Responding To
Curve Balls
You’ve planned your pyramid, practised your pitch, done your reconnaissance, set up your room and prepared some great leave-behinds. It’s coming together beautifully.
But how well prepared are you for the unexpected? As Mike Tyson says: everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.
The following pages throw you a few pitch curve balls (or left jabs), and some tips for approaching them.
The Difficult Question
How you answer a difficult question tells your audience a lot about you, your composure and your capacity to work collaboratively with them. Your response has both short- and long-term consequences for you and your ideas.
When thrown a curve-ball-of-a-question, a common temptation can be to swing hard and rush yourself into an answer. Too often, my words have left my mouth without my brain’s permission.
And I’m not alone. Research tells us that with tricky questions, often our first answers are too instinctive, and not our best option. And that we are better served digging deeper into our consciousness to find more considered responses. So take your time and give every question the respect it deserves.
A good approach might look like this:
1. Acknowledge the questioner: “That’s a good question.”
2. Restate the question as you heard it, making sure you are processing it correctly and buying some time to collect your thoughts.
3. Since the topic didn’t make its way into all the things you considered important to share (“How did I miss that one!”) get some context and motive from the questioner.
“Why do you ask that? Some context will help me best answer it.”
4. Listen attentively to the response. The questioner could be handing you a golden opportunity to address a concern you have overlooked. Or a great chance to re-emphasise a point you had not sold well enough earlier.
5. Then respond, genuinely and articulately. Stick to what you know and be as succinct as you can. You will regret a rambling answer.
6. Look for visual cues when you answer. If arms start crossing, and you see fidgeting in seats, you might need to dig deeper to better address their concerns.
7. If the question is too hard to answer on the spot, don’t answer it. You don’t have to have all the answers on the day. Take it on notice, and offer to get back to the group with your answer as soon as possible.
“That’s a great question, and I don’t know the answer. But my colleagues do. Would you mind if I consulted them on my return and came back to you on it? “
Your audience will appreciate your honesty and composure under pressure. And you have created a great opportunity to reconnect post-meeting.
Whatever the question, your objective must be to maintain control of your environment. Having some tactics to apply on the day is important. But an even better approach is to anticipate and address the difficult questions well before you pitch.
When planning your pyramid, consider the people in the room:
Friends or foes?
Anyone there with an interest in making you look bad?
Anyone sceptical about your offering?
Do attendees know enough about you and your offering?
What questions are they likely to ask?
What pre-reading might be in everyone’s interest for you to share?
What issues or concerns might it be worthwhile acknowledging up front?
What questions wouldn’t you like to be asked?
Time spent answering these questions up front might help you avoid some trickier ones on the day.
"Sorry, we're running late"
You were given 20 minutes to pitch to the Board, but they are running over time and someone has a plane to catch. You now have 10 minutes! And 20 minutes’ worth of pitch slides! What do you do?
The beautiful thing about your Planning Pyramid is that it allows you to pitch for 90 minutes or 90 seconds. You just need to know how to edit.
On the day, while you are waiting to pitch, take a couple of minutes to modify your pitch in the event of it being cut short. Reduced pitch time is an occupational hazard, so always contemplate it, especially if you are being kept waiting.
Here are some tips:
Commit to keeping your desired outcomes, key points and agenda. They are non-negotiable elements of your pitch and the reason you are there.
Omit your creative opening and get straight into your introduction/objective. “I’m here today to demonstrate…”
State your proof points, but only detail those most critical. Let your audience know you can send them more detail on the others.
Consider the proof points most relevant to the key decision maker/s in the room and make sure that is communicated.
Be prepared to not use slides, unless you have data that needs showing. You know your stuff and an unscripted you, with reduced time to pitch, nailing your argument unsupported by slides, will blow them away.
If you finish with some time up your sleeve and you have a story to tell (possibly from your creative opening) conclude with it. It will be a powerful sign-off.
And don’t be disappointed. Often they are doing you – and themselves – a favour, by cutting things short. It certainly helps you get straight to the point; a thing people running late love.
The Interrupter
Despite agreeing with your audience that you will answer questions at the end of your pitch, a question comes from the floor, just when you are on a roll.
What do you do? You want to stay on track, on time and in control. And, you did agree to a format. But you also don’t want to offend anyone or come off as being dismissive.
Simple. Answer it.
But in the manner that best keeps you and your audience on track.
Answering it then:
Consider whether or not the questioner is doing you a favour asking that question at that point in the pitch. It might prove a great opportunity to better explain something that needs more clarification before you go on. If it is, thank him/her for the question and answer it on the spot.
Answering it later:
If you choose not to answer at the time, advise them when you will answer it. And why.
“I deal with this exact point in our next agenda item. I will cover your question off then, if that’s ok.”
Or
“The detail attached to that question is included in your leave-behinds. Unfortunately I don’t have enough time to expand on it in today’s pitch. But I would be happy to stay after the meeting, or make another time, if you would like to discuss it further.”
If you advised that you would be taking questions at the end, and they were happy with that, it is not unreasonable for you to stick to your game plan.
But be respectful and savvy in your decision-making and choice of words; use the wrong tone and you may come across as arrogant or unresponsive.
The right tone shows control, leadership and pitch skills others will appreciate.
The Impromptu
Ever been called into a meeting or pitch to outline some of your thinking?
Where do you start?
What do you include?
How long do you have?
Have they set you up to fail?
Relax, it’s a good thing: someone important wants other important people to know what’s in your head.
Before anything, breathe and take a minute to see this as an opportunity. A composed, organised you, delivering your thinking without notice, is a win/win for you and your audience.
Start by seeking clarification as to why you are there and what your audience wants to know. Then commit to only talking about what you know — your subject matter expertise. This will keep you confident and in control of your narrative.
Forgo a creative opening. Just get straight into delivering your key point, favouring substance over sizzle. Quickly state how you plan to prove that point, sticking to your Strategic Pitching structure of an agenda, key points and proof.
To close, restate your agenda, key points and the point you want to leave your audience with.
And own it all. It’s your time to shine.
The Pregnant Pause
Curve balls can throw even the most experienced pitchers off track. And that can cause...
... pregnant pauses.
Don’t worry about taking some time to collect your thoughts, technology glitches, or even briefly forgetting what you are about to say. Time up on stage goes much faster than time in the seats – chances are they won’t notice.
Just breathe and get back on track as soon as you can, maintaining the impression you are in control. Try not to fill the void with ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’. We all prefer your silence to your ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’.
Remember, silence can be golden. But only if you own it.
They might not be part of the plan, but curve balls help maketh the pitcher. Handled well, each one better equips you for your next outing. And once you’ve copped enough of them, even Mike Tyson will watch what he throws at you.
Happy pitching!
Downloadable resources below: