How to deal with difficult questions in a workshop
It’s a guarantee that there will be times when you are faced with difficult questions to which you don’t know the answer. They can throw you off your game if you don’t know how to handle them.
So you always need to be prepared because if you aren’t, these difficult questions can:
Distract the group
Break up the flow
Derail the current exercise
Be irrelevant for others
Attack your authority and confidence
How to deal with difficult questions
I recommend using a combination of the following 3 techniques for handling difficult questions:
Set expectations, agree on them and refer back to them. If you set the expectations correctly in the beginning of your workshop, it will be easier for you to handle these situations later.
Use a parking lot. This is one of the best uses for the parking lot since it captures the question without dismissing it, and allows you to revisit it later without risking a disruption in your flow.
Ask probing questions.
Probing questions
Probing questions allow you to engage in the question without revealing that you might not know how to answer it. Uncertainty in a facilitator can lead to the group losing trust and confidence in you as a leader.
Here are some examples you can use for probing questions:
“That’s a really interesting question! Can you tell me what’s behind you asking that?”
“Are you thinking of a specific situation?”
“What do you mean exactly? Can you tell me more?”
Probing questions are like a magic trick that always work to defuse the difficult questions because
They validate the asker by giving him attention and focus
Shows that it’s very specific to one person’s situation
Gives you the info and context you need
Gives you thinking time