How To Handle Tough Questions With Ease? Learn From The Best

Classify The Question

One thing that has helped me with the thought process in answering tough question is to classify the question first e.g. is this a question I can or cannot answer and is this a question I should or should not answer?

• I do not have an answer. Depending on the scenario, it could be something I do not have the expertise or something I don’t know about. It is perfectly OK to say I do not know the answer and let them know I’ll get back to them.
• I cannot answer the question. If the question is related to trade secret or confidential information, I would let people know that I cannot comment on it.
• Should I answer the question. If it is related to personal information, I would defer the question to the proper authority rather than answering the question myself.