One of the parts that many people fear when doing business presentations in English is answering questions at the end. But you can be prepared, not only by predicting questions, but also in ways of dealing with them. For example, there are polite ways of not answering questions, or asking someone to repeat their question. It is a skill that everybody can learn.

In this online exercise on presentations, we will look at the English vocabulary and phrases that are used for both introducing the question section in a presentation and for dealing with questions. Although the focus in this exercise is on business presentations, these phrases can be used in both other situations and types of presentations as well.

To learn how to summarise a presentation and what to say when doing it, do our online exercise on vocabulary for summarizing & finishing presentations.

Click here to see more online exercises on presentations and presentation vocabulary

Exercise: Question and answer section

In the following text, people from the audience ask the speaker of a presentation (on improving staff performance) a number of questions about what he has said.

From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are and why they are being said. Then do the quiz at the end to check if you are right.

Speaker:'Now if there are any questions, I would be pleased to answer them.'

Attendee 1:'You said that staff need more attention, how can we do that?'

Speaker:'That's a good question. You simply need to be there in person more, not just communicating by email or by the phone. Have you desk in the middle of your staff and try to work there as much as possible. Does that answer your question?'

Attendee 1:'Yes.'

Speaker:'The woman in the second row.'

Attendee 2:'But we don't …. …........... …... office. So what can we do?'

Speaker:'I did not quite catch that, would you mind repeating it?'

Attendee 2:'Yes. We don't have the time …. …........... …... office. So what can we do?'

Speaker:'I'm really sorry, I must be going deaf. Would you mind repeating it again?'

Attendee 2:'No problem. For many of us, we don't have time to be in the office a lot. So what can we do?'

Speaker:'Now I heard you. That's an interesting point, and one that we faced at our company. The short answer I'm afraid is that you have to make time. Try re-organising your schedule. It means more work for you, but you will see the rewards.

Any more questions? Yes, the man in the front row.'

Attendee 3:'You mentioned that your company wrote a management procedure document. Do you happen to have a copy of it?'

Speaker:'I'm afraid that I don't have it to hand, but if you give me your email address I would be pleased to forward it to you. Is that ok?

I am afraid that I am going to have to end soon. So one last question. The woman in the fifth row.'

Attendee 4:'Can you explain the full procedure at your company?'

Speaker:'I'm afraid that would take a long time to explain, but if you give me your email address I would be pleased to forward you a copy. Is that ok?

Well, thank you often again for attending the presentation and I do really hope that you have found it useful. I hope you have a safe journey.'


Quiz:

Below is a definition/description of each of the words/phrases in bold from the above text. Now choose the word/phrase from the question's selection box which you believe answers each question. Only use one word/phrase once. Click on the "Check" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.

When the answer is correct, two icons will appear next to the answer. The icon contains extra information on the word/phrase. In the icon, you can listen to the pronunciation of the word/phrase.


1. A polite way to tell somebody that you didn't hear what they said, is

         

I did not quite catch that:
(phrase) It is less formal way of saying 'would you mind repeating that' and is used to ask a person to repeat a question or statement that you haven't clearly heard or understood. Before saying it, I would recommend saying 'sorry'. It can be used in other situations too, like meetings, phone calls etc... Non-natives may not understand the expression. In Spanish: "no me he enterado muy bien de lo que ha dicho".

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I did not quite catch that:
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2. Another way to tell a person that you don't have the information/details which they have asked about or for with you, is

         

I don't have it to hand:
(phrase) It is a different way of saying 'I don't have it with me'. This is used to tell somebody in a presentation or meeting that you don't have some information/data (like a phone number, a report, some specific data etc...) which they have asked for or about. Although it is normally used when you don't have it with you, you can also say this when you do but you don't want to give it to them or you want to avoid answering a question concerning information which is contained in it (e.g. a report, a document etc...). After saying it, you can tell the person that you will send it to them or contact them about it later. In Spanish: "no lo tengo a mano".

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I don't have it to hand:
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3. A phrase used out of politeness after answering a question to confirm with the person if they are ok with your answer, is

         

Does that answer your question:
(phrase) This is used to be polite, similar to saying 'is that ok?', but better. You should generally used ask this after you have answered somebody's question in a presentation. However, I wouldn't use it if somebody is being confrontational with you or you want to avoid any further questions on the topic. Just answer their question and then move on to something else. In Spanish: "con esto quedan aclaradas sus dudas".

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Does that answer your question:
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4. A reason that you tell somebody when you don't want to answer a question they have asked you, is

         

Would take a long time to explain:
(phrase) This is reason for not answering a question in business presentations which means there is not enough to time to do so. Normally, you apologise before this phrase. And then offer to answer it later, e.g. 'I am afraid that it would take a long time to explain, but if you give me your email....'. However, it can also be used as an excuse (and often is) when you don't want to answer their question or don't know the answer to their question. In Spanish: "necesitará mucho tiempo para explicar".

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Would take a long time to explain:
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5. A phrase used to compliment the person who has just asked a question, is

         

That's a good question:
(phrase) This is used to be both polite and praise someone for a question they have just asked. People like to be praised, especially in front of other people. As a consequence, they feel better about themselves and the person who has praised them, which in this case would be the person doing the presentation. I would only use it when you have an answer, which you then give after saying it. A phrase which has a similar use and meaning is 'that's an interesting point'. This is used in response to a statement or comment about something (either in the form of a question or not) which somebody has made. Neither of these should be overused, only use them two or three times when answering questions in a session. In Spanish: "Qué pregunta tan buena".

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That's a good question:
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6. When you tell the person you are going to answer their question in a few words or sentences, you start by saying

         

The short answer:
(noun phrase) This is used when you want to quickly answer a yes or no question which is complex and/or requires a lot of explanation. This phrase is often followed by 'is' and then normally a 'yes' or 'no' (although you can also use 'it can', 'it depends' etc...). After it, you would expand on it with a few sentences to justify your answer. For example, 'The short answer is no. We have looked into it and we don't feel it will provide much benefit.'. In Spanish: "La respuesta corta ".

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The short answer:
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7. A formal way of telling a person that you will send them some information they have asked for/about after the presentation, is

         

I would be pleased to forward it to you:
(phrase) This formal and polite phrase is used when somebody in the presentation has asked for some information/data (like a phone number, a report, some specific data etc...) which you don't have there, don't know or don't want to talk about. The phrase offers to send it to them later. It is often used after 'I don't have it at hand' or 'I don't have it with me'. In Spanish: "Me gustaría mandar/transmitirlo a tí".

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I would be pleased to forward it to you:
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8. A phrase used to compliment the person who has just made a comment or statement, is

         

That's an interesting point:
(phrase) This is used to be both polite and praise someone for a comment or statement they have just made (either in the form of a question or not). People like to be praised, especially in front of other people. As a consequence, they feel better about themselves and the person who has praised them, which in this case would be the person doing the presentation. I would only use it when you have an answer for their comment or doubt, which you then give after saying it. A phrase which has a similar use and meaning is 'that's an interesting question'. This is used in response to a question about something which somebody has made. Neither of these should be overused, only use them two or three times when answering questions in a session. In Spanish: "Es un punto interesante".

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That's an interesting point:
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9. A phrase used in a presentation to tell people that they can start asking questions, is

         

Now if there are any questions, I would be pleased to answer them:
(phrase) A polite and common way to open the question session in a presentation. In Spanish: "Si hay preguntas, me complacerá responderlas".

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Now if there are any questions, I would be pleased to answer them:
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10. A polite phrase to use when you ask someone for a second time to repeat something they have said, is

         

Would you mind repeating it again:
(phrase) This is a commonly used and polite phrase to ask somebody to repeat again something which they have said which either you didn't hear well or you don't understand well. If after asking this, you still can't hear it well, you can say 'I'm afraid I can't hear you, sorry' and move on to somebody else. Or if you are not still 100% clear about what they are saying, you can ask for confirmation from them about it, by saying 'do you mean...'. In Spanish: "le importaría repetirla".

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Would you mind repeating it again:
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Practice

Now that you understand the meaning of the words/phrases and when to use them, practise using them by creating your own sentences with them in English. Also click on the icon next to each correct answer and listen how each is pronounced correctly.