By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here is the second of two posts on the design of a Q&A session. Reading time: 7:23.

Think of yourself as a boxer the next time you conduct a Q&A session after a speech.

You bob and weave, protecting yourself with one hand and powering yourself with the other. You look for key openings to land your ideas with impact, insight and intensity.

Like a boxer whose preparation begins long before stepping into the ring, a Speaker Leader’s preparation for his or her Q&A begins long before they step up to the lecturn.

In fact, their Q&A research and preparation forms the backbone of the Speaker Leader’s speech in much the same way a boxer’s roadwork and sparing sessions informs the strategic intent of his planned boxing match.

And the Speaker Leader’s preparation- much like the proficient boxer -anticipates the strengths and leverages the weakness of his or her opponent.

So too the prescient Speaker Leader senses what the audience’s knows and needs to know; what the audience needs to -and wants to -hear and most importantly what the audience is afraid of hearing.

No wonder with all that focus on preparation, the most effective Speaker Leaders anticipate and develop extensive FAQs -Frequently Asked Questions-and well-researched answers well in advance, sound answers in more ways that one written for the ear. Continue reading →