38. NOBODY IS PERFECT **
At some time in the seminar, the participants will ask a question you cannot really answer. This might be unpleasant for you as the teacher. You might feel tempted to block such questions or give evasive answers. You can be sure that the participants will notice that!
Therefore, do not try to be perfect. In particular, if you cannot answer a question, admit it! This is even true if the question is about the seminar content you as the teacher should know. But nobody is perfect. If you try to seem perfect, nobody will believe it. Tell the participants freely that you do not know the answer. Tell them that you'll look it up for them, or explicitly ask the fellow participants whether one of them can answer the question. You can also try to work out the solution together with the participants. Be sure not to create the impression that the question is overly difficult, and that everybody who tries to answer it cannot possibly know it because you, the teacher do not know it. Otherwise, nobody will answer such questions!
A teacher who tries to be perfect is not very credible. Try to be honest and learn how to say "I don't know!" with grace.
You should avoid searching you transparencies / books, mumbling things like "I'll find it in a moment..." unless you really know it is there. Often such "searches" are used to think about a more or less acceptable answer, although you definitively do not know it.