Handling hostile situations

Inappropriate or aggressive questions

Occasionally, the speaker may be confronted with questions that are not seeking information, but are provocative, overly personal or out of place.

When faced with an inappropriate question, the key is to remain calm and set limits politely but firmly. Do not fall into the trap of responding emotionally.

Elegant exit phrases can be used, such as "That topic is very personal and I prefer not to discuss it here" or "I think that discussion takes away from the purpose of this meeting."

If the person insists, the speaker has the right and authority to be more direct, indicating that the question is not pertinent to the current forum or that it makes the event uncomfortable.

In cases of aggressive questions ("Why should we believe you?"), one can respond by validating the underlying emotion without accepting the premise of the attack, or by simply indicating that such questioning does not build value for the group.

The participant who constantly interrupts

The "sniper" or participant who interrupts repeatedly breaks the rhythm and hijacks attention. To manage this, it is not necessary to engage in direct conflict.

The first strategy is to thank him for his enthusiasm but remind him of the rules of the game: "I value your participation, but we have limited time and we must move on; let's leave the remaining questions until the end".

If the behavior persists, the speaker can physically approach the person (space permitting) or address him or her exclusively to say, "I need to continue with the presentation to respect everyone else's time. We can you and I talk alone when we finish."

This isolates disruptive behavior and puts the rest of the audience on the speaker's side, protecting the flow of the session.

What to do if someone leaves or falls asleep.

Seeing someone get up and leave, or nod off from sleep, can be a blow to the speaker's ego.

However, the rule is not to take it personally or stop the speech to address it.

The person leaving may have an emergency, and the person sleeping may have had a bad night.

The speaker must keep his or her energy and focus on those who are paying attention.

If there is a general disconnect, t