“That’s an Excellent question” has become the ubiquitous first words out of the mouth of any speaker in answer to a question. But I ask you, can every question possibly be an excellent question?
What qualifies for being an excellent question? One that the speaker finds easy to answer? One that the speaker can’t figure out how to answer, so is stalling for time? One that the speaker and you planned ahead of time?
Have you ever heard a speaker say, “That’s not a very good question”? Well other than Trump! What if you don’t receive the obligatory, “That’s an excellent question”? Does that mean your question was lousy? Should we be grading questions? What if your question was only worth a C+ or heaven forbid, a D?
I’ve been noticing this strange repetition for about the last year. Before that, it seems like speakers just, well, answered the question. But it’s like someone yawned and then everyone else started to yawn.
I’ve been thinking about alternatives:
- My top choice is to revert to the historical precedent and just answer the question.
- If you need to stall for time, how about, “Let me think about that for a moment.”
- If it’s a question you get every time you speak, don’t sigh, just say, “I find a lot of people share your concern”
Whatever way you handle the situation, please stop saying, “That’s an excellent question.” It’s driving me nuts!