Secrets to Thinking on Your Feet

"It’s a misnomer that people who think well on their feet haven’t done a lot of preparation, when in fact, the opposite is true," says Frank Carillo, president of ECG, a New Jersey-based strategic communications consulting firm. "People who speak ‘off the cuff’ take a lot of time preparing themselves to have that skill set. It is a learned skill." Here are some secrets that give the impression of thinking on your feet.

Recognize the question type. If a person asks a question during a presentation, it can be one of several types, says Carillo: 1) A closed-end question, which is easy to respond to with a "yes" or "no;" 2) A closed-end information question, which requires a direct answer; 3) An open-end information question, where you explain with a little more information; 4) An open-end question where you are being invited to persuade or editorialize; 5) Questions that are designed to "fix" a presentation and offer clarification. "The problem that happens with a lot of salespeople is that they are all charged up and insecure as opposed to thinking about what kind of question they are getting," says Carillo. "Treat the benign questions quickly and simply. Don’t immediately assume that you’re doing something inadequate and overdo the answer. Use the acronym DOSE for looking at questions – it’s going to be your job to Defend, Object, Sell, or Explain. Figure out which one it is."

Play intellectual word games. Practice and play word association games or free association exercises to help you think on your feet. "You need to develop associative thinking skills and these types of word games can help," says Carillo. "It’s literally practicing how to put together some pieces or a pattern. This helps you take any questions or statements and tie them to what you’re trying to accomplish."

Repeat, rephrase, or restructure the question. You can repeat the question to give you time to think on your feet. Or turn the question into something you want to answer by redirecting it to an area that you can handle, says Carillo. "You could say, ‘Thank you for that question. As a matter of fact the question that we get most often is similar to that question. The question we get most often is…’ This way you’ve improved the question and you’re answering the question that you want to answer."

Admit that you don’t know, but turn it around. Carillo suggests saying something such as, "I don’t know the answer to that question, but what I do know is…"

Practice. Practice in front of an audience. Tell your audience to ask you their toughest questions or play devil’s advocate. It can prepare you for almost anything. "Just remember, no one can effectively think on their feet without preparation," says Carillo.