After you have made a strong impression with your emphatic conclusion, you may be in a state of heightened emotion. In such circumstances, it is tempting to rush and immediately invite questions. This is a mistake.
Instead, remain in control of the situation by following these three steps:
1. Thank
2. Wait
3. Invite
1. Thank
Signal that you really have ended your presentation not by saying, that’s all, but by thanking the audience with a phrase such as thank you very much for listening or thank your for your attention. Please note that thank you for your listening is grammatically incorrect.
2. Wait
Give the audience the opportunity to show their appreciation for your presentation by leaving a few seconds for applause. Even if there is no response, this pause will help you compose yourself for upcoming questions.
3. Invite
Smile, make eye contact with the audience and invite questions by saying, and now I’d be delighted to take any questions or would anyone like to ask any questions? for example.
* sample answers for the previous blog post.
a) We absolutely must cut costs.
b) I’m afraid the current plan is completely disastrous.
c) The future for the Asian market looks tremendously exciting.
