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Tough questions. Let's finally talk about tough questions.
Now there are four kinds of tough questions.
Makes the situation much easier, right? Number one.
Questions you don't know the answer to.
Number two, questions you do know the answer to but you're uncomfortable with the answer.
Number three, criticism in disguise,
or sometimes without any disguise.
Number four, verbal flood that you are not able to intercept early on.
So before we even begin, once again,
let me remind you, most of the time,
this is not about you.
Whoever is asking that uncomfortable question does not mean any harm to you personally.
They have a valid concern about their own interests,
and they want answers to their question.
They are not trying to offend you.
Therefore, there's no reason why you should start to be defensive or counter attack.
So please, just wait a second.
I mean sometimes, war is war,
but this is not yet it, okay?
What's the need behind the question is the most important question.
What does the person really trying to learn and why?
You constantly need to ask the question in order to answer a question well.
So number one, you don't know the answer.
Do not rush. I mean do not rush into admitting that you do not know the answer.
Sometimes, you don't know the answer.
But just, I mean,
be in that state for a while.
Things might get better if you ask yourself a couple of questions.
"I think, I don't know the answer," is not the same as,
"I'm sure, I don't know the answer."
So wait till you're sure, okay?
And in the meantime, ask yourself,
is this a question about facts or opinions?
And if that's a question about facts,
please do not improvise facts.
I think this is when you need to admit that you do not know.
Nobody benefits from you improvising facts, including yourself.
Can you improvise your opinion?
And most of the time, you actually can.
Steve Jobs was once asked,
how thin of those iMacs?
Steve Jobs was once asked at the press conference.
Now Steve didn't know how thin those iMacs were.
So he said, "Well, they are thin."
Huge laughter in the audience.
And then he redirected the journalist to
the specs page which makes total sense, if you think about it.
What's the need behind the question?
What does the person really needs to know.
How thin? Is it a precise number?
Or is it an impression?
And maybe what this journalist needed was an impression that they are thin,
or maybe that they are thinner compared to the previous years' iMacs.
Do you know division X's last year's sales volume?
No, why?
Well, I was wondering whether this figure on
your slide is an improvement over the last year.
You see, the question wasn't really about the sales volume.
It wasn't really about the precise figure.
Rather, it was about whether there's an improvement.
And you've changed that with a question, why.
Oh, no. No improvement.
I know this for sure.
Right? So problem solved.
Is this a question about the future?
There are no facts in the future.
As far as future is concerned,
there could be only opinions.
So if that's a question about the future,
you can improvise an opinion.
Will the bumper offer extend outside the United States?
Yes, it will. And beyond the end of September?
We'll evaluate. You see, he didn't say no.
They said, "We'll see."
Because this is a question about the future.
Next, maybe someone else can answer that question.
Does anyone knows the answer to that one?
Sometimes, that's totally appropriate.
And once again, please do not pass the blame.
Please do not throw people under the bus.
Please don't go, "Oh,
Steve should know that.
But he doesn't.
So shame on him."
No. This is not how we roll, right?
So, if you get the question you don't know the answer to,
the first thing you do,
you compliment the speaker.
You say, "Well, that's a good question.
It's important. It's on topic. I don't know the answer.
Wow. I've learned something new.
Pretty good question."
Next, you go, "I'm afraid I do not know the answer to this one.
However, what I do know is blah blah blah blah blah."
And then you say that maybe somebody else has a better answer to this.
Oh, he is there."
And finally, suggest a follow up.
"My contacts are on the slide,
please drop an email.
We'll discuss that.
I need to check a few numbers.
I will get back to you."
Follow ups are great.
This is how we get fans, seriously.
I was once on a radio program which doesn't happen all that often, sadly.
And apparently, there was a tradition of
this particular radio program for whoever comes as a guest to bring gifts to the host.
And typically, people bring their books and a certain part of the program,
the host asks me,
"So Alexi, where's my book?"
"What do you mean?"
"Did you bring your book to me?" "No, I didn't."
So there was a bit of an uncomfortable moment but then I said,
"You know what, I will bring personally.
I will come and bring my book to you next time I'm in the neighborhood."
And he said, "Well, no you won't."
And I said, "Oh, yes I will."
And in about couple of weeks,
I was in the neighborhood and I had the book with me.
So I came and gave him the book.
And in his next program,
he was raving about this incident for another five minutes.
So I get free PR.
Well, not exactly free but for the price of the book, I guess.
So anyway, follow ups is how you get fans.
Seriously, it's not about the mistake.
It's about how do you correct that mistake.
Do suggest follow ups,
and actually do do those follow ups.
Alexei KapterevLomonosov MSU BS
