Think aloud – If you are thinking That’s a difficult question, I’ve never really thought about that before, I’m not sure that I could even explain it in my own language, or I really don’t know what my answer to that questions is, then that is exactly what you should be saying. Not only does following this tip fill silence but you’ll also often find that by the time you’ve finished saying that initial thought you’ll have actually thought of at least some way of answering the question. Similar things that pop up into people’s heads, and then should probably pop straight out of their mouths, include I was following the question up until …, I don’t really know where to start, and What part of the question should I answer first?.
