Last week I was a guest on the Amplify Indy podcast (check it out here). Saying yes was easy, I felt confident I’d be able to answer questions about my business without much trouble.
They got me though, with this;
“In ninety seconds, tell us what’s unique about you.”
Crud.
My immediate thought was “there’s nothing unique about me at all.” I like to talk about what’s unique about others.
Stuck in a moment of panic while the hosts talked, the first answer to pop in my head was;
“I like Cheetos” (tasty, delicious, not unique).
Followed by…
“I like Cheetos and I find them especially wonderful when paired with Cabernet”
(Unique or odd? Your call.)
Being put on the spot with a question is tricky.
Why?
Because we’re worried that the answer we give won’t “measure up” to what others want to hear. We want to be seen as ____________(the expert,interesting, smart, inspiring etc.).
And/ or
We’re also worried that our answer might leave us looking full of ourselves, bragging, arrogant, etc.
So, we come up with something safe, neutral or funny (Cheetos).
We don’t need to do that though. We can give better answers.
Here’s how;
1.) Acknowledge your immediate response may not be your best.
(again…Cheetos)
2.) Give yourself time to think.
A few seconds to us feels a whole lot longer than it does to the person asking.
3.) Be honest.
People want you to be real. Answering on the spot questions may mean owning up something that’s great about you or saying “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”
How did I end up answering the question about what makes me unique?
First, I owned up to my initial Cheeto thought because I knew I couldn’t be the only one who
a.) Loves Cheetos.
and
b.) Has struggled to answer an “on the spot” question.
Then I gave them my real answer; I told them about being effusive (read about that here). Which is true and unique.
What about you? Have you been put on the spot by a question and you found yourself struggling to answer? How did you handle it?
PS
Do you love Cheetos as much as I do?