees went down because he didn’t communicate the answer properly to a very simple question.

In a recent Town Hall, an employee asked a question on when the company is planning for the workforce to return to the office.

The CEO was completely taken by surprise at this question because he thought in the current pandemic it was ‘obvious’ that work from the office would soon be the norm. Finding the question irrelevant to the main Town Hall topic, he brushed it aside by answering, "That's still under discussion” then asked for the next question.

So, how would you have answered this question?

Would you have answered better or worse?

The point to note is that it’s not so much the answer really matters, but how you give the answers. If you look at masters of Q&A like Steve Jobs, Christine Lagarde, and Jack Ma, they employ elements of martial arts: concentration, personal defence, control, balance and focus.

That’s a lot of things to think about while trying to find an answer to the question at the same time!

It can feel like an eternity, but if you take a few seconds to align your thoughts before answering a question, it can make all the difference.

PRO TIP! To develop as a leader, think about building core competencies through EQ workshops for leaders, trust building workshops, knowing your flowprofiler® and improving listening skills workshop.

Here is a 3-step process on how to answer Q&A better in Townhall:

1. Concentrate fully on the question. Make sure you understand what the audience is actually trying to ask. If you don’t quite understand it, you are well within your rights to ask the questioner to clarify it.

After all, the audience would rather hear the answer to the ‘right’ question rather than ‘non-answers’ or the ‘wrong’ answer!

2. When you understand the question, take a few seconds to think how to structure your answer. In the Think on Your Feet® course, we use 'plans' and 'pegs'.

3. When you have your answer and the structure that you want to use, start your answer by bridging the gap between the question and the answer. "That's a good question" is a commonly snigger inducing bridge. Here are other bridging statements you can also use that will position you well.

“We find the more important issue is…”

“I think it would be more accurate (or correct) to say…”

“Here’s the real problem…”

“What I’ve said comes down to this…”

“Let me emphasise again…”

“What matters most in this situation is…”

“While ___________ is important, it’s also important to remember that…”

“It all boils down to this…”

Your answer should flow out of your mouth smooth as cream because you have the bridges and structures in place.

Let's go back to the CEO story earlier and see what his answer could have sounded like?

"Thank you for bringing it up. I understand there’s mixed emotions about going back to the office, for those who have adjusted to working from home and those who prefer to work from the office. The HR team is currently in discussion with the management, and we have some options we are considering, option 1 is xys, option 2 being xyz, option 3 is xyzzy.

We value your input, get in touch with your HR business partner if you have any suggestions."

Imagine you would feel like if your CEO gave an answer like this!

So, there it is, a 3-step process to navigate the Town Hall Q&A effectively and with panache.

Insider Secret: We have a team of specialists with a combined century’s worth of experience who work with professionals – leaders and technical subject matter expertise - to have better conversational skills, in improving listening skills and presenting ideas for approval whether online or in person.

Remember!

Have an abundance mindset.

Take your time.

Provide the bottom line first.

Adhere to a word diet.

Source:

1. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/umno-leader-sacked-as-malaysias-transport-firm-chair-after-controversial-remarks-on

2. Photo by Antenna on Unsplash

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