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to George Ritchie |
CLOSING,
CLARIFICATION AND HANDLING QUESTIONS |
|
| Closing a presentation | |
| That brings me to the end of my presentation. Are there any questions? | |
| Unless anyone has anything else to add, I think that's it. Thanks for coming. | |
| I'll let you know my decision about (the solution to the problem by the end of the month). | |
| Clarification | |
| You didn't hear someone. | |
| I'm sorry, but I missed that. Could you say that again, please? | |
| I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you repeat it, please? | |
| You don't understand someone. | |
| I'm sorry, but I don't quite (follow / understand) you. Could you just run through that again? | |
| I'm sorry, but I don't quite see what you mean. Could you just explain that some more, please? | |
| Dealing with questions | |
| Responses to good questions | |
| Good point. | |
| I'm glad you asked that. | |
| That's a very good question. | |
| Responses to difficult questions | |
| I don't know that off the top of my head. | |
| Can I get back to you on that? | |
| Interesting question. What do you think? | |
| That's a fair point. I would say that . . . | |
| I'm afraid I'm not in a position to comment on that. | |
| I wish I knew that. | |
| I'm afraid I don't have that information with me. | |
| Responses to unnecessary questions | |
| I think I answered that earlier. | |
| Well, as I said . . . | |
| Well, as I mentioned earlier . . . | |
| That confidential. I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to tell you. (or: That's proprietary information.) | |
| (Proprietary information are trade secrets, like Coca-Cola's receipe or a customer list.) | |
| Responses to irreleveant (not applicable) questions | |
| That's not really my field. | |
| Well, I think that goes beyond the scope of my (presentation / expertise). | |
| I'm afraid I don't see the connection. | |
| Sorry, but I don't follow you. | |
| To be honest, I think that raises a different issue. | |
| Anticipating (thinking beforehand about) questions from your listeners | |
| If you are trying to sell something to some customers, you should try to think about what questions they will ask you before you meet them. | |
| Possible questions for more information: | |
| Could you expand on what you said about . . . ? | |
| Where did you get your information on . . . ? | |
| Are you in a position to tell us whether . . . ? | |
| Do you have (precise) figures for . . . ? | |
| Can you tell us how you arrived at . . . ? | |
| Possible questions in a sales meeting: | |
| How do / does your . . . compare with . . . in terms of . . . ? | |
| Suppose we said . . . , would it be possible to . . . ? | |
| How flexible are you on . . . ? | |
| Could we rely on you to . . . ? | |
| What immediate / long-term benefits could we expect to see . . . ? | |
| What experience do you have (on / with) . . . ? | |
| Possible questions in a persuasive or negotiating situation: | |
| What evidence do you have that . . . ? | |
| How can you be sure that . . . ? | |
| How do we know that . . . ? | |
| I'm not convinced that . . . ? | |
| How do you justify . . . ? | |
| I'd like to take you up on what you said about . . . ? (This means the person would like to accept | |
| something you said you would do.) | |
| Do you expect us to believe that . . . ? | |
| Some positive responses to questions: | |
| True. | |
| Granted. (Yes, I agree.) | |
Yes, I know. |
|
| To some extent. | |
| Some negative responses to questions: | |
| Hopefully not. | |
Not yet. |
|
| Not quite. | |
| Not as a rule. | |
| Not necessarily. | |
| Not really. | |
| Not entirely. | |
| Not at all. | |
| Hedging - not saying yes or no. | |
| It depends. | |
| Yes and no. | |
| On the whole, yes. | |
| Not if we can help it. | |
| Not as a rule. | |
| Not necessarily. | |
| Not entirely. | |