What should you do when a hostile questioner appears determined to undermine your presentation?
A) Stay calm and professional, take time to collect your thoughts, and then answer the question without getting defensive.
B) Ignore the individual. In most cases, the audience will be sympathetic to your position and will come to your defense.
C) Answer the question in a clear and confident tone and then make strong eye contact with the questioner for several seconds to indicate that you aren't intimidated.
D) Refuse to answer the questions until the hostile questioner asks them in a more reasonable tone.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

It's important to stay calm and professional in all situations. Taking time to collect your thoughts and answering the question without getting defensive will demonstrate your competence and command of the topic. You may also be able to win over some of the audience members who are initially skeptical of your position. Ignoring the questioner (B) or refusing to answer the questions until the hostile questioner changes their tone (D) may come across as rude or defensive, and these reactions could worsen the situation. While it's important to make eye contact with the questioner when answering (C), staring them down for several seconds may only escalate the tension.

What Should You Do When a Hostile Questioner Appears Determined