How can you maintain genuine goodwill and avoid alienating clients or employees, whether potential or current, in such situations? The Pitch Avatar team offers some advice.
This issue is one of the most common. There are various reasons why a viewer who asks a question or comments on something they’ve seen, heard, or read might elicit a negative reaction from the speaker. For example, the commenter might misinterpret your words, or their question might reveal that they weren’t paying close attention to the presentation. Sometimes, it’s the form of the question, the tone in which it’s asked, or the interlocutor’s manners that irritate us.
It’s clear that in all these situations, and similar ones, you need to maintain composure and friendliness. Here are three simple techniques that can help.
1. Imagine you’re talking to a child
Children often ask tactless questions in the simplest, and in the adult world, considered rude, form. Yet, we don’t lose our temper with them, do we? Moreover, in most cases, we try to answer their questions. Of course, using this method, you should not switch to a “parent-child” communication style, as this might come across as mocking.
2. Focus on your product, not the irritating viewer
You love what you do, right? You enjoy talking about it, don’t you? Great! What does it matter how the question is phrased if you have another opportunity to discuss your favorite topic? But keep your composure so you don’t turn into a broken record, endlessly repeating the same “song.” The ability to stop at the right moment when answering audience questions is a crucial skill. Otherwise, most viewers who want to ask questions may not get the chance, which is very bad from a marketing perspective.
3. Create a positive audience for yourself
In the old days of television, many hosts, to avoid imagining their interlocutors, would address the on-site staff – administrators, operators, assistants, and other workers ensuring the broadcast or recording. The format with a friendly studio audience didn’t emerge out of nowhere. For an online presentation, simply ask a friend, colleague, or relative to help you. Let them sit behind the camera tripod, or across the table if you’re working at a computer. Addressing them will help you maintain genuine goodwill, even when answering the most unpleasant questions from the most unpleasant individuals.
In conclusion, here’s a piece of advice and a bit of self-promotion:
Use AI assistants. Modern AI-based presenter assistants can automate the online event process to such an extent that the direct involvement of speakers and hosts is simply not required. For example, with our Pitch Avatar, you can create virtual hosts and speakers based on your own or fictional personas who will conduct the online presentation and answer questions, seeking help from their creators only in the most extreme cases. Naturally, this way, the presentation recording automatically turns into a 24/7 live broadcast, working regardless of the viewer’s time zone.
Good luck to everyone, successful presentations, and high profits!
