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Throughout the world of business, dialogue involving Q+A has replaced speeches and presentations as the format of choice for sharing ideas. Executives are frequently interviewed on stage, job candidates confront a battery of questions designed to trip them up, and most formal meetings involve back and forth discussion involving questions and answers.
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This evaluation of the question asked is often a stalling tactic—an effort to buy time while thinking. Occasionally, it might be a sincere response to an especially thoughtful question.
The problem is that if you say, “That’s a good question,” you’re elevating yourself above the questioner. If you’re an executive in a meeting, you’ll sound condescending toward the employee who’s asked the question. If you’re a job seeker, you’ll sound arrogant (or, equally bad, fawning) in praising the hiring manager interviewing you.
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Your job is to answer the question, not evaluate it. Instead of commenting on the quality of the question, pause. Don’t be afraid to take a moment to think in silence, and, when you’re ready, make sure you respond confidently.
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