First, believe it or not, you really can anticipate the questions that most folks will ask in advance and if you take the time to do this and to prepare, then fielding questions becomes "a piece of cake!" To do this think about who your audience is and what their interests are likely to be related to the subject of your talk. Once you have done this write down every question that comes to mind. These are likely to be the questions your audience will ask. Consult your advisor, other members of your research group, friends, etc. Once you have created this list, prepare an answer for every question and practice delivering them until your are confident.
Listen to every question. This is perhaps the most frequent mistake that speakers make. They don't listen to the question being asked and therefore it makes sense why they have such a tough time answering the question. A good technique to adopt which will help you to listen is to plan to restate the questioner's question out loud before you answer. This technique is also useful in that it provides the speaker with time to frame an answer and it ensures that the speaker is actually answering the question which was actually asked.
What do you do as a speaker if you didn't hear the question? Simply ask the questioner to repeat the question. Frequently, the speaker isn't the only person who couldn't hear it.
What do you do as a speaker if you didn't understand the question being asked. State that you aren't sure you understood the question and ask the questioner to rephrase his/her question.
What do you do as a speaker if you don't know the answer. Simply state that you don't know it. No one knows everything.
Treat every questioner respectfully. Compliment a good question. Think about how you answer every question before you actually do answer it. Be careful not to embarrass your questioner if they ask a "dumb" question. Always treat them with dignity and respect even if they don't deserve it and speak disrespectfully to you. Don't attack hostile questioners. Do challenge inappropriate questions but don't get personal.
Fielding Questions
