How Speakers Handle Questions During Presentations

AUSTIN, Texas - While researchers and professionals have long known that delivering engaging presentations is key to success in the business world, new research from The University of Texas at Austin shows that the manner in which speakers respond to questions and objections during presentations is just as important. In a study published in the National Communication Association's journal, Communication Education, researchers found that how speakers respond to questions and objections affects audiences' perceptions as much or more than the quality of the delivery. The study, " Handling Questions and Objections Affects Audience Judgments of Speakers ," is authored by John Daly , Liddell Centennial Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the Moody College of Communication and graduate student Madeline Redlick The researchers found that audiences' evaluations of speakers were significantly affected by how well the speaker responded to questions, suggesting that speakers face an interactive requirement when giving presentations to confidently respond to questions and challenges. When they fail to do so, evaluations of speakers become negative. "Objection handling is an important cue in evaluating speakers," Daly said.  "The confidence with which people deliver oral messages affects observers' judgement of those people's competence. The true measure of speakers' competency is not only how they present their ideas, but also how well they handle what follows." To examine audiences' perceptions of delivery and objection handling, the researchers showed study participants different video presentations featuring the same speaker.