How to Answer an Unexpected Question
2 . Ask yourself , “ What ’ s the most important thing I want this person to know about that ?”
3 . State your point in one sentence , and then pause to see if your listener wants to hear more from you or wants to say or ask something else themselves .
Why is this technique so powerful and effective ?
First , listening to the question — and here I mean listening actively , not just letting the words blow through your mind — will keep your focus on the questioner and what they ’ re saying . ( This works even better if you silently repeat the words they ’ re saying in your mind .)
Actively listening will put you in a better position to answer and will also help you avoid a possible freeze . We freeze when we ’ re feeling self-conscious , so one benefit of “ Answer the Question First ” is that it gives you something to think about besides yourself .
Second , this technique also helps you avoid a possible flood by immediately putting your mental focus on one idea (“ the most important thing I want this person to know ”).
We flood when our thoughts don ’ t have a central organizing principle , but it ’ s easy to stay focused and concise when we ’ re building on a single point . That point doesn ’ t need to be original or complex — it just needs to be true and sincere . For example :
“ This is one of iS Clinical ’ s most advanced products ,”
or
“ This is my favorite iS Clinical product .”
These simple statements open the door to in-depth conversations without opening the floodgates in your mind .
And third , when you ’ ve made your most important statement , stopping to let your listener respond helps to create a true conversation , not just a monologue . Your listener
84 iS Skin Source