Caught Off Guard

We’ve all struggled at some point with a question that we weren’t expecting, much less prepared to answer. In this video, Tatiana Kolovou explains AND demonstrates approaches for handling this situation with composure, professionalism, and credibility. Buy time to think using a variety of techniques without long awkward pauses. Or simply ask the person for the time you need to prepare a useful response. If you don’t have all the information you need, explain what you know, don’t know, and how you’re going to find the answer. Watch this quick clip to see first-hand how it’s done.

Coming Up

I’m almost done editing scripts for my Project Management Foundations course and will start recording voiceovers at home August 18th. I head to Carpinteria to record live action September 9-10. It was the #4 most popular LinkedIn Learning course in 2025. And the improvements and enhancements we’ve planned might notch it higher in the rankings.

In this edition, I’m narrowing the focus to project managers’ most important responsibilities, key skills, and effective techniques. It will also emphasize the practical aspects of how everything helps you deliver successful projects in the real world. That will get you going quicker and make your efforts more effective. In addition to videos, the course will include text to provide background info, infographics for high-level perspectives, and AI role play to practice common PM situations. There will be two levels of challenges: easier ones for people newer to project management and others for project managers who want to move up. And the content will also be in line with PMBOK® 8th edition.

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 106,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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