Remember that your positive confident stance shouldn’t disappear when you stop talking and start taking questions. Listen intently to the question, even if you diink the questioner has totally failed to understand your argument, nod encouragingly and look pleasant.
As you begin to answer the questioner, look at him direcdy. However, if it’s a fairly involved reply, look around and make eye contact with the rest of the audience and include them in your comments. You can also use expressions like “I know this applies to many of you...” or “I expect you’ll find this useful...” so that they don’t feel excluded. If you see that some people are nodding or appear to want more explanation, you can extend your answer after asking, “I can see several of you nodding; is this a problem that some of you have had to tackle already?”
If you feel under attack, don’t allow your body language to reveal your unease — continue to look pleasant and confident as you search in your mind for suitable counter-arguments. At a meeting recently, I saw a colleague being given a tough grilling so that afterwards he felt thoroughly exhausted. When I commented on how he had appeared confident and in total control, he said, “But you couldn’t see my pounding heart.” He was right and so don’t let yours show —remember, people take you at face value —so keep looking poised.