Think on Your Feet

Think on Your Feet 🎤

You've delivered your presentation, but you're not done. Now the audience asks **questions**, and how you handle them is marked too (**AO8**). This is the unscripted part. The good news: a few habits make thinking on your feet far less scary.

What's being marked 👂

**AO8** rewards how well you **listen and respond** to questions and feedback, **adapting** your spoken language to each one. Crucially, examiners want a **genuine engagement** with the actual question. Not a rehearsed chunk of your talk replayed, and **spoken Standard English** even when you're improvising.

A calm routine 🧠

When a question comes, run this quietly in your head: • **Listen** to the whole question. Don't start answering in your mind before they finish. • **Buy a beat** gracefully: "That's a good question. Let me think" beats "um… er…". • **Answer the actual question**, directly and honestly. • Stay in **Standard English**, calm and courteous.

Order the routine

An interactive activity.

Handle the question

An interactive activity.

When you don't know

Someone asks a question you genuinely do not know the answer to. What is the best response?

• Acknowledge it honestly and offer your best reasoned thoughts. "I'm not certain, but I'd suggest…"
• Confidently invent a detailed answer and hope nobody checks
• Just say "I don't know", look away, and wait for the next question
• Pretend you did not hear the question at all

When it gets tough 🛡️

Sometimes a question **challenges** your argument. Even aggressively. Don't panic and don't get defensive. The strongest speakers stay **calm and courteous**, **acknowledge** the point ("That's a fair challenge"), and respond with **reasons**: all in composed Standard English. A hostile question handled gracefully actually impresses.

Under pressure

An audience member challenges your argument quite aggressively. What is the strongest way to respond?

• Stay calm and courteous, acknowledge their point, and answer with reasons in Standard English
• Get defensive and argue back just as rudely
• Ignore them and quickly move on to the next question
• Immediately agree with everything they say to avoid the conflict

What each move buys you

Going for Distinction 🎓

Questions handled. To finish the Spoken Language endorsement strongly: • **Listen** fully, then **engage genuinely** with the real question. Never just replay your talk. • Stay **calm and courteous**, even under a tough or hostile question. • Keep **spoken Standard English** throughout, however unscripted the moment. That composure is the mark of a Distinction.