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Admitting "I don't know" confidently can actually boost your credibility—it's better than faking it.
In this guide, you will learn how to say "I don't know" the right way and maintain your credibility in the process. Here's a common scenario: a professional shares some important information at a group meeting or during a public speaking event. Everything goes smoothly until the question and answer period begins. Someone asks a question, and the speaker doesn't know the answer. They often fall apart, looking like a deer stunned in the headlights of a car. They act as if they've been caught and are very hesitant to say the words, "I don't know." However, sometimes that's exactly what you should say. Saying "I don't know" is always better than faking it and attempting to BS your way through the answer. If you try to make something up or swerve around the answer, people will notice, and it will almost always cost you some credibility.
But don't worry, I'm going to show you exactly how to say, "I don't know," and you're going to be so smooth by the end of this video that nobody will even notice you didn't know. I first learned these basic tips from my longtime mentor, Allen Weiner. I've mentioned him in a lot of videos. He's the author of "So Smart But: How Intelligent People Lose Credibility and How They Can Get It Back." We are going to use the slice method in this video. The first slice is for beginners, the second slice is an intermediate version, and the third slice is for advanced application and is smooth as silk.
Slice 1 is the biggest slice in the video. When you don't know the answer to a question, especially in a group situation, there are three acceptable ways to say "I don't know." One perfectly acceptable answer that will help you maintain your credibility is to say some version of, "I don't know, but I will look into it and get back to you," or, "I don't know, but I'll find out and follow up." I've seen this done a thousand times by really confident speakers. That's how they do it. The key with all of these is that you have to maintain your composure. Don't hesitate or act embarrassed. So, if somebody asks you a question and you don't know the answer, but perhaps you should know the answer based on your role, just pause, think for a moment, and then simply reply with some version of, "I don't know," or "I'm not sure, but I'll look into it and come back to you shortly."
We're still talking about Slice 1, and the next way to say "I don't know" is to refer them to somebody who does know the answer. There are many situations where somebody may ask you a question that is genuinely outside the scope of your job or outside the realm of information that you just delivered in your presentation. You're not expected to know everything just because they're asking you, but if there's someone around that you could refer them to, that's the expert you want to point them towards. It sounds like this: "I don't know, but Gary should have that information," or "I don't know, but I would refer you to Gary who works in that department.
When you don't know the answer, confidently refer to an expert or share what you do know.
There are many situations where somebody may ask you a question that is genuinely outside of the scope of your job or outside of the realm of information that you just delivered in your presentation. You're not expected to know everything just because they're asking you, but if there's someone around that you could refer them to, that's the expert who you want to point them towards. And it sounds like this: "I don't know, but Gary should have that information." Or, "I don't know, but I would refer you to Gary who works in that department."
A couple of points of clarification about this one. You want to be sure the person you are mentioning really does know the answer, or at least they should know the answer better than you. Do your best to identify the right person for the job, in other words. And if the person is in the room at the time, that's fantastic. Now, on the one hand, they can answer the question right there and then. On the other hand, make sure you don't throw them under the bus or blame them for anything. So refer to them in a supportive and conversational way. If somebody asks you a question and you believe that Gary might be the right person to answer it, you would say respectfully, "Is Gary here? Gary, would you like to answer that question?"
The third way to say "I don't know" and maintain credibility is to tell them what you do know. I learned this tip from an old consultant friend of mine, Joe Jokowicz. So thank you, Joe. There are many occasions where you'll be asked a question that is slightly off focus or may reflect the other person's agenda a little too much. Their question may not be as relevant as they're making it sound in the moment. In other instances, they may be asking you for data or information that simply doesn't exist or doesn't exist yet or you don't have access to it. In situations like this, you would say, "I don't know, but here's what I do know," or "Here's what I can tell you." And then you give them the best information that you have, that at least somewhat addresses their concern.
For example, if somebody asks you about the exact sales figures for the quarter that just closed, and you don't know the answer to that, you might say, "I don't know the exact numbers, but I have heard it was our strongest quarter in two years." If someone asks, "How many people were there last night?" You could say, "I don't know how many, but I can tell you it was packed and there was a line out the door." You notice in my examples, I'm not trying to be argumentative or change the subject. I'm not trying to dodge the question. I just don't know the exact answer. So I try to give them something that's valuable that corresponds to their underlying concern or question. That's when you use this option: "I don't know, but here's what I do know," or "Here's what I can tell you."
Master the art of answering without saying "I don't know" to maintain confidence and credibility.
So I try to give them something that's valuable that corresponds to their underlying concern or question. That's when you use this option: I don't know, but here's what I do know, or here's what I can tell you. So far, that was all Slice 1, the biggest slice of the video. Now let's move on to Slice 2, which is an intermediate way to answer.
Use this approach if you simply want to avoid saying the actual words "I don't know" for some reason. Maybe you don't like how it sounds or at least you don't want to say it repetitively if people ask you multiple questions. If that's the case, there are lots of other ways to say that that sound a little better, but are still honest. Here are some other ways to say it: I haven't seen any data about that yet, or I can't be certain because and then fill in the reason. Or, We'll have that answer by and then give them a time estimate. I'd have to confirm before I comment on that. I don't have that answer right now, but and then you would give them whatever answer you did have.
In fact, I'll bet as you're watching this right now, you've probably heard other ways to say, "I don't know," that sound pretty good to your ears. So I have a request. Do all future viewers a favor of this video and suggest an alternative wording that sounds good to you without saying, "I don't know," sounds supportive, it sounds honest. Put your suggestions in the comments below for everybody to see.
Now here's what to do with these alternative phrases. If you have an upcoming presentation or group meeting and you anticipate some Q&A and you may not know the answer, practice a few of these alternative ways to say "I don't know" aloud. Have them in your back pocket. Now I recommend practicing them out loud so they sound fluent and confident coming out of your mouth in the moment. Slice 2 is a little more advanced than Slice 1 because you don't directly say "I don't know," but you're still being honest and truthful. Using different language may help you save face a little bit in the moment and project confidence as you answer. And you can follow up any of those phrases again by saying, I'll follow up with you. Refer them to somebody else who does know or tell them what you do know.
And now for Slice 3. This is a little more advanced, but you can use this advice fairly quickly with a few minutes of practice on Slice 1 and 2. And here's the tip for helping you sound as smooth as silk. Skip over the part of the sentence that says, "I don't know," altogether and just say the second part of your answer. Here's some earlier examples and we're just going to leave off the statement "I don't know" and say the second part. You'll see that with some minor adjustments in your wording, this will still work great in most situations. I'll have to look into that information and get back to you. I'll find you that answer and follow up. Gary should have that information. I would refer you to Gary who works in that department. If Gary is here, he's the best person to answer that. I know that it was our strongest quarter in two years. I can tell you it was packed and there was a line out the door.
And the reason this approach works is that you are still doing your best to help the other person. It's not a dodge. We may not know the answer, but we're still trying to provide an answer that will give them some helpful information or at least point them in the right direction. So, even though this entire video is about how to say "I don't know" and maintain credibility, there are ways to give an honest answer without having to always say the actual words every time.
I cannot emphasize enough that even though we're really talking about just the words you say in this video, your conversational tone, your positive and professional attitude will go a long way to projecting confidence and credibility regardless of which of these three slices you use. As you practice this on your own, be sure to combine the right words with the right attitude. Until next time, thanks, God bless, and I'll see you soon.