questions to ask following a presentation

160 Questions to Ask After a Presentation

Asking questions after a presentation is not just about seeking clarity on what was discussed. It’s a golden opportunity to delve deeper, engage with the speaker, and enhance your understanding of the subject matter. But knowing which questions to ask isn’t always straightforward.

In this piece, we’re about to break down the art of crafting impactful questions post-presentation that will not only benefit you but also add value to the entire audience’s experience.

Table of Contents

Questions to Ask After a Presentation for Feedback

Questions to ask after a presentation interview, questions to ask students after a presentation, questions to ask after a research presentation, questions to ask after a business presentation, questions to ask after a marketing presentation, questions to ask after a book presentation, reflection questions to ask after a presentation, frequently asked questions, final thoughts.

• Can you summarize the key points of the presentation?
• What aspect of the presentation did you find most engaging?
• Were there any areas that were unclear or confusing? If so, what were they?
• How would you rate the overall organization and flow of the presentation?
• Did the visual aids (such as slides or charts) enhance your understanding of the topic? Why or why not?
• Did the presenter maintain good eye contact and use body language effectively?
• Was the presenter’s tone and pace suitable for the content and audience?
• Were there any statistics or facts presented that stood out to you? Why?
• Did the presenter address potential counter-arguments or opposing views adequately?
• Were the objectives of the presentation clearly stated and met?
• How well did the presenter handle questions or interruptions during the presentation?
• Was there anything in the presentation that seemed unnecessary or redundant?
• What would you suggest to improve the presentation for future audiences?
• How did the presentation change or influence your thinking about the subject?
• Did the presentation feel tailored to the audience’s knowledge and interest level?
• Was there a clear and compelling call to action or concluding statement?
• Did the presentation feel too short, too long, or just the right length?
• What was your overall impression of the presenter’s credibility and expertise on the subject?
• How would you rate the relevance and importance of the topic to the audience?
• Can you identify any biases or assumptions in the presentation that may have influenced the message?
• How did you determine what content to include in your presentation?
• Can you explain the rationale behind the structure and flow of your presentation?
• What challenges did you face while preparing this presentation, and how did you overcome them?
• Were there any points in the presentation where you felt you could have elaborated more or less? Why?
• How did you decide on the visual elements and design of your presentation?
• Can you describe your intended audience and how you tailored the content to engage them?
• How did you ensure that the information presented was accurate and up-to-date?
• Were there any counter-arguments or opposing views on this topic that you considered including?
• How would you adapt this presentation for a different audience or context?
• How do you handle unexpected questions or interruptions during a presentation?
• Can you give an example of how you’ve handled negative feedback on a presentation in the past?
• How do you measure the success of a presentation? What metrics or feedback do you seek?
• What techniques do you use to engage an audience that may not be familiar with the topic?
• How do you balance the need to entertain and inform in a presentation?
• How do you prioritize information when you have a limited time to present?
• What strategies do you employ to ensure that your main points are memorable?
• How do you deal with nerves or anxiety before or during a presentation?
• Can you describe a situation where a presentation did not go as planned and how you handled it?
• How do you keep up with the latest trends and best practices in presenting?
• Is there anything you would change about this presentation if you were to do it again?
• How did you feel about the presentation? Were you confident or nervous, and why?
• What was the main message or goal of your presentation, and do you think you achieved it?
• How did you decide on the structure of your presentation?
• What research methods did you use to gather information for this presentation?
• Were there any challenges you encountered while preparing or presenting, and how did you address them?
• How did you ensure that your visual aids or multimedia elements supported your key points?
• What part of the presentation are you most proud of, and why?
• Were there any areas where you felt uncertain or that you would like to improve upon for next time?
• How did you tailor your presentation to fit the knowledge level and interest of your audience?
• What techniques did you use to engage the audience, and how do you think they worked?
• How did you practice your presentation, and what adjustments did you make as a result?
• Did you feel the time allotted for your presentation was sufficient? Why or why not?
• How did you decide what to emphasize or de-emphasize in your presentation?
• What feedback did you receive from peers during the preparation, and how did you incorporate it?
• Did you have a clear conclusion or call to action, and why did you choose it?
• How do you think your presentation style affects the way your audience receives your message?
• What would you do differently if you were to present this topic again?
• Can you reflect on a piece of feedback or a question from the audience that made you think?
• How has this presentation helped you better understand the subject matter?
• How will the skills and insights gained from this presentation experience benefit you in the future?
• Can you elaborate on the research question and what prompted you to investigate this topic?
• How did you choose the methodology for this research, and why was it the most suitable approach?
• Can you discuss any limitations or constraints within your research design and how they might have affected the results?
• How do your findings align or contrast with existing literature or previous research in this field?
• Were there any unexpected findings, and if so, how do you interpret them?
• How did you ensure the reliability and validity of your data?
• Can you discuss the ethical considerations involved in your research, and how were they addressed?
• What are the practical implications of your findings for practitioners in the field?
• How might your research contribute to theoretical development within this discipline?
• What recommendations do you have for future research based on your findings?
• Can you provide more details about your sample size and selection process?
• How did you handle missing or inconsistent data within your research?
• Were there any biases that could have influenced the results, and how were they mitigated?
• How do you plan to disseminate these findings within the academic community or to the broader public?
• Can you discuss the significance of your research within a broader social, economic, or cultural context?
• What feedback have you received from peers or advisors on this research, and how has it shaped your work?
• How does your research fit into your long-term academic or professional goals?
• Were there any particular challenges in conveying complex research findings to a general audience, and how did you address them?
• How does this research presentation fit into the larger project or research agenda, if applicable?
• Can you provide more insight into the interdisciplinary aspects of your research, if any, and how they contributed to the depth or breadth of understanding?
• Can you elaborate on the primary objectives and expected outcomes of this business initiative?
• How does this strategy align with the overall mission and vision of the company?
• What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that you’ll be monitoring to gauge success?
• Can you discuss the risks associated with this plan, and how have you prepared to mitigate them?
• How does this proposal fit within the current market landscape, and what sets it apart from competitors?
• What are the potential financial implications of this plan, including both investments and projected returns?
• Can you provide more detail about the timeline and milestones for implementation?
• What internal and external resources will be required, and how have you planned to allocate them?
• How did you gather and analyze the data presented, and how does it support your conclusions?
• How does this proposal take into account regulatory compliance and ethical considerations?
• What are the potential challenges or roadblocks, and what strategies are in place to overcome them?
• Can you explain how this initiative aligns with or affects other ongoing projects or departments within the company?
• How will this plan impact stakeholders, and how have their interests and concerns been addressed?
• What contingency plans are in place if the initial strategy doesn’t achieve the desired results?
• How will success be communicated and celebrated within the organization?
• What opportunities for collaboration or partnership with other organizations exist within this plan?
• How does this proposal consider sustainability and the potential long-term impact on the environment and community?
• How have you incorporated feedback or lessons learned from previous similar initiatives?
• What are the key takeaways you’d like us to remember from this presentation?
• How can we get involved or support this initiative moving forward?
• Can you elaborate on the target audience for this marketing campaign, and how were they identified?
• What are the main objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) for this campaign?
• How does this marketing strategy align with the overall brand values and business goals?
• What channels will be utilized, and why were they chosen for this particular campaign?
• Can you discuss the expected return on investment (ROI) and how it will be measured?
• What are the creative concepts driving this campaign, and how do they resonate with the target audience?
• How does this campaign consider the competitive landscape, and what sets it apart from competitors’ efforts?
• What are the potential risks or challenges with this marketing plan, and how will they be mitigated?
• Can you provide more details about the budget allocation across different marketing channels and activities?
• How have customer insights or feedback been integrated into the campaign strategy?
• What contingency plans are in place if certain elements of the campaign do not perform as expected?
• How will this marketing initiative be integrated with other departments or business functions, such as sales or customer service?
• How does this campaign consider sustainability or social responsibility, if at all?
• What tools or technologies will be used to execute and monitor this campaign?
• Can you discuss the timeline and key milestones for the launch and ongoing management of the campaign?
• How will the success of this campaign be communicated both internally and externally?
• How does this marketing strategy consider potential regulatory or compliance issues?
• How will the campaign be adapted or customized for different markets or segments, if applicable?
• What lessons from previous campaigns were applied in the development of this strategy?
• How can we, as a team or as individuals, support the successful implementation of this marketing plan?
• What inspired the main theme or concept of the book?
• Can you describe the intended audience for this book, and why they would find it appealing?
• How did the characters’ development contribute to the overall message of the book?
• What research was conducted (if any) to ensure the authenticity of the setting, characters, or events?
• Were there any challenges or ethical considerations in writing or presenting this book?
• How does this book fit into the current literary landscape or genre? What sets it apart?
• What do you believe readers will find most engaging or thought-provoking about this book?
• Can you discuss any symbolic elements or literary devices used in the book and their significance?
• How does the book’s structure (e.g., point of view, chronological order) contribute to its impact?
• What were the emotional highs and lows during the writing or reading of this book, and how do they reflect in the story?
• How does the book address or reflect contemporary social, cultural, or political issues?
• Were there any parts of the book that were particularly difficult or rewarding to write or read?
• How does this book relate to the author’s previous works or the evolution of their writing style?
• What feedback or responses have been received from readers, critics, or peers, and how have they influenced the presentation?
• What are the main takeaways or lessons you hope readers will gain from this book?
• How might this book be used in educational settings, and what age group or courses would it be suitable for?
• Can you discuss the process of editing, publishing, or marketing the book, if applicable?
• How does the book’s cover art or design reflect its content or attract its target readership?
• Are there plans for a sequel, adaptation, or related works in the future?
• How can readers stay engaged with the author or the book’s community, such as through social media, book clubs, or events?
• How do you feel the presentation went overall, and why?
• What part of the presentation are you most proud of, and what made it successful?
• Were there any moments where you felt challenged or uncertain? How did you handle those moments?
• How did you perceive the audience’s engagement and reaction? Were there any surprises?
• What feedback have you received from others, and how does it align with your self-assessment?
• Were there any technical difficulties or unexpected obstacles, and how were they addressed?
• How well did you manage your time during the presentation? Were there areas that needed more or less focus?
• How did you feel before the presentation, and how did those feelings change throughout?
• What strategies did you use to connect with the audience, and how effective were they?
• Were there any points that you felt were misunderstood or could have been communicated more clearly?
• How did the preparation process contribute to the overall success or challenges of the presentation?
• What did you learn about yourself as a communicator or presenter through this experience?
• Were there any ethical considerations in the content or delivery of the presentation, and how were they handled?
• How does this presentation align with your long-term goals or professional development?
• How would you approach this presentation differently if you had to do it again?
• How has this presentation affected your confidence or skills in public speaking or presenting?
• What resources or support would have enhanced your preparation or performance?
• How will you apply what you’ve learned from this presentation to future projects or presentations?
• How did your understanding of the topic change or deepen through the process of preparing and presenting?
• What steps will you take to continue improving or building on the skills demonstrated in this presentation?

What if I disagree with a point made during the presentation?

It’s important to frame disagreement in a constructive and respectful way. You might say, “ I found your point on X intriguing. From a different perspective, could Y also be considered…? ” This opens up a dialogue without dismissing the presenter’s viewpoint.

How can I formulate my questions to encourage a more detailed answer?

Use open-ended questions that start with “ how ,” “ why, ” or “ could you explain… ” as these require more than a yes or no answer and encourage the presenter to provide depth. For example, “ Could you explain the process behind your research findings in more detail? “

By asking insightful questions, you’re not only cementing your understanding of the material presented but also opening doors to further knowledge and collaboration. Remember, the quality of your questions reflects the depth of your engagement and willingness to learn.

So, the next time you find yourself in the audience, seize the opportunity to ask meaningful questions and watch as simple presentations transform into dialogues that inspire and illuminate.

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

As you found this post useful...

Share it on social media!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Bea Mariel Saulo

Bea is an editor and writer with a passion for literature and self-improvement. Her ability to combine these two interests enables her to write informative and thought-provoking articles that positively impact society. She enjoys reading stories and listening to music in her spare time.

90 Questions to Ask After a Presentation

Have you ever found yourself mulling over a presentation, wishing you had a treasure trove of questions to uncover the speaker’s insights and wisdom fully?

The right question isn’t just a follow-up; it’s a key that unlocks a deeper connection with the topic. This guide is designed to arm you with a curated collection of inquiries that will enhance your understanding, invite valuable discourse, and help you to apply what you’ve learned.

Let’s dive into the art of the post-presentation conversation and transform every ending slide into an opportunity for continued learning and engagement.

Table of Contents

Clarifying Understanding

• Could you elaborate on the main thesis of your presentation?
• What inspired the topic of your presentation?
• Can you summarize the key points you’d like us to take away?
• Is there an aspect of your presentation you think deserves deeper understanding?
• How does your presentation relate to current trends or issues in the field?
• Were there any counterarguments or challenges to your points that you didn’t mention?
• In what way does your presentation build on or differ from existing research?
• Could you clarify the methodology behind your study or findings?
• How would you explain the significance of your findings to a layman?
• Is there a particular slide or section you can revisit for further clarification?
• Could you give an example that illustrates your point about [specific detail]?
• What were the assumptions underlying your analysis or argument?
• How do definitions used in your presentation compare to industry-standard ones?
• Can you clarify the statistical significance of your data?
• Where might we find more information on this topic if we wish to understand it better?

Digging Deeper into Content

• Can you expand on how your findings compare to similar studies?
• How might emerging technologies impact the relevance of your findings in the future?
• Are there ethical considerations linked to your presentation topic?
• What are the limitations of your research, and how can they be addressed in the future?
• How can your research be applied in other fields or industries?
• In what ways do your findings challenge conventional wisdom?
• Could you walk us through the process of how you collected your data?
• How would different theoretical frameworks affect the interpretation of your results?
• What unanswered questions remain after your presentation?
• How do you expect the discussion on this topic to evolve in the next five years?
• What are the implications of your findings for policy or practice?
• How does cultural context play into the outcomes of your research?
• Can you discuss any relevant case studies that connect to your presentation?
• What follow-up research would you recommend based on your work?
• In your research, what was the most surprising discovery you made?

Gathering Practical Applications

• How can we apply your research findings in our everyday work?
• What steps can organizations take to implement your recommendations?
• Can you suggest tools or resources for applying the insights from your presentation?
• How might your research influence day-to-day decision-making?
• Could you provide a real-world example where your findings have been put into practice?
• What are the short-term and long-term benefits of applying your findings?
• Who stands to benefit most from the practical applications of your research?
• Are there certain industries or sectors where your findings are particularly relevant?
• How will applying your findings change existing systems or processes?
• What are some common obstacles to implementing your research, and how can they be overcome?
• How do you recommend staying up-to-date on applications in your research area?
• Can you suggest partner organizations or groups that are working on applying these concepts?
• What measures can be put in place to evaluate the efficacy of applying your research?
• How do you foresee your findings impacting future innovations?
• What action can individuals take to support the practical application of your research?

Providing Constructive Feedback

• I found [specific point] very compelling; have you considered expanding on this?
• Your presentation makes a strong case for [topic]; how could it be enhanced with additional data?
• I noticed [aspect] during your presentation; could this be a point for further refinement?
• The visual aids were helpful; have you thought about using more interactive elements?
• The section on [specific area] was very informative; how can it be made more accessible for beginners in the field?
• In terms of delivery, would you be open to exploring other formats for your presentation?
• Your research draws important conclusions; how else might you support them?
• The pacing of your presentation was effective; could you use a similar approach to emphasize other key points?
• Given the complexity of your topic, have you considered a follow-up session or workshop?
• What additional resources or readings would you recommend to enhance our understanding of your topic?
• Your narrative was engaging; might there be a way to incorporate more storytelling?
• How might audience participation be facilitated in future presentations to enhance understanding?
• Were there alternative viewpoints you debated including in your presentation?
• How did you decide on the structure of your presentation, and what could be changed to improve it?
• Is there a component of your research that you feel requires more visibility or discussion?

Fostering Engagement and Discussion

• What questions do you have for the audience that might help further the discussion?
• How can the audience keep the conversation going outside of this presentation?
• Are there forums or networks where this topic is actively discussed?
• Could you propose a thought experiment or hypothetical scenario for us to consider?
• How can we encourage more interdisciplinary dialogue on this subject?
• What common misconceptions should we address to clear up understanding?
• In your opinion, what are the most controversial aspects of your topic?
• How can we contribute to the body of research or thought around this subject?
• What role can non-experts play in the discussion of these findings?
• Can you suggest a way to create a community or collective around this area of research?
• How would you like to see this information shared or disseminated?
• What would be an ideal outcome of the discussions that stem from this presentation?
• Are there collaborative projects or initiatives we could start as a result of your findings?
• Would you be interested in hosting a series of discussions to delve deeper into certain aspects?
• How do you suggest we handle differing opinions or debates that arise from your topic?

Exploring Next Steps and Actions

• Based on your research, what should be our immediate action?
• What are the first steps to be taken for those who want to delve deeper into this topic?
• Who should be contacted or involved in further development of this topic?
• Are there upcoming events or conferences where this topic will be featured?
• What can we do as individuals to further the research or findings you presented?
• How can we best track the progress and development in this area?
• What practical steps would you recommend for a follow-up study or project?
• Could you outline potential obstacles we might face in advancing this topic and how to overcome them?
• Are there policy changes or advocacy needed to move this conversation forward?
• How can the general public be engaged in the action steps related to your findings?
• What are the most critical areas for immediate exploration or action?
• Is there a need for collaboration with other disciplines to advance this topic?
• How can educators integrate your findings into their curriculum or teaching?
• What funding opportunities should be looked into to support further research?
• How can we measure the impact of the actions taken as a result of your presentation?

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i provide feedback on the presentation style as well as the content.

Yes, but always aim to be constructive and polite. Feedback on presentation style can be as valuable as feedback on content.

What should I do if my question isn’t answered during the Q&A session?

If time runs out, try approaching the presenter afterward or sending a follow-up email with your question.

How can I encourage a discussion rather than just a Q&A session?

Ask open-ended questions that invite the presenter or audience members to share thoughts and perspectives, thus fostering a more interactive dialogue.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it—a comprehensive guide to quenching your intellectual curiosity and contributing valuable insights after a presentation. From uncovering the nuances of presented content to setting the stage for future collaboration, asking these questions ensures that no stone is left unturned.

Remember, the journey of understanding and exploration doesn’t end with the closing slide; it’s merely the beginning. Now, go forth and turn those questions into conversations that matter!

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

As you found this post useful...

Share it on social media!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Bea Mariel Saulo

75 Questions to Ask Guest Speakers During a Virtual Event

Written by Molly Hocutt

Increase attendance with these virtual event email templates.

Whether you’re hosting or attending, a virtual event is a fantastic opportunity to engage with an expert and learn about their experience and insight. For hosts, it’s also a great chance to promote speaking and presenting skills.

To make the most of your event and position your organization in the best possible light, you need to carry out careful research and develop a body of thoughtful questions.

So what are some good questions to ask a guest speaker for an entertaining, enlightening discussion? In this article, we’ll cover the best questions to ask presenters, including topics to avoid and tips to ensure a successful virtual event?

6 Email Templates for Successful Virtual Events

Access these 6 email templates to drive attendance to your virtual events.

Best questions to ask a presenter at a virtual event

Here are five of the best questions to ask guest speakers at your next online event:

• What’s the best feedback you’ve ever received at work?
• Do you foresee (trending technology) influencing your field in the near future?
• What does great leadership look like?
• What early setbacks later gave you an advantage?
• What one piece of advice would you have given yourself 10 years ago?

Below, we’ll explore top ice breakers, deep dives, follow-ups, and closing questions.

15 ice breaker questions to get a guest speaker talking

You’ll want your guest speaker relaxed and forthcoming, which is why good ice breaker questions can be so important to set the tone of your webinar presentation .

One good way to put your guest at ease is to find some common ground. This could be a light chat about where you’re from or where you’ve lived. It could also be a story about your family, or it might be a shared interest or hobby.

Getting your guest talking about something lighthearted and personal can be a great springboard for further conversation. But the real value here is in getting you, your guest speaker, and the audience settled in and engaged.

So be expressive when showing your interest, and responsive to what your guest says. Remember, no matter how many people are viewing, you are your guest's most important audience member.

Note: these questions will give you some great ideas. But you’ll want to adapt many of them to your guest’s experience, which we discuss further below.

• Who are your role models?
• When was the last time you were surprised or shocked?
• Tell us something no one in our audience knows about you.
• What song or album did you listen to most last year?
• What superstitions do you have?
• What movie have you seen the most times?
• What three superpowers would you choose to have?
• Who would you invite to your ideal dinner party?
• Who’s someone in your profession you really admire?
• What qualities do you most admire in others?
• If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?
• What period in time would you love to have experienced first-hand?
• What would be the title of your memoir?
• What’s the number one thing that inspires you?

30 deep-dive questions to get value from your guest speaker

Once you’ve got the ball rolling with a few icebreakers or areas of common ground, you can start probing more deeply into your guest’s experience.

If you can, find a surprising or curious fact about their work or past , such as an early success or hurdle. See if you can home in on this to glean something substantial and unique from your conversation.

On their career and industry

• What are the biggest decisions you’ve made over the last year?
• How has your role changed in the last 12 months?
• How do you see the industry evolving over the next five years?
• Do you foresee [trending technology] influencing your field in the near future?
• What’s your secret to dealing with disappointment?
• What’s the most important thing for you to concentrate on in the months ahead?
• What are the biggest misconceptions about your work?
• What would you say makes you different from others in your field?
• How do you stay competitive in your field?
• What makes your job exciting?
• What are the biggest opportunities in the industry out there at the moment?
• What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in the last year in your industry?
• What’s the best decision you’ve ever made in a professional context?
• What’s a piece of advice you wish you’d heard at the beginning of your career?
• What could candidates do to stand out in your field today?

On leadership

• Can anyone be a leader?
• In your experience, what’s the most effective leadership style?
• What’s the biggest leadership lesson you’ve learned?
• What challenges do leaders face when working together?
• What’s the single most important quality a leader can have?
• What would make you a better leader?
• How important are mentors in developing better leaders?
• How have you improved your emotional intelligence as a leader?
• How do you resolve conflict within a team?
• How do you bring about change?
• How can you get a team to come up with unique solutions?
• How do you develop a strong culture within a team?
• How do you get teams to collaborate effectively when working remotely?
• How do you take steps to improve your leadership skills?

20 follow-up questions to dig deeper

The best follow-up questions help the conversation flow naturally while bringing further insight for the audience. Ask questions like the ones below to keep the conversation going.

• How did you use your experience to influence your decision-making?
• What other factors made a difference in your choices?
• What strategies have had the biggest impact on your success?
• How well have you maintained a positive work-life balance throughout it all?
• Would you make the same decisions again?
• Can you explain your strategy for making informed decisions?
• How do you get stakeholders on board with your decisions and initiatives?
• What’s the one thing you’ve learned from your experience?
• What could have made a difference to how things worked out?
• What’s the most important skill you’ve developed?
• How much has luck played a part in your success?
• How much do your emotions play a role in your choices?
• Has [current trend] made a difference in how you approach this topic?
• How do you stay informed about industry trends?
• What’s one thing you’d change about your field or industry?
• When did you first realize you’d chosen the right career path?
• Can you recommend resources for someone who wants to get started in your field?
• What kind of timeline can someone expect to advance in your field
• What mistakes did you make then that you wouldn’t make now?

But a great way to get even more value out of your discussion is to involve the audience. One way you can do this is with question upvotes .

With Livestorm you can invite audience members to add their own questions to the Questions Tab. Encourage attendees to upvote their preferred questions. Then, ask your guest whichever ones receive the most upvotes.

Analyze your data

Analyze all of your data with Livestorm's powerful reporting features.

10 fun questions to end your virtual event

What are good questions to ask a presenter after a presentation? A few fun questions can be useful to end your talk on a fun, lighthearted note. You could also use a short video, gif, or image to wrap up the event on a positive note.

• What three things would go in your room 101?
• What’s your best tip for balancing work and life?
• Which app would you most miss on a desert island?
• What’s the best book on [event topic] you’ve read recently?
• Why do you love what you do?
• What’s the best way for someone to get started in your field?
• What’s the strangest question someone’s asked you in an interview?
• What’s your perfect evening after a busy week?
• What’s a motto you live by?

Gather more leads

Engage audiences, gather leads, and track results with Livestorm.

What makes a good question to ask a guest speaker at a virtual event?

The better you know your guest, the better you’ll craft original, relevant questions that will give real value to your viewing audience.

Even with limited knowledge of your guest’s background or expertise, you can still get your guest talking at length with open questions that consider their struggles, skills, and hopes.

Many of our most meaningful concerns are in fact universal issues. **Use your own experiences to help you formulate thoughtful questions., **

Whenever possible put yourself in your guest’s shoes to consider what obstacles they’ve faced. You may find that you’ve come up against similar challenges yourself.

During your webinar and as your discussion progresses, listen carefully and respond naturally to what they’ve said. Of course, remaining natural and spontaneous isn’t always easy when you have an audience, but with a prepared list of questions, you’ll have lots of good ideas to draw from.

Use this simple checklist to make sure you ask great guest speaker questions:

• Raise questions that relate directly to the speaker’s presentation
• Personalize questions by putting yourself in the speaker’s shoes
• Invite the audience to ask questions from their own perspective
• Respond naturally with follow-up questions
• Avoid yes or no questions and provide open-ended prompts instead

Align guest speaker questions with the presenter’s expertise

Having a long list of fantastic questions is vital to hosting a successful conversation with your guest speaker during your marketing event . But even more important is doing background preparation that allows you to best tap into their concerns, passions, and challenges.

Before the event, take time to:

• Read what your guest has written
• Listen to what they’ve said
• Study what they’ve accomplished

Their LinkedIn profile will be a great place to start to find links to published work and interviews. Alternatively, you can simply send them a friendly email and ask them to point you in the right direction.

With a strong understanding of your guest’s professional journey, you’ll be in a good position to guide the conversation through the most interesting and relevant areas of discussion.

How to modify questions for guest speakers

Now that you have a strong body of questions to work with, you can use your interview research to really get the most out of them. Let’s look at some examples of how you can adapt questions to a specific guest.

For our example adapted questions, we’ll imagine the guest speaker is Jenny Stewart, an edtech CEO who’s founded and grown a website providing online lesson resources for teachers.

What to avoid when questioning your guest speaker for a virtual event

There are no concrete rules on what not to do or ask during a virtual event. However, it’s usually best to avoid religion and politics. It’s also a good idea to tread carefully when it comes to potentially personal or sensitive subjects.

To be sure you’re on safe ground, consider connecting with your guest before the event starts. Ask if they prefer to avoid any areas of discussion.

During the event, don’t feel you have to urgently fill any pauses with your own thoughts or further questions. Instead, give your speaker the chance to think and reflect before giving you a response.

Also, don’t forget that the success of any virtual event depends on engaging your audience . While your speaker’s presentation will likely do a great job of that, you can also encourage audience participation wherever possible.

Question upvotes and multimedia shares are both great ways to encourage video engagement . With Livestorm you can also create polls to get the audience talking and see how much they agree or disagree with your guest on a particular subject.

Livestorm also supports reaction emojis during live events. Ask attendees to use them to express their support for or thoughts about webinar topics in real time.

Engage your guest and your audience

Your goal with a guest speaker should be a relevant, engaging, and unique conversation. So the importance of careful guest research and interview preparation can’t be overstated.

Where possible, explore their professional history and see if you have any shared experiences you could touch on. You might uncover a surprising fact or opinion that serves as the starting point for your entire discussion.

To make the event more memorable for your audience, involve them in the Q&A process. Livestorm’s question upvotes, polls, and emoji reactions make it easy to involve attendees.

With thorough research, great questions, and audience participation you can host a successful, engaging virtual event.

Frequently asked questions about guest speakers for virtual events

What questions should i ask a guest speaker.

Ask your guest speaker open questions about their career choices, the hurdles they overcame, and their plans for the future. You can also ask fun questions as icebreakers or to break up the conversation. Always listen carefully to your guest speaker, and ask follow-up questions that delve deeper into subjects they’ve raised.

What are good questions to ask a speaker?

Craft questions that directly relate to the speaker’s experience and topic of discussion. Invite the audience to suggest questions so they can engage directly with the presenter.

Avoid asking questions the presenter can answer with one word. Instead, raise open-ended questions that allow for deeper discussion.

How many questions should you ask a speaker?

Ask enough questions to fill the allotted discussion time. Depending on the length of the presentation and the amount of extra time, anywhere from five to 10 questions may be appropriate.

What are good questions to ask a successful person?

Most successful people have had to work hard and negotiate struggles or failure, so ask them questions about those challenges, what key moments made a difference to their fortunes, and what advice they’d give to their younger selves.

How do I find a guest speaker for my virtual event?

Build a network of contacts through work, forums, and social media – especially LinkedIn, where many professionals are also looking to grow their contacts and find partnership marketing opportunities.

When you identify a subject you’d like to discuss, search out specialists within those networks, and consider podcast hosts, influencers, and friends of friends. The best guests are experienced speakers, so also work out your budget and schedules before making contact with a potential guest.

Drive attendance

We share tips to write emails for every step of your event to drive attendance.

About the author

Molly Hocutt - Content Manager

Molly joined Livestorm in 2019 as a Content Manager and manages written content production. Her work focuses on lead generation and organic website traffic.

Learn more on the topic

The Essential Guide to Virtual Events and How to Host One

Virtual events are the future! This essential guide shows you how to host virtual events and hybrid events.

Related articles

10 Best Pre-Recorded Webinar Platforms To Help You Scale

What Is a Summit? (+ 7 Tips to Host a Successful One)

6 Favorite Virtual Summit Software for Engaging Summits

6 Best Virtual Summit Platforms To Elevate Your Events

Complete Guide to Hosting Successful Virtual Recruiting Events

How to Run a Roundtable Discussion in 11 Steps

Keep in touch with Livestorm news and updates

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

How to Nail the Q&A After Your Presentation

• Caroline Webb

You can’t rehearse it, but you can be prepared.

When preparing to give a presentation, most professionals focus their energy on the main portion of their talk — their key messages, slides, and takeaways. And far too few people think through how you’ll answer questions at the end of the presentation can be a big mistake. If you’re worried about how to hand the Q&A, there are several things you can do. Change your mindset. Rather than dreading this part of the talk, develop an appreciation for the conversation. It’s a good thing that people have follow-up questions and want to further engage with your content. Beforehand, think through the types of questions audience members might ask. Put yourself in your shoes and ask yourself what concerns they might have about how your message impacts their job. Then, when you’re asked a question, especially one that might be contentious, start your answer by focusing on where you and the person asking it agree. This makes the person feel seen and connected to you. And if you’re asked a question out of left field, be curious. Ask follow-up questions that help you understand what they’re getting at and where they’re coming from.

If you’re not a huge fan of public speaking , you’re in good company. It’s such a widely shared source of anxiety that when psychologists want to induce unpleasant stress in a person for experimental purposes, they often use a public speaking task called the Trier Social Stress Test . The test requires people to give a talk and do sums in front of a panel of impassive listeners, and it reliably generates stress markers such as a faster heart rate, raised cortisol levels, and “enhanced skin conductance,” which is the polite way of saying sweaty palms.

• Caroline Webb is the author of How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life . She is also CEO of coaching firm Sevenshift , and a senior adviser to McKinsey & Company. Follow her on Facebook or Google + . caroline_webb_

Partner Center

Questions to Ask Presenters

I. introduction.

Asking questions during presentations and panel discussions is crucial to getting the most out of these events. By asking the right questions, you can gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter and the speaker's expertise, challenge assumptions, and make meaningful connections with other attendees. This article is designed to provide you with a comprehensive guide to the types of questions you should be asking presenters and panelists, whether you are attending a virtual event or an in-person panel discussion.

Throughout this article, we will provide you with a list of great questions to ask, suggestions for creating your own questions, and tips for asking good questions that can help you stand out and make a lasting impression. We will cover a variety of topics, including the importance of follow-up questions, leveraging social media and apps, common misconceptions, and creating your own list of questions.

So whether you are attending a keynote speech, panel discussion, webinar , or podcast, this article will help you prepare for and make the most out of your next event. Let's start by exploring how to prepare for the presentation or panel discussion.

II. Preparing for the Presentation or Panel Discussion

Before attending a presentation or panel discussion, it is important to prepare yourself by researching the presenter or panelists and the subject matter. This will help you come up with questions that are relevant and insightful.

To prepare, you should start by researching the speaker or panelists on LinkedIn, their company website, or other social media platforms. Look for any articles, blogs, or videos that they have published, and get a sense of their background and expertise.

Next, consider the subject matter that will be discussed during the presentation or panel discussion. Do some background reading or research to familiarize yourself with the topic and any relevant industry trends or challenges.

Once you have done your research, create a list of questions that you would like to ask the presenter or panelists. Think about what you want to learn from the presentation or discussion, and what insights you hope to gain.

When considering the format of the event, whether it is virtual or in-person , think about how you can leverage social media and other apps to connect with the speakers and moderators. Follow the event hashtag on Twitter or LinkedIn, and engage with other attendees who are discussing the event. Use apps like LinkedIn or conference apps to connect with speakers or other attendees and continue the conversation after the event has ended.

By doing your research and creating a list of questions, you will be better equipped to engage with the presenters or panelists during the event. In the next section, we will explore the types of questions you should be asking presenters.

III. Questions to Ask Presenters

Asking good questions during a presentation can help you get a better understanding of the subject matter and the speaker's expertise. Here are some open-ended questions to consider:

• What inspired you to pursue this field, and how did you get started?
• What do you consider to be the biggest challenge facing your industry today?
• Can you share an example of a successful project you worked on, and what made it successful?
• How do you stay up to date with industry trends and developments?
• What are some common misconceptions about your industry or field?

In addition to asking open-ended questions , it is important to listen closely to the presenter's responses and ask follow-up questions that can help you clarify any points made during the presentation. For example, if the presenter mentions a specific tool or technique, you can ask how it works or how it has been used in real-world applications.

To create your own questions, think about your interests and goals , and how they relate to the subject matter being presented. Consider how the presenter's expertise can help you in your own work or career, and tailor your questions accordingly.

When asking questions during a presentation, it is important to be concise and respectful of the presenter's time. Make sure your questions are relevant to the topic at hand, and avoid asking questions that are too broad or vague. By asking good questions, you can stand out from the audience and make a lasting impression on the presenter.

In the next section, we will explore the types of questions you should be asking panelists during a panel discussion.

IV. Questions to Ask Panelists

Panel discussions offer a unique opportunity to hear from multiple perspectives on a particular topic. Here are some tips on how to prepare for a panel discussion and the types of questions to ask:

A. Preparing for a Panel Discussion

Before attending a panel discussion, research the panelists and the topics they will be discussing. Take notes on their backgrounds and areas of expertise, and consider how their perspectives may differ from your own. This can help you formulate questions that will be relevant and thought-provoking.

B. Questions for a Panel Discussion

Some questions that are relevant for a panel discussion include:

• What are your thoughts on the biggest challenge facing the industry or field today?
• How do you think technology is impacting the industry, and what opportunities and challenges does this present?
• Can you share an example of a successful collaboration or partnership within the industry, and what made it successful?
• How do you see the industry evolving in the next 5-10 years, and what trends do you think will drive this evolution?
• How do you balance competing priorities and demands within the industry, such as innovation versus risk management?

C. Follow-up Questions for a Panel Discussion

Follow-up questions can help you delve deeper into a particular topic or challenge a panelist's position. For example, if a panelist mentions a particular strategy or approach, you can ask how it has been used in practice, and what results have been achieved.

D. Creating Your Own Questions

Creating your own questions for a panel discussion can help you tailor your experience to your own interests and goals. Consider what questions you would like to ask each panelist based on their areas of expertise, and how their responses can help you in your own work or career.

By asking thoughtful and relevant questions during a panel discussion, you can gain valuable insights and perspectives, and demonstrate your engagement and interest in the topic.

V. Conclusion

In summary, asking questions during presentations, webinars , and panel discussions is an essential part of the learning and networking experience. By researching the subject matter, creating a list of questions, and following up with additional questions, you can gain valuable insights, deepen your understanding, and create a lasting impression.

Remember, the quality of your questions can impact the quality of the information and networking opportunities you receive. Asking open-ended and thought-provoking questions can help you stand out and create meaningful connections with the presenters and panelists.

So, start asking the right questions today! Whether you're attending a virtual event or an in-person panel discussion, take advantage of the opportunity to connect with subject matter experts, role models, and decision-makers in your field. With a little preparation and creativity, you can create a lasting impression and take away valuable insights and key takeaways from any event.

Open Doors is a LIVE marketing community on Welcome, where you can have REAL conversations with peers and experts.

Keep reading

Mastering the Webinar Program: From Pre to Post – A Comprehensive Guide

Brand Voice: Crafting a Unique and Memorable Identity

Repurposing Webinar Gold

Let us help you figure it out.

We’d love to show you around and demonstrate the Welcome difference

Meet with a Webinar & Virtual Event Expert

Customer Stories

Trending Posts

Loved and Trusted

350 Top Q&A Questions to Expect for Any Presentations (Save Them Now!)

Zhun Yee Chew

Preparing the slide content is nothing compared to dealing with daunting questions during the Q&A session of a presentation. Sometimes, if we are not lucky, we will face a tough crowd with even tougher questions that may leave us feeling challenged on the spot. And none of us likes the awkward moment of not being able to provide a satisfactory response to the audience.

Answering Q&A questions is a skill that everyone can master with the right resources and the right amount of preparation. You’ve searched, and we have them for you.

In this article, you will find more than 300 Q&A questions that are most commonly asked in a wide range of presentation occasions. Save them so you can be ready for even the most unexpected questions in your upcoming presentations!

What Are Q&A Questions?

Q&A questions, short for “Questions and Answers”, are inquiries posed by an audience or participants to the speaker or presenter during the Q&A session of a presentation . This Q&A segment typically follows a presentation, a talk or a lecture, providing the opportunities for the audience to seek clarification, ask additional information, or understand the speaker’s perspectives.

The whole point of Q&A sessions is to make the presentation more interactive and foster engagement . It’s a chance for the audience to pick the speaker’s brain and get a better understanding of the subject. 

What Are the Different Types of Presentations?

Business Presentations:

• Sales pitches
• Quarterly or annual reports
• Performance reviews
• Project proposals/updates
• All-hands presentations

Academic  Presentations:

• Lesson presentations
• Conference/research presentations
• Classroom quiz games

Training Sessions:

• Employee training
• Onboarding sessions
• Skills development workshops

Public Speaking:

• Motivational speeches
• Commencement addresses

Informative Presentations:

• How-to presentations
• Demonstrations
• Informational sessions

Social Events:

• Celebration speeches
• Team-building activities
• PowerPoint nights
• Presentation games

Technology Presentations:

• Software launches
• Product launches

Crisis Management:

• Crisis communication
• Emergency response briefings
• Contingency plans

Virtual Presentations:

• Online conferences

Different presentations involve different audience types, and the nature of questions posed can vary significantly based on presentation formats and occasions. However, the core of a successful and engaging presentation remains constant – ensuring  interactivity in a presentation  and transforming it into a two-way street through Q&A questions and adding interactive elements or using interactive tools in your presentations.

Academic Presentation Q&A Questions

Q&a questions for lecture presentations.

• Can you provide more examples for the concept/theory you just explained?
• Are there any common misconceptions about this topic that we should be aware of?
• What are the main differences between this and [related topic]?
• Can you explain the steps involved in [specific process] in more detail?
• What are the current research trends or developments in this field?
• How does this concept connect to what we learned in the previous lesson?
• Are there any alternative approaches to solve the problems here?
• Can you recommend additional resources or readings?
• Can you provide some tips for studying this material effectively?
• Are there any real-world examples where this concept has been successfully applied?
• What are the most common mistakes students make when working on assignments for this topic?
• Can you explain the significance of this concept in the context of future careers?
• What are the ethical considerations associated with the topics we are discussing?
• Are there any current debates or controversies related to this topic?
• How does this topic connect with interdisciplinary subjects or other courses?
• Can you share examples of how this concept might be used in different industries or professions?
• Can you summarize the key takeaways of today’s presentation?
• Can you discuss any historical or cultural context that influences this topic?
• How might this information be relevant to current events or societal issues?

Q&A Questions for Academic Conference Presentations 

• How did you decide on the research question or topic for your study?
• How did you select your sample or participants, and how representative is it of the broader population?
• Can you explain the methodology you used in your research and why you chose that approach?
• What are the main findings or key results of your study?
• How do your findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge in your field?
• Can you discuss any limitations or challenges you encountered during your research?
• What implications do your findings have for practitioners in the field?
• Can you elaborate on the theoretical framework that guided your study?
• What ethical considerations did you address in your research, and how were they managed?
• How did you validate the reliability and validity of your research instruments or methods?
• How did you address potential biases or confounding variables in your research?
• How do your findings compare to previous research on the same or similar topics?
• Can you discuss any unexpected or surprising results that you discovered during your study?
• How did you handle data analysis, and what statistical methods were employed in your study?
• What alternative explanations or interpretations of your data did you consider?
• How does your research contribute to addressing specific gaps in current knowledge?
• How did you control for potential confounding variables in your research design?
• What recommendations do you have for policymakers based on your research findings?
• How does your study relate to other recent or ongoing research in the same area?
• Are your findings generalizable to different populations or settings?
• How did you ensure the rigor of your data analysis and interpretation?
• What role did collaboration play in your research, and how did you handle disagreements within the research team?
• Can you share any unexpected challenges you faced during the research process?
• How might your findings be applied in a practical context, such as in industry or education?
• How did you establish the validity of your conclusions in light of potential bias or subjectivity?
• What potential areas for future research did your study uncover?
• Can you discuss the relevance of your research to current global or societal issues?
• How did you handle any limitations in available resources or funding for your research?
• What key takeaway message or lesson would you like the audience to remember from your presentation?

Q&A Questions for Student Presentations

• Can you elaborate on the research process you used to gather information for your presentation?
• Can you discuss the process of selecting and organizing the visual elements in your presentation, such as charts or graphs?
• How did you decide on the topic or key elements to include in your presentation?
• What challenges did you encounter while preparing for your presentation, and how did you overcome them?
• What did you learn about the topic that surprised you during your research?
• Can you explain the significance of your topic or its relevance to the course content?
• Can you discuss any alternative perspectives or counter-arguments related to your topic that you considered?
• What sources did you consult to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented?
• Can you explain the connection between your topic and current events or real-world applications?
• Can you share any specific examples or case studies that support the points you made in your presentation?
• Can you elaborate on any implications or applications of your findings beyond the scope of your presentation?
• Can you discuss any ethical considerations related to your topic that you addressed in your presentation?
• How might your presentation contribute to the understanding of the broader course themes or objectives?
• What aspects of the presentation are you most proud of, and what would you do differently next time?

Q&A Questions for Project-Based Lessons

• What is the main goal or objective of this project, and how will our work contribute to it?
• Can you provide more details about the criteria for success in this project?
• How will our progress be assessed, and what are the key milestones or deadlines?
• Can you clarify the roles and responsibilities of each team member in the project?
• Are there specific resources or materials that we should use or reference for this project?
• Can you provide examples of successful projects from previous classes or students?
• Are there specific presentation or communication requirements for showcasing our project?
• What opportunities for feedback and revision will be available throughout the project timeline?

Business Presentation Q&A Questions

Q&a questions for sales pitches.

• What makes your product or service different from competitors in the market?
• Can you provide some specific examples of companies or clients who have successfully used your product/service?
• How does your product/service address specific pain points or challenges that customers commonly face?
• Can you share some success stories or case studies related to your product/service?
• How does your product/service integrate with existing tools or systems our company uses?
• What kind of support or training is provided to customers after they purchase your product/service?
• Can you explain the implementation process and how quickly we can expect to see results?
• Are there any customization options available to tailor the product/service to our specific needs?
• What kind of ongoing maintenance or updates does your product/service require?
• How do you ensure the security and privacy of our data when using your product/service?
• Are there any limitations or restrictions we should be aware of when using your product/service?
• How often do you release updates or new features to your product/service?
• Can you explain the scalability of your solution and how it can grow with our business?
• What is your company’s roadmap for future developments or enhancements to the product/service?
• What is the typical return on investment (ROI) that your customers experience after implementing your product/service?
• How do you handle issues or challenges that may arise post-purchase?

Q&A Questions for Work Presentations

• How does your proposal align with our company’s overall goals or strategic objectives?
• What potential challenges do you foresee in implementing this plan, and how do you plan to address them?
• Can you explain the specific roles and responsibilities of each team member involved in this project?
• What kind of timeline are you envisioning for the different phases of this project?
• Have you considered alternative approaches to achieve the same goals, and if so, what are they?
• What resources, budget, and manpower will be required to execute this plan successfully?
• How do you plan to measure the success or effectiveness of this project?
• Are there any potential risks associated with your proposal, and what mitigation strategies do you have in place?
• Can you provide examples of similar projects that have been successful in the past, either within our company or in other organizations?
• How will you keep stakeholders informed and engaged throughout the project lifecycle?
• What kind of collaboration and communication tools do you plan to use to keep the team connected?
• Are there any dependencies or external factors that could impact the timeline or success of this project?
• Can you explain how this project aligns with current industry trends or best practices?
• What are the potential roadblocks or obstacles you anticipate, and how do you plan to overcome them?

Q&A Questions for Performance Review Presentations 

• Can you highlight specific projects or tasks where you feel you excelled?
• How have you demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to take initiative?
• Have there been any instances of conflict or difficult situations, and how did you handle them?
• What accomplishments are you most proud of since our last performance review?
• Where do you think you could have performed better, and what challenges did you face?
• How well do you think your current responsibilities align with your career goals?
• What new skills or responsibilities would you like to take on in the next year?
• How have you found the feedback and communication within the team or organization?
• How well do you feel you have contributed to team projects and collaborations?
• Are there ways we can enhance teamwork and collaboration within the team?
• Is there anything we can do to support you better in your role?
• What additional resources or training do you think would benefit you in your role?
• What motivates you in your work, and how can we ensure your continued motivation?
• What steps can we take to help you achieve your long-term career goals?

Q&A Questions for Annual/Quarterly Report Presentations

• How did specific projects or initiatives contribute to the overall success or challenges outlined in the report?
• What challenges or obstacles did the team face during the reporting period, and how were they addressed?
• Are there any unexpected or significant changes in the industry landscape that may affect future performance?
• What steps were taken to mitigate risks and uncertainties identified in the previous reports?
• Can you discuss the budgetary implications of the results presented in the report?
• How did the team adapt to changes in customer preferences or demands during this reporting period?
• How do the results align with the long-term strategic objectives of the organization?
• Can you discuss any feedback or concerns received from clients, customers, or stakeholders mentioned in the report?
• How did internal collaborations or cross-functional teamwork contribute to the outcomes presented?
• What initiatives or projects are planned for the upcoming quarter or year in response to the findings in the report?
• Can you elaborate on the return on investment (ROI) for specific marketing or promotional activities mentioned in the report?
• How do the current results compare to benchmarks or industry standards for similar organizations?
• Can you discuss any changes or improvements in operational processes that were implemented during the reporting period?
• Can you provide insights into any potential areas for improvement or focus in the coming reporting period based on the data presented?

Q&A Questions for All-Hands Presentations

• What are the key priorities and goals for the team in the upcoming quarter/year?
• Can you provide more details about the recent changes in team structure or leadership?
• How will recent industry trends or developments impact our team’s strategies moving forward?
• Can you discuss the reasoning behind recent policy changes or updates within the team?
• How will the team address challenges identified in recent performance reports or feedback?
• Can you provide insights into the budget allocation and resource planning for the team?
• How will the team adapt to changes in technology or tools that may affect our workflow?
• What professional development opportunities will be available to team members in the coming months?
• Can you share updates on recent achievements or milestones reached by the team?
• Can you discuss the team’s approach to fostering diversity and inclusion within the workplace?
• What strategies will be implemented to maintain team morale and motivation?
• Can you elaborate on the team’s strategy for managing workloads and preventing burnout?
• How will the team address any challenges related to communication?
• What steps will be taken to recognize and celebrate individual and team achievements in the future?

Public Speaking Q&A Questions

Q&a questions for motivational presentations.

• How did your background or experiences shape your perspective on the topic you discussed?
• How can individuals or communities apply the ideas you shared in their own lives or work?
• What impact do you hope your work will have on the future of [your topic]?
• How has your perspective on [your topic] evolved throughout your journey, and what lessons have you learned?
• How do you suggest we, as individuals, can contribute to or support the goals you outlined in your presentation?
• What advice do you have for someone who wants to get involved in or pursue a similar field or project?
• What are the common misconceptions or misunderstandings about [your topic] that you’d like to address?
• How can the audience stay informed or engaged with ongoing developments in your field or topic?
• Can you share personal experiences where you overcame significant obstacles and found motivation in [an area]?
• What advice do you have for dealing with [a personal issue]?
• How do you handle setbacks and failures in [an area]?
• What daily habits or routines do you recommend for sustaining long-term motivation?
• How can individuals at various career stages benefit from the insights you shared?
• Can you share examples of successful individuals who have been a source of inspiration for you?

Informative Presentation Q&A Questions

Q&a questions for youtube or online webinar presentations.

• How can I access the recording of this webinar for future reference?
• Can you recommend any additional resources for further learning on this topic?
• How does this information apply to different industries or professions?
• How do you suggest we adapt these concepts to our specific organizational context?
• How can we stay updated on new developments or research in this field?
• Can you suggest strategies for overcoming resistance to change when implementing these ideas?
• What role does ongoing professional development play in mastering the skills you discussed?
• How can individuals without a background in this field apply the principles you discussed?
• Can you explain the potential challenges or common mistakes people might encounter when trying this on their own?
• How do you foresee the future trends or developments affecting the subject of this webinar?
• Can you recommend specific tools or software that would enhance our implementation of these strategies?
• What are some key indicators of success when implementing the strategies you discussed?
• Can you discuss any industry standards or benchmarks related to the topics covered in this webinar?
• What would be the first step you recommend for someone looking to implement these ideas in their organization?

Q&A Questions for Demonstration Presentations

• Can you clarify the purpose or goal of the demonstration?
• What specific steps are involved in the process you just demonstrated?
• Are there alternative methods or tools that can be used for this demonstration?
• How long does it typically take to master this skill or process demonstrated?
• Are there any safety precautions that should be considered?
• Can you provide tips for troubleshooting or overcoming obstacles in the demonstrated activity?
• How does this demonstration apply to real-world scenarios or practical situations?
• Are there variations or advanced techniques related to this demonstration that you didn’t cover?
• Can you share examples of successful applications or projects that used the demonstrated technique?
• How does this demonstration align with current trends or innovations in the field?
• What feedback or suggestions do you have for individuals attempting the demonstrated task for the first time?
• Can you discuss any modifications or adaptations that may be necessary for different skill levels or abilities?

Training Presentation Q&A Questions

Q&a questions for training workshops.

• Can you provide more examples or practice exercises to reinforce the concepts you just covered?
• Are there any additional resources or recommended readings for further learning on this topic?
• Can you explain the specific steps or strategies for applying what we’ve learned in a real-world context?
• How often is this training updated to reflect changes in industry standards or best practices?
• How can we track our progress and measure the effectiveness of this training?
• Are there opportunities for practical application or hands-on exercises to reinforce the learning?
• Can you discuss any potential challenges or common difficulties participants might encounter during the training?
• Can you provide insights into how this training aligns with current trends or innovations in the industry?
• How will successful completion of this training impact our professional development or career advancement?
• What kind of ongoing support or resources will be available to participants after completing the training?
• Can you explain the relevance of each module or section of the training to our specific roles or responsibilities?
• Can you discuss any case studies or success stories related to individuals who have completed this training?
• Can you outline the specific skills or competencies participants are expected to gain by the end of the training?

Creative Presentation Q&A Questions

Q&a questions for brainstorming presentations.

• How did you arrive at the ideas presented during the brainstorming session?
• Can you provide more context on the criteria used to evaluate and prioritize the proposed ideas?
• Are there specific goals or objectives that the brainstormed ideas aim to achieve?
• How do the ideas generated align with the overall vision or mission of the team or organization?
• Can you discuss any potential challenges or constraints that may impact the implementation of these ideas?
• What steps will be taken to further develop and refine the selected ideas from the brainstorming session?
• How will the team decide which ideas to prioritize or move forward with?
• What role do you see each team member playing in the implementation or development of these ideas?
• What steps will be taken to test or prototype the most promising ideas before full implementation?
• Are there any potential synergies or connections between the different ideas presented?
• Can you discuss the anticipated impact or outcomes of implementing these ideas on the team’s objectives?

Q&A Questions for Creative Work Showcase Presentations

• What inspired your creative concept or idea?
• Can you discuss your creative process and how you generated or developed your ideas?
• How did you overcome creative blocks or challenges during the project?
• Can you share any unexpected twists or turns that occurred during the creative process?
• What influenced your choice of colors, themes, or visual elements in your presentation?
• Can you discuss any alternative concepts or ideas that you considered before finalizing your creative work?
• How did you decide on the overall tone or mood of your creative piece?
• Can you discuss any specific techniques or tools you used to bring your creative vision to life?
• How do you balance originality with meeting the expectations or objectives of the project?
• Can you elaborate on the symbolism or deeper meaning behind certain elements in your creative work?
• How did you ensure your creative work aligns with the intended message or purpose of the project?
• Can you share any unexpected challenges you encountered while executing your creative ideas?
• What advice do you have for others looking to enhance their creativity or embark on similar projects?
• Can you discuss any future plans or developments related to your creative work?

Q&A Questions for Portfolio Presentations

• How did you curate or select the pieces included in your portfolio?
• Can you discuss the overarching themes or concepts that tie your portfolio together?
• What criteria did you use to determine which projects or works to include in your portfolio?
• Can you provide insights into your creative process for one of the featured projects?
• How do you believe your portfolio reflects your growth or evolution as a professional or artist?
• Can you discuss any challenges you encountered while working on specific projects in your portfolio?
• What inspired the overall design and layout of your portfolio presentation?
• Can you share any feedback or critiques you received during the creation of your portfolio?
• How do you handle showcasing both personal and professional work in your portfolio?
• How do you stay updated on current trends or techniques in your industry, and how does this influence your portfolio?
• Can you elaborate on any technologies or tools you used to create or present your portfolio?
• How do you handle showcasing a diverse range of skills or talents in your portfolio?
• How do you balance consistency with variety in the presentation of your portfolio pieces?
• Can you provide insights into the decision-making process behind the visual and aesthetic choices in your portfolio?

Subject-Based Presentation Q&A Questions

Q&a questions for history presentations.

• Why is it important for us to study this particular historical period or event?
• Can you provide more context on the social and cultural aspects of the time you discussed?
• Are there any alternative perspectives or interpretations of the historical event you presented?
• How did political or economic factors contribute to the events you covered in your presentation?
• Can you discuss the impact of this historical period on contemporary society or global affairs?
• How do historians generally view or interpret the significance of the events you discussed?
• Can you elaborate on any controversies related to the historical topic you presented?
• Can you discuss any parallels or connections between the historical events you covered and current events?
• Can you elaborate on any lesser-known or overlooked aspects of the historical topic?
• What were the main causes and consequences of the events discussed in this lesson?
• How did global events or other regions influence the events in this specific historical context?
• Can you share more details about the key figures or individuals involved in the historical events?
• Can you discuss any social movements or cultural shifts that occurred during this time?
• Were there any controversies or debates among historians regarding the interpretation of these events?
• What primary sources or historical documents can we explore to gain a deeper understanding of this time?
• What lessons or insights can we draw from the mistakes or successes of the past?

Q&A Questions for Geography Presentations

• Can you explain the significance of the geographical features discussed in this lesson?
• What are the cultural or societal aspects that make this geographic area unique?
• Can you discuss the environmental challenges or changes occurring in the region you shared?
• Are there any connections between the geography of a region and its cultural practices or traditions?
• How has human activity impacted the natural landscapes and ecosystems in the region?
• Can you provide insights into the economic factors shaping the geography of the area?
• How do political boundaries or geopolitical factors influence the geography of the region?
• Can you discuss any current or historical conflicts related to the geography you presented?
• Can you share examples of how globalization has impacted the geography you discussed?
• How does the geography of the area influence migration patterns and population distribution?
• Can you discuss any challenges or opportunities related to urbanization in the region?
• Can you provide examples of how transportation infrastructure shapes the geography of the region?
• How do the geographical features discussed impact the local economy and lifestyle?
• Can you discuss the role of sustainable development in shaping the geography of the region?
• How does the geography of a region impact the availability and distribution of resources?

Q&A Questions for Science Presentations

• How does this scientific theory or principle apply to real-world situations?
• Can you provide examples of experiments or demonstrations that illustrate the principles being taught?
• How do current advancements or research in technology influence our understanding of this science?
• Can you provide examples of how this scientific concept has been applied in various industries?
• Can you share insights into any ongoing or future research related to the subject of the lecture?
• Can you elaborate on any potential interdisciplinary connections between this science and other fields?
• How do you see the future developments or advancements shaping the field of science you discussed?
• Can you discuss any recent advancements or breakthroughs in the field related to your presentation?
• What experiments or studies have been conducted to support the information presented in your topic?
• Are there any unanswered questions or areas of uncertainty in the scientific understanding of this topic?
• Can you discuss the importance of peer review in the scientific process?

Q&A Questions for Social Science Presentations

• Can you provide some background information on the topic?
• Can you explain the significance of any statistical analyses or data presented in this studies?
• How might cultural or societal factors influence the interpretation of the findings?
• Are there any primary sources or case studies used in the lesson to illustrate these social science concepts?
• What are the alternative opinions or perspectives that one should consider for this topic?
• How can we critically evaluate bias in the research?
• What are the roles of globalization or international perspectives in this topic?
• Why is [a perspective/opinion] the case?
• What are the potential objections for [a perspective/opinion]?
• How does the topic of this lesson relate to broader social issues or current events?
• Are there any conflicting theories or perspectives within the field related to this lesson’s content?
• Can you explain the practical implications of the theories or concepts covered in this lesson?
• How do the concepts covered in this lesson contribute to a deeper understanding of human behavior or society?
• What are some potential criticisms or limitations of the theories presented in this lesson?

Q&A Questions for Art and Design Presentations

• How do different artistic techniques contribute to the overall aesthetic of the piece?
• Can you explain the cultural or historical influences behind the art or design style being taught?
• How can personal experiences or emotions be expressed through art and design?
• Can you provide examples of famous artists or designers who are known for this particular style or technique?
• How does the use of color, shape, and composition impact the visual impact of the artwork or design?
• Are there any contemporary or modern trends in art and design that relate to the topic of this lesson?
• How does the art or design being taught relate to broader movements or styles in the art world?
• How can art and design contribute to social or cultural change?

Fun Presentation Q&A Questions

Q&a questions for powerpoint night  presentations.

• Do you remember the time when we [shared a memorable adventure or experience]?
• What’s your favorite memory from our past travels together?
• If we were to plan a group vacation, what destination would you suggest for our bucket list?
• What’s one place you’ve always wanted to visit that we haven’t explored together yet?
• What’s the most spontaneous or unplanned adventure we’ve had?
• What’s our favorite inside joke?
• If we were to create a time capsule representing our friendship, what would you include in it?
• What’s the craziest or most unexpected thing we’ve ever done together?
• What’s your go-to travel snack or comfort food?
• What’s a shared goal or dream destination you’d like to achieve with the group?
• Can you recall the first time we met, and what was your initial impression of me?
• What’s a skill or talent of mine that surprised you when you first discovered it?
• If our group had a theme song, what do you think it should be and why?
• If we were characters in a movie, how would you describe our dynamic or roles?
• What’s a shared goal or aspiration that you think our group could work towards together?
• What’s your favorite thing about our friendship that you cherish the most?
• If we had a group motto or slogan, what do you think it should be?

Q&A Questions for PowerPoint Games

• What are the rules of the game?
• How long is the expected duration of the game?
• Are there any specific materials or equipment needed to play the game?
• Can you explain the objective or goal of the game?
• Are there any hidden surprises in the game that players might not immediately notice?
• Any secret tips for success in the game?
• Are there any special prizes or incentives for winners of tonight’s games?
• How is the game scored, and what determines the winner?
• What happens if there’s a tie in the game?
• Are there any variations or optional rules we should be aware of?
• Can you explain the order of play and how turns are determined?
• Are there penalties or consequences for certain actions during the game?
• Can participants form teams, or is the game strictly individual play?
• Are there any restrictions on player movement or interaction during the game?
• Can you provide examples of common strategies or tactics used in the game?
• How is cheating or rule violations handled in the game?
• Can you recommend any strategies for newcomers or first-time players?

Feedback Q&A Questions

• What specific aspects of the presentation do you think were most effective?
• Can you provide suggestions for improving the clarity of certain points in the presentation?
• How well do you think the presenter engaged with the audience during the presentation?
• Were there any areas where you felt the presentation could have been more engaging or interactive?
• Can you offer insights into the pacing of the presentation and whether it was appropriate?
• What are your thoughts on the visual elements, such as slides or graphics, used in the presentation?
• Were there any technical issues or challenges that affected your experience during the presentation?
• Can you provide feedback on the overall organization and structure of the presentation?
• Were there any moments in the presentation that you found particularly memorable or impactful?
• Did the presenter effectively convey the key messages or takeaways of the presentation?
• How well did the presenter connect with the audience’s level of understanding or familiarity with the topic?
• Can you discuss any specific examples or anecdotes that resonated with you during the presentation?
• Were there any instances where the presenter could have provided more context or background information?
• What are your thoughts on the presenter’s use of language, tone, and overall communication style?
• Can you suggest ways in which the presenter could improve audience engagement or participation?
• Were there any aspects of the presentation that you found confusing or difficult to follow?
• Can you share your overall impression of the presentation and whether it met your expectations?
• What recommendations do you have for the presenter to enhance the overall impact and effectiveness of future presentations?

Closing Thoughts

With more than 300 Q&A questions to help you with your preparation, you can save so much time thinking and anticipating the questions your audience may ask during the Q&A session of your presentation. Now, you can focus on what matters most – acing your presentation! 

BONUS: Lazy to create PowerPoint presentations from scratch? Try these  11 top-rated AI PowerPoint generators (they’re free!), as well as these  4 ways to use ChatGPT to create PowerPoint presentations . 

About Zhun Yee Chew

Try classpoint for free.

All-in-one teaching and student engagement in PowerPoint.

Supercharge your PowerPoint. Start today.

500,000+ people like you use ClassPoint to boost student engagement in PowerPoint presentations.

The Art of Question & Answer: Handling Audience Questions Like a Pro

Hrideep barot.

• Presentation , Public Speaking

If you have ever given a presentation , you might know how witty and challenging a question-and-answer session can get. Not knowing the answer to a question can be quite unnerving and leave a bad impression even after a fabulous presentation. This blog will help you bridge that gap before your next presentation. We will talk about how to maintain your composure as you deal with questions and also the different types of difficult questions one can face.

Why should I have a Question-and-answer session?

Having a Question and Answer (Q&A) session serves multiple valuable purposes. It transforms one-sided communication into a two-way exchange, turning lectures or speeches into engaging discussions. This interaction not only enhances audience engagement but also promotes collaboration and the collective building of knowledge. Historically, great questions have driven innovation and change, such as Isaac Newton’s curiosity about gravity. During a Q&A , encouraging audience participation by inviting questions and making eye contact with various attendees creates a sense of connection and keeps the session lively, much like a talk show host engaging their audience. 

Including a question and answer (Q&A) session after your presentation holds numerous advantages and is a pivotal aspect of engaging with your audience effectively.

Let’s delve into these reasons:

1. audience engagement and participation: .

Inviting questions at the end of your presentation allows your audience to actively participate, transforming your session into an interactive experience. As Albert Einstein aptly put it, “The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

2. Addressing Confusion and Skepticism:

 Your presentation might leave some audience members perplexed or unconvinced. Before you begin, it’s vital to gauge your audience’s understanding. As Aristotle noted, “Rhetoric may be defined as the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.” Q&A provides an excellent opportunity to clarify doubts and bolster your argument.

3. Expanding on Your Message: 

Often, time constraints force you to condense crucial information during your presentation. Q&A, however, empowers you to elaborate on your points, share practical examples, and address any opposition, creating a more comprehensive understanding. This aligns with Robert Frost’s sentiment: “Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.”

4. Fostering Natural Interaction: 

Effective public speaking thrives on interaction. Audiences seek speakers who communicate openly and naturally. Q&A brings a conversational and relatable dimension to your presentation. As Maya Angelou wisely said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

5. Challenging Your Expertise: 

The unpredictability of Q&A keeps you on your toes. You must be well-prepared and nimble to handle a variety of questions and objections. Eleanor Roosevelt’s words resonate: “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face.”

How do you answer Questions effectively?

Handling a question-and-answer session effectively requires preparation, communication skills, and adaptability. Whether you’re conducting a Q&A session as a speaker, presenter, or moderator, here are some tips to help you manage it effectively:

1. Preparation is Key:

Know your audience: Research your audience’s demographics, interests, and knowledge level. Tailor your responses to their needs and expectations. Imagine you’re hosting a Q&A session about pets. Knowing your audience means finding out if they’re mostly cat lovers, dog enthusiasts, or perhaps reptile fans. This helps you tailor your answers to their specific interests, like offering dog training tips for dog lovers and habitat ideas for reptile enthusiasts.

Anticipate questions: Develop a list of potential questions that might arise during the session. This can help you prepare concise and informative answers. If you’re giving a presentation about a superhero movie, anticipate questions like “Who’s the main villain?” or “What are the special powers of the hero?” Prepare concise answers to these common questions to keep the audience engaged.

Review your material: Revisit your presentation or discussion content before the Q&A session. This will help you recall key points and examples that may be relevant to questions. For Ex: You’re a teacher conducting a Q&A after a science class. Before the session, review your notes on the periodic table. This ensures that when a student asks, “What are the noble gases?” you can confidently explain their properties.

2. Set Expectations:

Clearly explain how the Q&A session will be structured. For example, inform the audience whether questions will be taken throughout the session or only at the end. Mention any time constraints.

Let the audience know if you have topics you’d like to cover or all questions are welcome. 

For example: Think of a cooking class where you’re the instructor. Before starting, inform your students that they can ask questions anytime during the class. This sets the expectation that it’s an interactive learning experience.

3. Active Listening:

Give the questioner your full attention. Make eye contact, nod to acknowledge understanding, and avoid interrupting.

Repeat or rephrase the question if needed to ensure clarity and show that you are actively engaged with the questioner.

Imagine you’re a detective in a mystery novel. When a witness asks, “Did you see the suspect?”, listen attentively, nod to acknowledge, and ask follow-up questions to gather all the details. This demonstrates active listening.

4. Take a pause

Before answering any question there is a key aspect that makes you look smart and composed- “The Pause.” The Pause is where you gather your thoughts and prepare your answer in a gist. You decide how to answer the question and tackle it swiftly. If you perhaps don’t know the answer, what is the best way to say you will get back with an answer, and so on? You can get a firm grip on your audience as they wait for you to speak and then speak with utmost clarity, that is the power of Pauses. 

5. Be Concise and Clear:

Answer each question briefly and directly. Avoid going off on tangents or providing excessive background information.

Use plain language and avoid jargon that might confuse the audience. Suppose you’re explaining how to play a video game. Instead of going into a lengthy backstory, say, “To win, you must collect all the magical crystals and defeat the dragon boss.” This clear and concise explanation keeps players engaged.

6. Stay Calm and Confident:

If you don’t know the answer to a question, admit it gracefully. Offer to research or follow up later, and don’t try to bluff your way through.

Maintain a calm and composed demeanor even in the face of challenging or critical questions. Focus on addressing the question, not the tone.

This is also where your preparation becomes your backbone and provides you the confidence to deal with your audience. 

Also, I want you to remember that knowledge is very vast- The more you gain knowledge the more you realize how little you know! Do not worry about admitting that you don’t know an answer, you can provide whatever information you have and later get back to them when you do find one.

7. Manage Time:

Allocate a specific amount of time for the Q&A session and communicate this at the outset. Stick to the schedule to ensure you cover all planned topics. If necessary, prioritize questions based on relevance or importance.

Think of a soccer coach during a practice session. Allocate specific time for different drills and stick to the schedule. This ensures that all aspects of the game are covered within the session.

8. Field Diverse Questions:

Encourage a wide range of questions, including those that challenge your viewpoint or prompt discussion. This diversity can lead to more engaging and informative sessions.

For Example: In a book club discussion, encourage members to ask questions about various aspects of the book, from plot details to character motivations. This diversity of questions leads to a more engaging conversation.

9. Moderate Effectively:

As someone who has to give direction to the discussion, try to maintain control of the session and ensure questions are relevant to the topic and audience. Politely redirect or filter out off-topic or inappropriate questions.

Give everyone a chance to ask questions, and manage time to allow for a variety of voices to be heard.

Pretend you’re a radio DJ taking calls from listeners. If someone goes off-topic, gently steer the conversation back to the music or topic of the show to maintain a cohesive experience.

10. Encourage Feedback:

After the Q&A, ask the audience for feedback on the session’s effectiveness. This can help you improve future sessions and tailor them to the audience’s needs. 

Example: After a group art project, ask each participant what they liked and what could be improved. This feedback helps everyone learn from the experience and create better art in the future.

11. Follow-Up:

If you promised to provide additional information or research an answer, do so promptly after the session. This demonstrates your commitment to addressing the audience’s needs.

12. Reflect and Improve:

After each session, take time to analyze what went well and what could be improved. Consider seeking feedback from colleagues or mentors to refine your Q&A skills for future engagements.

Can I answer a Question with a Question?

Many a time we think is it disrespectful to answer a question with a question, or perhaps even condescending? However, answering a question with a question can be an effective communication technique when used thoughtfully, but it’s essential to be mindful of the context and tone to avoid coming across as disrespectful or condescending. 

Consider, for instance, a scenario where someone asks, “Do you know where my keys are?” Responding with, “Have you checked your coat pocket?” instead of a direct “yes” or “no” can be helpful. However, if someone in a team meeting asks, “How do we solve this problem?” replying with, “Well, what solutions have you considered?” can encourage collaborative problem-solving. So, while answering a question with a question can be a valuable tool for prompting critical thinking or guiding discussions, it’s crucial to gauge the situation and intent to ensure it’s used appropriately.

Types of Difficult Questions:

Often times in presentations we don’t get softball questions that are easy to handle but rather some sort of pushback. The audience tries to gauge your authenticity or simply disagrees with you. These are what we call Difficult questions. They are inquiries that pose challenges beyond their surface. They require careful consideration, provoke thought, or test one’s knowledge, often demanding more than a simple yes or no answer. Handling difficult questions effectively is a skill that involves not only providing accurate responses but also managing the dynamics of the discussion and the emotions of those asking. In this exploration, we’ll delve deeper into these challenging types of questions, dissect their nuances, and offer strategies for responding adeptly and constructively.

1. When You Don’t Know the Answer:

• Challenge: It’s common to face questions to which you don’t have an immediate answer, especially in complex or unfamiliar topics.
• Example: In a technical presentation, someone asks a highly technical question beyond your expertise.
• Admit it gracefully: Acknowledge that you don’t have the answer, but express your willingness to find it.
• Offer a partial answer: Share what you do know or suggest possible resources or experts to consult.
• Follow up: Make a commitment to research and provide a comprehensive response after the session.

2. Too Many Questions at the Same Time (Machine Gun Questioning):

• Challenge: Some audience members may bombard you with multiple questions all at once, making it difficult to respond coherently.
• Example: An audience member asks, “How does this technology work, and what are its applications? Can you explain its impact on the industry?”
• Politely request clarification: Ask the person to specify which question they’d like you to address first.
• Address one question at a time: Break down the multiple questions into individual responses to maintain clarity.
• Control the pace: Politely request that questions be asked one at a time to facilitate a more organized discussion.

3. Audience Member Makes a Statement and Tries to Take Over:

• Challenge: Some individuals may attempt to dominate the Q&A session by making lengthy statements or challenging your expertise.
• Example: An audience member insists on sharing their own knowledge and experience, seemingly to undermine your credibility.
• Acknowledge their input: Politely thank them for their perspective and acknowledge their knowledge.
• Redirect the focus: Gently guide the conversation back to the topic or the question at hand.
• Set boundaries: Establish ground rules for the Q&A session at the beginning, emphasizing that questions should be concise and relevant.

4. Emotional Questions Driven by Anger:

• Challenge: Emotionally charged questions, often stemming from anger or frustration, can be challenging to handle without escalating tension.
• Example: An audience member confronts you with anger about a controversial topic you’re discussing.
• Stay calm and empathetic: Maintain composure, listen attentively, and acknowledge the person’s emotions.
• Avoid confrontation: Refrain from responding with defensiveness or aggression, as it can escalate the situation.
• Reframe the question: Politely ask the person to rephrase their question in a more constructive and specific manner.

5. Off-Topic Questions:

• Challenge: Sometimes, audience members ask questions that are unrelated to the topic of your presentation or discussion.
• Example: In a business presentation on marketing strategies, someone asks about your personal hobbies.
• Politely redirect: Acknowledge the question but gently steer the conversation back to the main topic.
• Offer to discuss later: Suggest discussing off-topic questions after the session to avoid derailing the current discussion.

6. Provocative Questions:

• Challenge: These questions are designed to provoke a reaction or create controversy.
• Example: During a political debate, someone asks a loaded question aimed at stirring up emotions rather than seeking a constructive answer.
• Stay composed: Maintain a calm and respectful demeanor when responding, regardless of the provocation.
• Address the core issue: Focus on the underlying topic or concern within the provocative question rather than getting drawn into the emotional aspect.

7. Incomprehensible Questions:

• Challenge: Some questions are poorly phrased or unclear, making it challenging to discern the intent behind them.
• Example: An audience member asks a question with convoluted language and vague references.
• Seek clarification: Politely ask the person to rephrase or clarify their question to ensure you understand it correctly.
• Paraphrase and respond: Restate what you believe the question is about, and answer based on your interpretation. The person can then confirm or correct your understanding.

8. Condescending Questions:

• Challenge: These questions are posed in a belittling or patronizing manner, often implying that the person asking believes they know better.
• Example: An audience member asks, “Do you even understand the basics of this topic?”
• Maintain professionalism: Respond with professionalism and confidence, avoiding any temptation to match the condescension.
• Address the question’s substance: Focus on providing a well-informed and concise response to demonstrate your expertise.

9. Overly Technical Questions:

• Challenge: In technical or specialized discussions, questions may become overly complex, making it challenging for a broader audience to follow.
• Example: A highly technical question filled with industry-specific jargon is asked in a general audience setting.
• Simplify the response: Offer a simplified explanation or analogy to make the answer accessible to a broader audience.
• Offer follow-up resources: Suggest additional reading or resources for those interested in delving deeper into the technical details.

Handling these challenging question scenarios effectively requires a combination of good communication skills, patience, and tact. Remember that the goal is to maintain a productive and respectful dialogue with your audience while addressing their concerns and inquiries.

People Also Ask:

Why is it important to know how to take the audience’s questions when you are presenting.

It is crucial to know how to handle audience questions when presenting for several reasons. Firstly, audience questions signify engagement and interest in your topic, making it an opportunity to further connect with your audience and demonstrate your expertise. Secondly, addressing questions allows you to clarify any misunderstandings or provide additional context, ensuring that your message is well-received and understood. Moreover, handling questions effectively helps you maintain control over the presentation’s flow, ensuring that it stays on track and doesn’t deviate too far from your intended message. Lastly, audience questions can provide valuable feedback, enabling you to gauge the audience’s comprehension and adapt your presentation in real time if necessary, leading to a more successful and impactful presentation overall.

Who is responsible for answering questions from the audience at the time of the presentation?

The responsibility for answering questions from the audience during a presentation primarily falls on the presenter (most likely You). You’re the one who’s been preparing and practicing your presentation for weeks, months, or maybe even years. You’re the guru on the stage, the oracle of information. When those curious souls in the audience raise their hands or type away with their burning questions, it’s your time to shine. You get to flex your brain muscles and give them answers that will make their heads spin (in a good way, of course). It’s your duty to facilitate a productive Q&A session by actively listening to each question, providing thoughtful and accurate responses, and ensuring that the discussion remains relevant to the topic at hand. However, in some cases, especially during larger presentations or panel discussions, a moderator or facilitator may assist in managing the question-and-answer

In conclusion, mastering the art of Q&A, and handling audience questions like a pro, is a skill that can transform any presentation, discussion, or public speaking engagement. By understanding the diverse types of questions that may arise and adopting effective strategies to address them, you can create an interactive and engaging dialogue with your audience. From riddles that stimulate creativity to emotionally charged inquiries that demand empathy, each question offers a unique opportunity to connect, educate, and inspire. 

Remember, the key to success lies in active listening, clear communication, and maintaining composure, even in the face of challenging questions. Whether you’re a speaker, presenter, moderator, or simply someone engaged in a meaningful conversation, the ability to navigate difficult questions with finesse not only enhances your credibility but also fosters a more enriching and enlightening exchange of ideas. So, embrace the art of Q&A, and with practice and patience, you’ll continue to refine this valuable skill, ensuring that your interactions with your audience are both memorable and impactful.

To learn more about how to conduct presentations and improve your communication skills in the workplace you can try our coaching program here .

Enroll in our transformative 1:1 Coaching Program

Schedule a call with our expert communication coach to know if this program would be the right fit for you

High-Stakes Presentations: Strategies for Engaging and Influencing Senior Leaders

Crisis Leadership 101: Cultivating Empathy While Exercising Authority 

Lost Voice? Here’s How to Recover Sore Throat and Speak Again

• [email protected]
• +91 98203 57888

Get our latest tips and tricks in your inbox always

Copyright © 2023 Frantically Speaking All rights reserved

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to footer

Tress Academic

#30: Questions from the audience you should be prepared to answer

November 5, 2019 by Tress Academic

You can never know the exact questions that the audience will ask after you have finished a conference presentation. This uncertainty can cause additional stress for you, and put you on edge during your presentation. There are, however, a few questions you can assume that someone from your audience might ask. So why not prepare yourself for these questions just in case? We’ll tell you which type of questions these are, and how you can easily prepare yourself for them. Having answers ready for these standard questions will make the Q&A part so much easier for you and alleviate unnecessary stress on the big day.

When we recently held our course “How to present at international scientific conferences” at a Swiss university, we discussed the Q&A part that comes right after a conference presentation with the participants. They spoke about their experiences at conferences where they presented their research, and everything that made it especially difficult for them. The presentations were always a big cause of stress and anxiety for them – is it for you as well? If so, we have another post from the Smart Academics Blog that will help you to deal with being nervous, see #3: “How to cope with stage fright?” .

If you are not an experienced presenter, it is a pretty big thing to go out and stand in front of a large crowd of colleagues from your field and tell them about your work. What our course participants were most scared of – even more than giving the talk – was the moment after they had delivered their presentation and the session chair opened the floor for questions. This was the moment where the unexpected could happen because they didn’t know what the questions would be. The biggest fear in the moment was to receive questions that they cannot answer or that make them look inexperienced, ignorant or worse! 

We totally understand this fear. Imagine you were well-prepared for a talk and had a good feeling throughout the presentation,  but the questions from the audience could spoil the good impression. Just imagine if you would have no idea how to answer relatively simple questions – this would be a waste of!

Do you have the same fears? We’d love to help you overcome them! There are actually a handful of questions that are very likely to be asked. These are the type of questions that so often come up at conferences, especially when early-career researchers are presenting. You should be prepared for these questions, with an answer in hand, which is not difficult to do! It should be a part of your preparation for the conference talk to think about these questions. You will see, it takes a lot of stress off your shoulders! 

Let us tell you about the most common audience questions at conferences below. If you want to prepare yourself for the next talk, download our free worksheet “Questions I should be ready to answer” . 

Typical audience questions you should have an answer for

1. what’s next … .

Of all the questions that people from the audience could ask you, this is for sure one of the most friendly and helpful ones. This question offers no critique of your work, and it does not ask for clarification of anything you said in your talk. The questioner simply wants to know what your next research steps are. They are interested in your research and express curiosity of how it might go on. 

So, make sure you have an idea about which follow-up steps you want to take with your research. Be prepared to tell the audience a little bit about how you might progress. Think about what you want to say before the question is asked and make a structure of the points you want to say, so you don’t leave out anything important. Use our free worksheet “Questions I should be ready to answer” to help you. 

2. Why should we know more about this?  

If you hear this question right after finishing your talk, you might feel a bit frustrated, or even threatened. Why is the audience asking this at the end? Wasn’t your talk clear enough? Have they not listened to you? It can sound as if the questioner doubts the value or necessity of your work. Or it could feel as if you were not clear enough when describing why you research what you do. 

In fact, this is again a very friendly and helpful question. It has no negative connotation and the questioner has no intention of criticising you or your work. He or she may just want to know more explicitly from you why you did this research and why it is worth doing in such detail. It is a question about the relevance of your work. 

So, what do you do? Tell the audience why you did your research, what you expect as its outcome and give some examples or applications to help them better understand why your work is needed. Use our free worksheet “Questions I should be ready to answer” .  

3. How have you done this …? 

This is a question about your methods or the overall approach you’ve applied. You will probably be surprised to get this question because you’ll think you had explained everything very clearly in your talk. Obviously, this was not the case for the person asking. 

Don’t be scared! You have most likely not failed to talk about your methods, but in presentations, the reporting on the scientific methods that were applied to address a certain question is often the most difficult part for the audience to comprehend. Thus, it is not surprising that questions arise on the matter. 

Properly describing the methods you applied in your research in a conference presentation is challenging. You hardly have the time to go into such detail in order to make the audience fully understand it. In a typical 15-minute presentation slot, which requires time for questions and discussion, so it is really more like a  10-12 minute talk, you have only a few minutes available to explain your approach. 

For this reason, we advise participants in our courses to always keep the methods part of your presentation short, by reducing it to the main steps and avoiding too much detail. You should give only a rough outline of the steps because it is difficult, tiring, and sometimes also a bit boring for the audience to listen to a specific set-up of a workflow or a project when you have not been part of the project.

Instead, spend time in your talk presenting your problem, your findings, your examples, and your take-home message. This is what the audience needs to understand! But of course, it might then trigger a question about HOW have you done it, which again, you can prepare yourself for. It is really a friendly and helpful question from an interested person. The audience shows that they want to better understand how your work was done. 

In your preparation phase, determine which methods or method steps could be unclear to your audience and what kind of information they would need to have for a quick understanding of a complex issue. Use our f ree worksheet “Questions I should be ready to answer” to help you prepare for this step.  

4. What do you mean by …? 

The fourth most common question that you can expect to receive is probably the easiest one to answer. It is a clarifying question where the questioner has not understood a specific term, a process, or an aspect of your presentation that you referred to. 

Questions like this pose no threat but are necessary for your audience to fully get your talk. Don’t forget, you will also have some listeners in your audience that come from other fields and they might not be familiar with your specialist terminology. We can never know what the exact level of knowledge of our audience is, therefore, you will sometimes be surprised to get questions about aspects you think are common knowledge – they probably are not. 

If you follow our rule to only include what you can explain yourself in your presentation, you will never have a problem with this question. If you fully comprehend what you talk about, you will always be able to address this question professionally. If you try to illustrate your vast knowledge by alluding to processes that you do not fully comprehend, you run the risk of not being able to further explain to them when asked by the audience. Keep your presentation air-tight to what you know you know!

You can prepare yourself with an overview of topics and aspects that probably somebody in the audience who isn’t from your field wouldn’t know and potentially need a clear explanation. Our free worksheet “Questions I should be ready to answer” will help you to prepare for this. 

Naturally, the Q&A part of a conference presentation is the part that you can’t prepare for as precisely as the actual delivery of your presentation. There will always be an element of surprise for you and this is of course also the purpose of this interaction with the audience. They want to experience you off the cuff, where you have to show a bit of spontaneity. They are not coming to see a well-rehearsed play, but a glimpse of the scientists who are conducting this cutting edge work. 

That does not mean everything taking place during the Q&A is random and you have to give yourself over to fate. An audience can feel when you are nervous and they feel for you when you are a less-experienced presenter. Therefore, they sometimes deliberately ask some of the questions above, because they know these are ‘soft-ball’ questions that you can answer. So, make sure you are prepared for them and show your audience that you have done the work and deserve their attention. We wish you best of luck with your next Q&A session! 

Relevant resources:  

• Worksheet “Questions, I should be ready to answer”  
• Presentations course “How to present at international scientific conferences”  
• Smart Academics Blog #03: How to cope with stage fright?  
• Smart Academics Blog #24: New to the PhD? – 5 tips for a great start! 
• Smart Academics Blog #26: First conference presentation? 17 life-saving tips
• Smart Academics Blog #95: Apply these 5 tips to improve any presentation

Relevant courses and services:

• 1-day course: Presenting successfully at virtual conferences
• 3-day course: How to present at international conferences
• 1-to-1 advice: Presentation Check

More information:  

Do you want to present successfully at conferences? If so, please sign up to receive our free guides.  

© 2019 Tress Academic

#ConferencePresentations #ConferenceTalk #QA #QuestionsAndAnswers, #AudienceQuestions

Communication Compendium

15 Questions for Better Feedback

On your talks and presentations.

Here are the three least effective ways to ask for feedback after a talk or presentation:

“What’d you think?”

“How do you think I did?”

“Did you like it?”

And because you asked an empty question, you can expect an empty response…

“I thought you did a great job!”

“Loved it.”

“I really liked it.”

“Nicely done.”

Sure, the comment will make you feel good (temporarily), but you’ll walk away not knowing what you did that made you great or what you should have done to be even better.

And because you’re someone who wants to improve, I know you want to know how to get better feedback.

But before getting that feedback, you need to first consider who you’re going to get feedback from.

Here’s who I consider:

Someone who’s in my target audience. Meaning, the person I had in mind while I was writing my talk or creating my presentation.

Someone who I’ve told in advance that I’ll be asking for their feedback — and likely shared exactly what I want their feedback on.

Someone who isn’t too close to me personally, so their potential critical feedback doesn’t bleed into our personal relationship (this depends on the dynamics of my relationship with the person).

Someone who has experience giving talks or presentations.

Someone who uses the type of information I shared.

Someone I’ve paid to coach me (or a mentor).

Someone who isn’t overly complimentary (like my mom).

Once you know who you’re going to ask for feedback from, try one (or more) of these feedback questions:

How do you plan to use what you learned?

Where do you think I should have spent more/less time?

If I spoke again on the same topic, what else would you want to know about?

What are three words you’d use to describe me while I spoke/presented?

What do you think was my most memorable point or slide?

If there was one thing I could do to improve my talk or presentation, what would it be?

What specifically did I do that connected me or disconnected me from my audience?

What’s something you now know that you didn’t know before my talk or presentation?

What problem was my talk or presentation trying to solve?

What type of person would benefit most from hearing my talk or presentation?

At what point in my talk or presentation did you feel most/least engaged?

What do you remember about my body language while I spoke/presented?

What made you decide to attend my talk or presentation?

Was there anything you were hoping to learn that you did not?

If I had to remove one section from my talk or presentation, what would you suggest I cut out?

Feedback is only valuable when it tells you what you should start doing, keep doing, or stop doing.

When you ask for feedback, be intentional about who you ask, be specific about what type of response you want, and remember that just because they say it doesn’t make it true.

If you’d like to add a question to the list, drop it in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Ready for more?

50+ Questions to Generate Audience Participation

When it comes to presentations, one of the most important things you can do is get your audience engaged and participating. This can be a challenge, but with the right questions, it can be easy!

In this post, we will provide you with over 50 different questions you can use in your next presentation. These questions are broken down into different types, so you can easily find the ones that will work best for your needs, as well as slide deck recs for each type of question.

Introduction Questions

Using questions in an introduction to a meeting or presentation sets the tone for the rest of your time together. These questions can also give the speaker an idea of the expectations and wants of those in the audience.

While asking some of these questions to a group can quickly devolve into side conversations or serve as distractions, picking one or two of them and having the group answer on their phones can provide real insight. We suggest using the Meeting Kickoff slide deck to quickly ask the questions, get the audience participating, and set the tone for the rest of the meeting.

1. Who here has ever been to a meeting where they were completely lost within the first five minutes?

2. How many of you have some knowledge about the topic we're discussing today?

3. What is something you're hoping to come away with after this presentation?

4. What are you tired of hearing about on this topic?

5. What motivates you most to learn about this topic?

6. What can I do to make this presentation valuable to you?

7. If you aren't here due to work obligations, would you still want to be here?

8. How do you prefer to consume information on this topic?

9. Do you prefer presentations/meetings in-person or virtually?

10. What would help you focus for the rest of this presentation?

Word Cloud Questions

Another fantastic way to gauge what your audience feels or thinks about certain topics (while keeping them engaged and entertained) is through the use of word clouds. Unlike open-ended questions, word clouds allow an audience to answer a prompt and give a visual representation to the group on which answer is the most prevalent.

Word clouds are an excellent way to draw a group back in mid-meeting and gauge the mindset of your audience. Slides with Friends has a fantastic Word Cloud Game you can put together in a few moments to boost the participation in your next presentation.

1. How are you feeling right now?

2. Who has had the biggest influence on your life?

3. What person in our industry has had the biggest impact on your career?

4. What's something you're worried about professionally today?

5. What's something you're excited about professionally today?

6. What's one of the best ideas our company/group has come up with?

7. How would you describe our last month in one word?

Ice Breaker Questions

If you’re hosting a meeting with a smaller group that’s already comfortable with each other, meeting icebreakers can loosen tongues and generate conversation. These questions are also a bit more fun, perfect for easing into a heavier presentation.

Use our Meeting Icebreaker slide deck to start your meetings with a little bit of sharing and laughter. Setting the tone at the beginning of your meeting will keep the audience engaged throughout.

1. What’s your favorite tradition or holiday?

2. What fictional world or place would you like to visit?

3. What is your favorite time of the day? Why?

4. What's one routine that has changed how you work?

5. What's something about the co-worker/person next to you that you appreciate?

6. What's your biggest non-work goal right now?

7. What's something you're willing to share that we don't know about you?

This or That Questions

With larger groups, it can be even more difficult to grab and keep everyone’s attention, much less get the group to participate. The key to using questions with larger audiences is to keep the answers simple and easy to share.

One of our favorite ways of keeping an audience engaged with questions is with this or that questions. Or, as we call them at Slides with Friends, tea vs coffee questions. Our slide deck Tea vs Coffee was created to make engaging with big groups easier, but still fun.

1. Coffee or tea?

2. Hot or cold climate?

3. Pager or fax machine?

4. Train or plane?

5. Staycation or vacation?

6. Netflix or Amazon Prime?

7. Mountains or beach?

8. Macs or PCs?

9. Beer or wine?

10. Work from home or in the office?

Discussion Questions

Sometimes to generate audience participation, you need to let them do the talking. This is the concept that inspired the discussion questions we’ve put together. What are things people want to talk about while still staying on topic? What can you ask to get the group involved and engaged without derailing the purpose of the gathering?

With the Brainstorming Session Template slide deck, you can present your questions to the group and either have them answer aloud or through their phones. The key here is taking a step back and letting them lead the conversation.

1. What is the best advice you've ever gotten about your career?

2. What was your first job? How has it influenced your career now?

3. How have you seen your industry change in the past 10 years?

4. What is your favorite thing about your job?

5. What is the hardest thing about your job?

6. What are some of the biggest challenges you see in your industry right now?

7. What's one thing you wish was more efficient about your job?

8. What small change can we make today that will shift how we work long-term?

Exit Questions

We’d all love to think every single one of our presentations was a slam dunk, but we know that’s not true. One way to finish up strong and with appreciated audience participation is to ask how you did.

Use the questions below in our Project Wrap Up slide deck to find out how you did and what you can change for the next time you meet. The best way to improve audience participation is to give the group what they want. These questions will help you figure out what that ‘want’ is.

1. What was your favorite part of the presentation?

2. What are you going to do with what you learned today?

3. Who is going to help you implement what you learned today?

4. When are you going to start using what you learned today?

5. What's your plan for continuing to learn about this topic?

6. How would you rate the overall quality of the presentation?

7. What could we have done better?

8. Was the pace too fast, too slow, or just right?

9. Did you feel like you learned something new?

Silly Questions

And finally, just for the fun of it, here are a few of our favorite silly questions to ask the crew at your next Happy Hour Hang . Sure, these questions might devolve into laughter, but that still counts as participation!

1. How would you describe your job to a preschooler?

2. What would your entrance song be if you were coming out on stage?

3. What place in time do you think you'd fit in the most?

4. What do you think is the most overrated show or movie right now?

5. What fictional team (X-Men, Avengers, Justice League) is the best?

Subscribe for more articles like this

Try slides with friends for free.

The easiest way to host meetings your team will love

Engagement delivered to your inbox

We'll email you 1-2x per month with brand new, ready-to-run events and ideas. Subscribe to stay ahead of the curve and keep your lessons, meetings, and events fresh and engaging.

Improve your practice.

Enhance your soft skills with a range of award-winning courses.

Guide for Handling Questions after a Presentation

October 19, 2017 - Dom Barnard

The questions at the end of a presentation can be terrifying for many speakers as they can’t be controlled and are hard to prepare for. However, questions form an important part of the presentation for the whole audience as they allow for clarification and consolidation of learning.

The presenter can enhance the usefulness of the question and answer session by treating it as a formal part of the presentation that requires as much careful planning and control as the delivery of the core material.

Identify possible questions and scope in your preparation

The background work that you undertook whilst planning your presentation is the key to handling questions effectively and understanding what  type of audience  you’ll be faced with. If you have defined a focus for your presentation and have explored this thoroughly in your research and planning, you are more likely to be able to confidently respond to questions.

When planning your presentation, you will need to prepare prompts for questions that are open and straightforward, for example saying “That’s the end of my presentation. I’ll be taking questions for the next 10 minutes”.

You might also want to define topics for discussion before taking questions, by stating the areas you’re willing to field questions in. Your preparation will help you identify topics you are not confident with and want to avoid in the questioning.

Set some rules for asking questions

At the start of your presentation, make it clear when you would prefer to deal with questions – as you go along or at the end of the presentation.

Some speakers prefer questions to be raised as they arise during the presentation. The advantage of this approach is that any misunderstandings can be dealt with immediately. However, there is also a danger that the question will disrupt or distract the speaker, or that questions are raised that would have been covered later in the presentation.

If you leave questions until the end, plan to leave plenty of time for questions so that the audience doesn’t feel rushed.

Framework for responding to questions

Answering questions under pressure can make you say things you shouldn’t have – the nerves can force you to give an inappropriate response. In your panic you might have misinterpreted the question or given away company information that was sensitive. Use the following framework to help you respond effectively to your audience.

Practice answering AI-generated questions on your speech or presentation with  VirtualSpeech .

1. Listen to the whole question

You don’t have to answer a question immediately. Pause for a few seconds,  actively listen  to all parts of the question and think about the best way to answer.

Frequently questions can change direction at the last moment, particularly if the questioner is thinking on their feet. This can throw you if you have already started to prepare an answer. Remember that questioners will frequently try to make a point whilst asking their question – it’s therefore important to both hear the content of the question and try to decipher the questioner’s intention.

2. Understand the context

If you are worried that you haven’t understood a question, ask them to clarify what they mean. Check for confirmation by paraphrasing the question back to the questioner – “You want me to list the improvements of X?”.

3. Involve the whole audience

It is important to remember that even though you are taking a question from one member of the audience, you are still responsible for the interest of the other audience members. This is particularly important in large groups as the audience will become bored if the presentation descends into a series of one-to-one discussions.

To involve the rest of the audience, make sure the whole audience has heard and understood the question by repeating it or paraphrasing it to the audience.

4. Respond concisely

When you reply to a question, direct your answer to both the questioner and other members of the audience. Try to keep your responses as focused as possible, leaving space for other questions. To avoid going into too much detail, check back with the questioner to see if you have answered their query – “Does that answer your question in enough detail?”.

We’ll cover different ways to respond in a later section.

5. Allow follow-up questions via email

You can also encourage your audience to ask questions after the event has finished by providing your email address. This shows a high level of respect for your audience and implies that the topic still has much further scope for enquiry.

Two good resources for handling questions

• What’s the art of answering a tricky question?
• Dodging the Question

Practice Answering Questions

Practice answering questions after your presentation using a 4 step process. Learn More

Options for answering the question

There are five possible choices depending on how well you understand and can answer the question. It’s okay to say that you don’t know the answer to something. This can add to your credibility instead of trying to waffle through an answer you don’t really know.

If you have a good answer for the question from the audience, go ahead and answer it in a short and clear message.

Ask a question back the audience member, such as “Can you clarify what you mean by that”. You can also attack the question if it is not related to the issue, factually inaccurate, personal or based on false assumptions. Be careful with this method.

Ask the question back to the audience or pass it to another panel member if possible. If suitable, another technique is to imply the question has been asked already, with you stating you don’t want to cover old ground.

Tell the audience member you will talk to them after the event. This gives you more time to think of a good answer and there is less pressure to give a perfect answer.

Or mention that that point is coming up in a slide.

This involves answering the question but changing the subject. You can also give a partial answer or give a negative answer, saying that something else will happen instead.

Avoid answering questions that fall outside of the remit of your talk: “I’m afraid that really falls outside of my objectives for today’s presentation. Perhaps we can resume discussion of that particular point later?”

Diagram Explained : Once you receive a question, you’ll have a few moments to think about it and reframe it in a way that makes sense to you. This will give you five choices on how to react – you can answer, reflect, deflect, defer or change the scope of the question. Once you’ve answered concisely, you can then follow up to check if the person asking the question is satisfied and then continue with the presentation.

Strategies to use when struggling to answer

Here are some strategies to use when you are struggling to answer the question posed to you. For more information, read this article on  Dodging the Question .

• Acknowledge the question without answering it – “That’s a good question, let’s consider the impact by looking at…”
• The question fails to tackle the important issue.
• The question is based on a false assumption.
• The question is factually inaccurate.
• The question is too personal or objectionable.
• Decline to answer. Refuse to answer on the basis that it is not your area of responsibility or it is sensitive company information – “You will have to ask [name] because I wasn’t involved in that particular project.”
• Partial answer
• Start to answer but change the subject
• Negative answer. You state what won’t happen instead of what will happen
• Answer a similar question
• State or imply the question has already been answered – “We’ve already covered that topic”

Things to avoid

When handling questions and answers, you will still need to be as professional as you have been for the main delivery of your presentation. There are some common dangers to avoid.

Answering the question you wished you’d been asked

A common trick played by politicians, this strategy ignores the precise nature of the question and uses a predetermined answer to the broad topic area. If handled poorly, this technique is very obvious to the audience and frustrating to the questioner.

Giving a lengthy response

This is the process whereby you make a lengthy response, including all the information you’d left out in planning the main presentation. Your unplanned response will be unstructured and rambling, so keep things focused and brief. If you find yourself rambling, ask them to talk to you after.

Passing the blame

Passing the blame to others comes across as weak and evasive. If an idea from the audience is a good one, acknowledge its value. If it isn’t, make a polite rebuttal and move on.

Defensive answers

Occasionally, questions can really put you on the spot, but it is important to remain calm and in control. An aggressive or defensive reply will be seen as weakness on your part and will spoil the effect of an otherwise successful presentation.

Handling difficult questions

It is important not to start responding to a difficult question before you have thought about the answer. Repeating the question and asking for clarification will help create some space for your thoughts.

Sometimes you will need to think about a question for a moment before responding. You may be able to buy a little bit of thinking time to help focus your response. Useful strategies include searching for an appropriate visual aid to help focus your response or simply pausing for a moment or two to think. For even more time, suggest that you’ll come back to the topic later (but don’t forget to do this).

7 myths when answering tough questions during presentations

Sometimes questions are too difficult to answer. Don’t worry about admitting that you don’t know something or haven’t considered an alternative approach. An enthusiastic “That’s an interesting idea, I’d not thought of that” is much more positive than a mumbled “I don’t know ”. Remember that a presentation is a two-way process and it is important to show that you are learning from your audience as well.

Finally, you can come across a questioner who disagrees strongly with your argument. Although this can feel very awkward, remember that you are still responsible for the whole audience and that you cannot allocate all of your question time to one individual.

If you feel that you have answered the initial question, announce that you will move on and suggest that you might continue discussion after the presentation. If the questioner persists, assert your position calmly by saying “I’m afraid I need to move on”.

You can read more on this topic here:  Responding to questions effectively (PDF)

• Product Updates

Polling l Q&A l Quiz Tips

Higher education.

• Employee Training
• Internal Comms

6 questioning tactics to use in your next presentation that maximise audience engagement

The famous scientific philosopher Thomas Kuhn said, “the answers you get depend on the questions you ask,” so if you’re not getting the answers, or audience engagement you want, maybe it’s time to take a look at the questions you’re asking.

The art of asking the right questions helps you to gain deep insights, support informed decision making and develop effective solutions to any challenges or plug information gaps. You might ask questions for data collection, tests or research, but it’s important to note that the questions you ask can have a huge impact on the results you get.

When it comes to asking your audience questions with a view to increasing engagement, there's several questioning tactics and question styles you can use, and we’ve detailed some below.

Build rapport and warm up with Icebreakers

Icebreakers should be easy questions that don't require too much thinking capacity. They might not be important from an informational point of view, but they have an important function for engagement. Our brain is highly social and thrives on interaction.

By starting a formalised meeting with light-hearted questioning, dopamine is released which lights up the sense of reward in the brain, encouraging this positive behaviour. Using a live polling tool to ask your icebreaker ramps up the interaction and excitement, increasing audience engagement even further.

Kick things off with:  

• Who will win the match at the weekend?
• What is your favourite movie?
• How did you get here today?

Why not download our ready to use PowerPoint icebreakers to poll your audience with?

Ask open questions

Questioning, with a view to increasing engagement, becomes even more effective when you use open questions - especially good if you’re using a word cloud polling tool . Open questions prompt your audience to consider their personal opinions and beliefs in their response, bringing them closer to the subject matter and naturally increasing interest and audience engagement.

Get your audience to open up by asking:

• What has been your most memorable part of the day/session?
• What will you do differently as a result of this session?
• Describe your feelings about the proposed changes in one word... 

Try the 5 W's

Basic though they may be, asking questions that begin with one of the five ‘W's will almost guarantee you an answer that isn't too taxing for the audience to come up with, perfect if you’re looking for data. Combine one of the 'W's with one of these other techniques and you'll amplify the effectiveness.

Why not try...

• Who, do you find inspirational?
• What, is your biggest challenge?
• When, do you feel most productive?
• Where, should we hold the next event?
• Why do you think (this resource/product/book/technique) is so popular?

You don't need to get too deep and meaningful with your audience but prompting them to reflect can be a powerful engagement tool for both you and them. Often, we all spend so much time looking forward, that we can forget to take a look back to find lessons or inspiration to help us acknowledge, grow, progress and continue to engage.

Ask your audience to ponder on these...  

• What has held you back?
• Who has helped you the most with this project?
• What would you tell your younger self?
• How would you approach this differently now you have experience?

Make a statement, provoke a reaction

Rhetorical questions are often used by coaches or public speakers for effect, to get the audience thinking. Why do they work? Typically, rhetorical questions can be blunt or provocative, they can stop the audience in their tracks and prompt them to pay attention or re-engage if asked midway through a presentation or speech.

Rhetorical questions can also resonate strongly, as each audience member ponders the question in the context of their own reality, increasing the poignancy of the question.

How about asking...  

• Why does this even matter?
• How do we overcome this?
• What does this say about who we are?
• Where do we go next?

Democratic decision making 

We're huge fans of democracy (current politics aside) and nothing engages an audience more than the knowledge that their contribution affects the outcome. Whether you're hunting answers from your audience for the sake of data, to gauge opinion, or to actually make a real-life decision, the use of live-polling will get the crowds engaging.

Multi-choice polling is really effective and increases engagement by giving your audience a sense of autonomy over the decision at hand by providing them with the answers to choose between.   Poll the audience with…

• How often should we hold these sessions? Weekly, monthly, annually?
• Where should we go for our next social outing? Pub/restaurant, mini golf, bowling?
• How is the room temperature? Too hot, Too cold, Just right?

So, now you’ve got 6 question types to try out and engage with your next audience. As a last piece of advice, an engaged audience is a natural bi-product if the information you’re sharing is interesting, relevant and the audience can learn something from you, or about themselves.

Related articles

From the blog.

Poll Everywhere Vs Vevox

10 ways to use image polling in your quizzes 

Atlantic Technological University Reviews Vevox vs Kahoot

NOW AVAILABLE! The Presentation Playbook Series

• Trade Show Presenter
• Testimonials
• Trade Show Staffing
• Sample Videos
• Seminar Speaker

Spark's Presentation & Public Speaking Blog

• 7 Tips to Encourage Audience Questions in Your Presentation Q&A

September 19, 2017

Ever seen a presenter ask “Any questions?” at the end of their presentation, and heard only crickets from the audience?

In my work as a professional emcee and trade show presenter , I see it often, and it always makes me cringe because it’s so awkward, and so completely avoidable.

Asking for questions and getting none kills a presentation’s momentum. It usually goes like this:

• The presenter, having run out of content, asks “Any questions?”
• The audience, having no questions, freezes in place.
• Everyone thinks they hear crickets, though there are none in the room.
• The presenter, getting no questions, says, “OK, I guess I’m done.”

OUCH. How’d that happen?

Chances are, you caught your audience by surprise. They didn’t know you’d take questions, so they didn’t think of any. When you asked, you caught them off guard.

I want your next presentation to end with a bang, not a whimper. So try these tips to encourage questions:

1. PREPPING YOUR Q&A: PRIME YOUR AUDIENCE

> TIP THEM OFF EARLY:  As you start your presentation, tell your audience: “I’ll take all your questions at the end, so write down your questions as you think of them along the way.”  That’ll get them active thinking of questions throughout your presentation.

> REMIND THEM:  A few minutes before you take questions, say: “I’ve got one more slide to cover, then I’ll take your questions.” That’ll remind them to think of some questions if they haven’t yet.

2. STARTING YOUR Q&A: GIVE THEM A NUDGE

> LEAVE ROOM: Starting a Q&A with little or no time left discourages questions; your audience wants to leave on time too! Instead, carve out 5-10 minutes or more for questions (and cut some content to make room if needed; your audience prioritizes the information they want to get over the information you want to share).

> USE A PLANT: Have a “plant” in the audience who’ll ask the first question (one you’re comfortable answering), which encourages other audience members to ask (and saves them the awkwardness of going first) and gives them time to think of something to ask.

> CHANGE YOUR PHRASING: Your audience may interpret the phrase “Any questions?” as a sign that you don’t expect or even want questions, which discourages them from asking. Instead, encourage questions by phrasing your question with a more upbeat, expectant tone:  “Who’s got a question?” or  “Who’d like to go first?”

> ASK IT YOURSELF: Ask yourself a common question:  “One question I get often is…” Then answer it. Again, this encourages the audience to follow suit, and gives them more time to think of a question.

3. ENDING YOUR Q&A: ADD THAT BANG!

Q&A or not, ending your presentation by saying you’re ending your presentation (“OK, I guess I’m done”) will end your presentation with a whimper. You can easily replace that whimper with a “bang” by restating your main takeaway and thanking your audience:

“Folks, I hope my presentation has shown you that when it’s raining and you want to stay dry outside, use an umbrella! You won’t regret it. Thanks so much for your time.”

And thank you so much for your time!

by Andy Saks

Posted in: Sparky Says: Presentation & Public Speaking Tips | No Comments

Add your comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Search Spark’s Blog

Organization: Phone: type_submit_reset_5 Spark News: Coming (& Recent) Attractions Spark booth presenter shines at Las Vegas tech show Navy SEAL fundraiser books charity auctioneer Andy Saks Boston awards event books Spark master of ceremonies Read all Coming (& Recent) Attractions Sparky Says: Presentation & Public Speaking Tips 10 Tips to Boost Donations at Your Fund the Need / Paddle Raise 10 PowerPoint Alternatives That Make Your Presentation Memorable Read all Sparky Says (Speaking Tips) Presentation Frequently Asked Questions Trade show presenter 101: Your guide to booking a booth presenter (Part 1) Sales presentation skills: How much is your pitch actually worth? How do I hire the right trade show presenter? Read all Presentation FAQ Spark's Client Success Stories Emcee tips: How Spark’s master of ceremonies made AT&T’s awards dinner fun Trade show booth ideas: How to get the most value from your presenter Trade show booth ideas: Recycle your presentation script Read all Spark Success Stories Spark Presentations Andy Saks, Owner & Lead Speaker 781-454-7600 | Email | Contact page Don't miss exclusive Spark deals! Sign up for your Spark e-newsletter today. The 10 steps to asking questions so you get an answer every time by Olivia Mitchell | 17 comments Asking questions of your audience is a great way to keep the audience engaged. But asking questions is an art. I asked on Twitter what people found hardest about asking questions that engage your audience: Lee Potts from Breaking Murphy’s Law “Posing the question in such a way that guarantees someone, anyone, will answer and not leave me hanging.” Brent Dykes from PowerPoint Ninja “How to recover from a question or series of questions that get crickets (i.e., silence)?” You ask a question and the audience looks blankly back at you You may have suffered the same fate. There are many reasons why people won’t answer your questions ranging from lack of clarity of the question to fear of public speaking. Here are the 10 steps for asking questions in a presentation which will help you avoid being left hanging. 1. Warm up your audience first Comedians warm-up their audiences – or if they’re stars – they have another comedian do it for them. You also need to warm up your audience first. They need to get to know you and trust you a little before they’ll venture answering a question. 2. Don’t let them settle into a passive mode But don’t leave it too long before you start asking questions. If you leave it too long, people will settle into a passive “TV-watching” mode and it will be difficult to rouse them into responding. So once you’ve established rapport (2-5 minutes) start asking questions. The audience will then get that this is an interactive presentation and will stay on their toes rather than settling into that passive mode. 3. Move from easy to more challenging questions through your presentation Plan your questions so that they move your presentation forward. This matrix will help you plan your questions. For example, say I was giving a presentation on “Overcoming your fear of public speaking” I could use this matrix to come up with progressively more challenging questions. I would start with questions from the bottom-left corner. These are easy questions which will get me and my audience on a roll. But if I only asked questions like this they would soon become trite and boring. More quiz show than presentation. So as you move through your presentation move towards the top-right corner and ask more challenging questions which will get your audience thinking. Here’s a resource for asking challenging questions . At every stage your questions needs to be tightly choreographed with the substance of your presentation. The answers to each question need to move the presentation forward. You’ll get from this that you need to carefully plan your questions. You can’t just blurt out a question that just popped into your head.  Asking engaging questions that your audience will answer needs careful planning. 4. Signal your question Sometimes people don’t answer a question because they weren’t listening or they didn’t realize you wanted an answer.  Let your audience know you’re about to ask a question. For example, you might say “Here’s a question I’d like you to answer.” Avoid mixing rhetorical questions (these are questions you don’t expect your audience to answer) with “real” questions. Your audience will get confused about whether they’re supposed to answer or not. 5. Frame your question so that people know exactly what you want A major reason people don’t answer questions in a presentation is because they’re not clear on what the questioner really wants. Never underestimate the ability of the audience to misunderstand your question. The build-up to and the phrasing of your question are both critical to ensuring that people understand the question and are comfortable answering. For example, in my presentation on nervousness, if I simply ask “what symptoms of nervousness do you get?” I might not get many responses and some might be slightly off-topic (eg: I don’t like talking to people I know”). Here’s how I get the best results. I start by telling my own story of getting ultra-nervous before a presentation. I describe my heart-beating as if it was going to explode out of my chest and the sweat trickling down my sides! Then I ask: “What bodily symptoms of nervousness do you get?” The answers come so quick and fast that I have to get someone to help me write them all up on the flipchart. Why does this work so well: I’ve shown them what I want by describing my own physical symptoms. I’ve made them more comfortable about sharing these personal details by sharing first. I’ve made my question ultra-clear by asking for “bodily symptoms”. Again, planning is critical. Draft your questions and then test them out on your friends and see if you get the type of answers you’re looking for. Then refine and test again. 6. Ask your question slowly and clearly You want people to understand you the first time. To make sure you get the phrasing right during the presentation, write the question out in full on a small card and read your question from the card if you need to. Quiz show hosts do this and so can you. You could also write the question on a slide so that people can read it for themselves and ponder on it. 7. Make it easy for people to answer Many people avoid answering questions because it means speaking in front of a group a.k.a. public speaking. So you need to make it easy for them. There are a number of ways of doing this: Split your audience into small groups (2-4 people) to discuss the question. Then ask for one person from each group to summarize the answers from that group. The spokesperson is just reporting back so there isn’t the same fear of looking stupid with a wrong answer. Less confident people won’t have to speak in front of the group but will still have been able to take part in the discussion. Hand out post-it notes and ask people to write their answer on the post-it and then come and stick it on the wall. Ask people to write their answer on a flip chart at the front of the room. This next method requires you to have some space in your room. Ask people to stand and move to the space. Create an imaginary line across the space by walking along the line. Let them know you’ll be asking a question and you’ll want them to answer by moving to a spot on the imaginary line. For example, I use this technique for people to see the level of presenting experience in the room. I’ll stand at one end of the line and say “Stand here if you’ve got lots of experience presenting”, then I’ll walk down the line to about the half-way spot and say “Stand here if you’ve got some experience” and then down to the other end and say “Stand here if you’ve hardly ever done it before.” 8. Wait for answers If you simply ask a question and want people to volunteer answers in front of the group you need to wait for the answers. Most people won’t answer straight away. They need time to think. Expect this. Wait in a relaxed but expectant stance. Look softly at different people in your audience. Normally someone will speak. Wait at least 10 seconds. Yes, this will feel like an eternity to you. If nobody answers you’ve got two options: Repeat the question and ask them to talk to their neighbor about it. Give the answer yourself and move on smoothly with your presentation. After the presentation, ask for some feedback from individual audience members why the question didn’t work. You’ll learn valuable lessons for next time. 9. Use the answers you get Incorporate the answers you get into the flow of your presentation. If you don’t do anything with the answers, people will fail to see the point and will stop contributing. A great tool here is a flip chart. Writing up the answers on the flip chart demonstrates that you value the answers you’re getting. If the answers are coming very fast you may need to have an assistant to help you write them up. Write them up as closely as you can to the way the person said it. If you need to paraphrase check with the person that it accurately reflects what they said. 10. Do not humiliate anyone You may think that you would never do this, but it’s incredibly easy to do unintentionally. Here’s how to avoid doing it: Acknowledge each answer you get with a warm “Thank you.” Do not gush over one particular answer – others will feel slighted in comparison. If somebody’s answer is totally wrong or misguided take responsibility for it. For example, you might say “Oh! that’s not quite what I was looking for but I can see why you said that. What I meant was….” Do not call on individuals to answer – they will feel put on the spot. Note that if you humiliate one person it has a ripple effect. Others will feel for them and will want to avoid the same fate. These 10 steps will help you avoid being left hanging – but they’re not a guarantee – asking questions is an art that requires practice and feedback. What other tips do you have for asking questions that engage your audience? Free Course How to tame your fear of public speaking. In this video-training series (plus workbook with transcripts) you’ll learn: The three things you must know BEFORE you begin to tackle your fear of public speaking Why the positive-negative thought classification doesn’t work for fear of public speaking The two powerful self-talk tweaks that can make an immediate difference. You have Successfully Subscribed! I ask for your email address to deliver the course to you and so that I can keep on supporting and encouraging you with tips, ideas and inspiration. I will also let you know when my group program is open for enrolment. I will keep your email safe and you can unsubscribe at any time. 17 Comments Here’s an old teacher’s trick for a shy audience: start with an action. Instead of asking the audience “Show of hands — how many of you…” — do the opposite. Ask everyone to raise their hands. This gets everyone “active” right away. Next, you can demand, “Now, drop your hand if…” Love this – so smart! Thanks laua for your advice Love this! Thank you Great post, Olivia. These strategies are highly useful and they absolutely work! Great suggestions, Olivia. Thanks for the insight. Everything you say about getting people to answer questions is right on. And what you say applies equally well to getting people to ask questions. I like to ask my audience questions. (I hope that I follow your guidelines when I do, although I need to work on framing my questions so they’re immediately and easily understood.) And then I follow up — if appropriate — with, “And what questions do you have?” If I ask, “Do you have any questions?” they just sit there. (It’s a yes/no question, which doesn’t encourage engagement.) But by asking what questions they have, I let them know I presume they have some. It doesn’t work all the time, but it usually gets people started. Great ideas, Olivia. Though you implied it, I think it’s worth making obvious that the very best questions are those to which there are many right answers, or even better, no wrong answers. E também 220220 e E 220240, e também Pinos refs. http://www.4abooks.com/comment/html/?121370.html O Que Pode E também O Que Não Pode. Atividade física e refeição. Treino: Bella muda a rotina de exercícios a cada 3 semanas. Nas entrevistas feitas com as crianças, pode-se observar que a motivação repassada pelos profissionais da educação é de suma importância, pois além de internalizar os hábitos de alimentação saudável, transmitem conhecimento aos seus familiares. E Ultra Power Max inclusive faz parte deste acervo. A berinjela consegue oferecer inúmeros benefícios para organismo além da perda com peso. A fim com ajudar justamente as mães que não têm tempo e nem disponibilidade para sair de casa, a profissional criou uma série de aulas online que dá a flexibilidade necessária para quem tem filhos pequenos. Fiz muitas pesquisas no sites de reclamações para saber se Quitoplan funciona antes de realizar minha compra, e no principal registrador de opiniões da internet, RECLAME AQUI, nã encontrei nenhuma reclamaçã em cima de nascente emagrecedor. Ele é 100% aprovado pela anvisa, produto é comercializado em território nacional com aquiescência do Ministério da saúde e da anvisa, sendo totalmente seguro e natural. Trate de preservar as pernas elevadas durante alguns segundos sem perder a postura do resto corpo, e abaixá-las lentamente até voltar à posição inicial. Comer da forma correta e se exercitar é a maneira mais ágil para perder peso. Esses alimentos te ajudarão muito a desintoxicar seu corpo, reestabelecer uma flora entérico saudável e te encher com os nutrientes importantíssimos que eles carregam. Isso faz com que a sua absorção seja menos difícil pelo espécime, sentindo os primeiros resultados logo nos primeiros dias. Lave as folhas com couve e depois bata todos os ingredientes no liquidificador e beba em seguida. Ovos trazem repleção e são um excelente alimento. Encontramos fontes que irão dizer que não é necessário, apenas seguindo as dicas de suco detox para emagrecer em uma dieta específica você conseguirá despossar muitos quilos e reduzir medidas em muito pouco tempo. Tal como antes se provoca que exercícios nessa horário mais leve queimavam mais gordura sem queimar tanta força, achavam que era mais efetivo, pois você poderia fazer mais tempo de exercício, formar mais massa muscular, sem se cansar tanto. Cereais integrais, como aveia, gergelim, arroz integral, batata doce, possuem boa cifra de fibras, que são fundamentais para quem deseja perder peso, pois estimulam a saciedade e bom funcionamento do intestino. Deste modo, compartilharemos com você algumas propostas de jantares simples e rápidos para você dormir sem passar fome e perdendo halter gradualmente. Nunca há segredo quanto como conseguir ter a abdômen trincada, exige bastante sacrifício para conseguir perder a gordura abdominal. Os sucos detox oferecem um combo de nutrientes muito benéficos para funcionamento do organismo bem como colaboram até mesmo com procedimento da perda de peso. Apesar de que todos os alimentos façam os níveis de glicose subir, os carboidratos têm um impacto mais rápido, causando um crescimento dos níveis de açúcar no seiva no prazo de duas horas após uma refeição. Ela se tornou expert no argumento ao lutar contra a obesidade por 17 anos e também finalmente conseguir emagrecer 43 kg utilizando técnicas de emagrecimento saudável. As respostas apontadas pelos participantes foram: dificuldade de realização do plano alongar principalmente nos finais a semana, festas e ocasiões sociais, falta de compreensão da família, objetos drástica dos hábitos alimentares, os resultados lentos e ansiedade. Bem como para preparar suco verde é necessário a couve, gengibre, água e também a laranja para dar um gosto mais agradável. Emagrecer é possível desde que se tenha força de vontade e rotina, aliados a uma agradável alimentação, exercícios físicos e um médico te acompanhando e auxiliando na melhor de forma de ter uma vida mais saudável possível. http://www.prentissms.org/how-to-lose-weight-without-the-yo-yo-dieting/ What’s up, its good article about media print, we all know media is a impressive source of information. What’s up, after reading this amazing piece of writing i am too glad to share my familiarity here with colleagues. If some one wants to be updated with most recent technologies then he must be pay a visit this web site and be up to date every day. ??? ???? ?????? ????? ???? ?????? If you think to hit, get started today. You will earn everything … For example, So, As, I would say about toyota, bungalow, money, gold. explored a method to work thatm quick slottica-casino.com/login/ (slottica-com.com) has to play ?all over the world. But advise to look enough sited to have a possibility. You might have discomfort, and easy. Of course fart intellect will assist https://slottica-com.com/ whoah this blog is wonderful i like studying your posts. Stay up the good work! You already know, many individuals are hunting round for this information, you can aid them greatly. Trackbacks/Pingbacks The 10 Steps to Asking Questions so that You Get an Answer Every Time « Gilbert Toastmasters - [...] “Asking questions of your audience is a great way to keep the audience engaged. But asking questions is an… It doesn’t work to leap a twenty-foot chasm in two ten-foot jumps « the scenic route - [...] ways to increase audience participation [...] The 5 Bad Habits of Experienced Speakers - [...] Asking questions of the audience can  be an excellent interactive technique. But your questions should be carefully planned –… The 5 Bad Habits of Experienced Speakers | PresentationXpert - [...] Asking questions of the audience can  be an excellent interactive technique. But your questions should be carefully planned –… Why speakers need eye contact from listeners | Matthew Arnold Stern - [...] regain an audience’s interest, you can ask them a question or invite discussion. Not only does this get the… When you present, here’s 12+ ways to be remembered (FiRST framework – part 3) | Remote Possibilities - [...] your talk as a dialogue, like by asking your audience pertinent questions (as shown by Olivia Mitchell and Bruce… How to rock at webinars – 9 concrete tips to keep people engaged | Remote Possibilities - […] online by Donald Taylor, Tips for webinars or virtual training by Cathy Moore, and also The 10 steps to… Presenting? Don’t shy away from your Q&A – part 1 [Video] | Remote Possibilities - […] Ask your audience some questions. For tips on getting a shy audience to reply, Olivia Mitchell has a great… Group Presentations for Introverts in 10 Easy Steps – College Life for Introverts - […] helps keep your audience engaged and prevent them from zoning out. (Thanks to Olivia Mitchell for some insight on… Got an important presentation coming up? Got an important presentation coming up and: You have so much content that you can't figure out what to leave out? Don't know where to begin your design process? Worried that your material won't be of value? Feeling overwhelmed and can't get started? Can't figure out your theme? Concerned you won't be engaging? Time is running out? Recent posts Why striving to be authentic can be a trap The first time is never the best The Need to be Knowledgeable Would you wear clothes that clash? An unconventional approach to overcoming the fear of public speaking Connect With Me Recommended Books Click here to see my favorite presentation books. I earn a small commission when you buy a book from this page. Thank you! Audience (22) Content (62) Delivery (31) Nervousness (30) Powerpoint (37) Presentation blogs (2) Presentation books (4) Presentation critiques (9) Presentation myths (6) Presentation philosophy (5) Presentation research (11) Presentation skills (23) Presenting with Twitter (10) Visual thinking (3) How to Tame your Fear of Public Speaking  Do you have to perform perfectly? Do you beat yourself up if you don't? Would you talk to a friend the way you talk to yourself? Does it make sense that if you changed the way you talked to yourself, you could reduce your fear of public speaking? I will show you exactly how in this free video training series and workbook. Discover more from Speaking about Presenting Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive. Type your email… Continue reading Discover how B2B marketers are adapting to AI — and preparing for the future — in our State of AI report. 🙌  Read now   Services & Support Discover how intelligent engagement transforms: ON24 Intelligent Engagement Platform AI-powered ACE Performance analytics Content hubs Integrations Landing pages AI-generated content Virtual events Virtual conferences Professional services Financial services Associations Life sciences Manufacturing Learn how you can use intelligent engagement for: Demand generation Partner enablement HCP engagement Customer marketing Professional certification Product marketing Member enrollment Upcoming webinars & events Compare software Customer stories What is a webinar? Investor relations Executive team Corporate responsibility Board of directors 11 Excellent Post-Webinar Survey Questions June 16th, 2020 Michael Mayday In today’s data-conscious age, we all know that it’s critical to gather attendee feedback after your webinars .  Asking the right post -webinar evaluation survey questions will:  1) provide the meaningful engagement data you need to improve the quality and responsiveness of your programs. 2) understand your attendees and deepen the relationships you’ve begun with them. The Best Post-Event Question Examples Below is a robust, post- event survey used by one of our clients that serves as a great example for a webinar follow-up.  It provides three specific pieces of audience feedback that you can use to make your programs better: their views on the value of the webinar , the knowledge and skills of the speaker(s) and the likelihood that they will recommend your program to colleagues (the ‘net promoter score’). Note that, when it comes to surveys, timing truly is everything. More on that below.  Pick and choose among these, or consider using all: [Event Name] Feedback Thank you for attending [Event Name]. Your views on the program are important to us. Please provide feedback on this session by completing this survey. 1. What percentage of the information was new to you? Select: 100% 75% 50% 25% 0% 2. I can use this session information: Select: Immediately In 2-6 months In 7-12 months Never 3. Would you like to learn more about this topic? Select: Yes No 4. Please rate the speaker’s knowledge of the topic: Select: Excellent Good Fair Poor 5. Please rate the speaker’s presentation skills: 6. Please rate the content of the slides/virtual aids: 7. How accurate was the session description? 8. How did the session compare to your expectations? 9. Overall session evaluation: [If relevant: Additional comments about the breakout:] 10. How likely are you to recommend this session to a colleague? (with 10 being most likely to recommend) Select: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. Please rate your overall experience: You can of course ask other webinar feedback questions to gain further insight into the needs and interests of your audience. Keep in mind, though, that longer surveys – those that take more than a few minutes to complete – typically generate fewer responses, so if you’re looking for different feedback you may want to swap out questions rather than tacking on new ones. Remember: with follow-up surveys, timing is everything Mention the post-webinar survey — and ask people to fill it in — just after the presentation has concluded, right before you start Q&A. Your attendees are engaged, they’ve either asked questions and are waiting to hear them answered, or are ready to participate in Q&A. The worst time to first mention a survey is in an email when the webinar concludes. By then, your audience is completely disengaged. Recipe for success: mention the survey at engaged moments in the webinar and send soon after. Post-Webinar Evaluation Questions to Ask for Written Responses How could we make the program better?   ______________________________ The answers help you identify improvements you could make to your webinars in general and the current presentation in particular. Takeaways: What was your single biggest takeaway? ____________________________________ Responses to this question will confirm you’re focusing on the right issues and/or identify modifications you might want to make to the substance of your webinar. Length / pace: The [length / pace] of the webinar was: Too Long/Slow / Just Right / Too Short/Fast Questions on the length and pace of your program can help you understand how to adjust the delivery of your insight to make the session more relevant and interesting to your audience. Additional interests: What would you like to see next? ___________________________________ This question is a good one to include because it helps you align your content calendar to the actual interests and needs of your targets. Reasons for attending: Why did you attend today’s program? Required for job / Interesting Topic / Knowledgeable Presenters / CLE While it doesn’t need to appear on every survey, this question can help if you’re trying to understand what motivates your audience to sign up for your webinars. Prior webinars: Have you attended any of our webinars in the past? If so, which ones? This is a useful question to include when you want to find out how well you’re attracting new participants to your programs. Your Post-Webinar Survey Checklist Be ready to ask the right question at the right time. Download our post-webinar survey checklist. Just click here or on the image below. Tips & news 21 insightful questions to ask when moderating your next panel discussion (plus some great tips on creating your own) Average: 5 ( 1 vote) “I come up with dozens of questions for the panel ahead of time… I literally write 30-50 questions down in advance, knowing that I may only get to 5 of them, but when I do they will be phrased exactly how I want them, and the panel will be kept on track.”  -Tom Webster, writer, speaker, and panel moderator. As a panel moderator, asking insightful and interesting questions is one of your biggest responsibilities. Don’t make up your mind about the topic. Rather, come in with the perspective that you are intensely interested in the topic and want to gain insights by questioning the panelists. Your questions can spark a great discussion that will leave the audience both informed and entertained. So, make sure you know what you want to ask before you get on stage. Here are some questions that will help get you started. 21 Questions to ask when moderating your next panel discussion While creating questions specifically for your panel is the very best way to make your discussion unique and engaging, sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start. Continue reading below to find out how to create and crosscheck your questions, or you can ask the professionals from Edubirdie to help you with both creating and editing questions. Here are 21 questions you could ask almost any panel to get it started or to keep it going if you run out of your own questions. How can we advance the [field/topic/industry]?   How has the [field/topic/industry] changed in the past 5 years? What do you predict will happen in the next 5 to 10 years?   What is the biggest challenge in the [field/topic/industry] at the moment?   What are the most critical changes that we must make to face the future effectively?   What effect has [specific technology] made on the [field/topic/industry]?   Who is making the greatest advancements in the [field/topic/industry], and what are they doing?   What is the most interesting trend for 2019?   What do you think the best outcome for the [audience/industry/planet] would be?   What is the number one way we can make a substantial difference?   In your publication [book/article/etc] you stated that [view point]. How did you come to that? [Follow up question to another panelist]: Do you have a different perspective?   What made you decide to tackle this subject? How did you get into the [industry/field], and why do you stay?   What are some of the ways people from your [industry/field] are making a difference in the world?   What has helped you get to where you are [influential/effective/in the forefront] and what advice would you have for others who want to set off in a similar direction?   What are common misconceptions people have? How can we combat these misconceptions and communicate more effectively?   Do you remember a specific experience of where you wished that [you/your organization/your industry] had done something differently? If you were to do it over, what would you change?   A follow-up to the previous question: By way of comparison, do you remember something you’ve done or something you wish everyone was doing, and why?   What’s the question you are most tired of hearing on this subject, and what would you like to say about it so you never have to answer it again?   What question would you like to hear [specific panelist] answer?   What is one piece of practical advice you would give to someone starting out?   What is the best resource for people who want to dive in deeper?   Is there anything we’re leaving out here that needs to be addressed? Create your own questions When creating your own questions, you need to start with going back to the purpose of your panel. Why are you here, and why should your audience care? Each question should come back to this and constantly be pushing your panelists towards creating value and insights for your audience. What kind of questions should you ask? What will the audience be interested in learning about? Will this question draw upon the panelist's experiences in a useful way? Is this question open-ended, or will you get a simple “yes” or “no” answer? Will the question start a deeper conversation? Does it have the potential to spark a debate? Is this question something you can’t easily find the answer to on the internet? Why is this particular panelist on the panel? What unique perspective can they add? How can you draw that out? Question Checklist After you’ve created your list of questions, go back through and check to make sure it passes the checklist below. 5-Point checklist - Is the question: Clearly tied to the topic being discussed. Reflective of the panelists’ perspectives, experiences, or interests. Addressing the issues, challenges or interests of the audience. An important topic to discuss right now. Going to ignite a conversation (controversial/different perspectives or experiences). Where do you start? Opening questions The first question will set the tone for the panel and is crucial to sparking immediate intrigue. Avoid over-generalities and try to make it interesting. The first person to speak will also influence the tone of the panel, so consider who you want to start with and why.   If you start with the quietest person on the panel, will this get them talking right away and keep them engaged in the conversation? If you start with the person with the most experience, will they be able to give a well-rounded background to the topic right away? What about the person who originally proposed the idea for the panel? Will they be the most likely to set the tone you are looking for? Should you ask everyone the same opening question to get their initial perspectives at the beginning? 3 Types of opening questions - Easy warm-up Start with a broad, simple question so the panelists can get comfortable. Some examples include asking for a state-of-play, some background on the topic, or how they got involved. Don’t spend too long here, though. Quickly segue into more controversial topics, or you could risk boring your audience. - Fire-starter Skip the niceties, and start with a bang. Establish perspective by breaking out a provocative question. Some examples: ask each panelist to offer a strong opinion on the topic, or to describe the greatest challenge we (or the industry) face moving forward. - Audience-reader Sometimes, it is not possible to find out the knowledge level of your audience before the panel, so starting with a question that will help you, and the panelists, determine this at the beginning can be very helpful. Find out the level of their knowledge by asking for a show of hands. For example: “How many people have been in the industry for less than a year?”, “Over a year?”,  “Over 5 years?”, or “Who thinks they could probably run this panel?” (asked with light humor); or “How many people agree with [a certain perspective on the topic]?” “How many disagree?” Now, get out there and ask some great questions! You have a special role as a moderator to a panel. Your task is to make it as insightful, interesting, and informative as possible. You might also like: What can panel moderators learn from Charlie Rose, Larry King and Oprah Winfrey? It ain't over ‘till it's over: How to expertly end a panel discussion 6 Ideas for Moderating Engaging Panel Discussions Panel moderating experts: what are some questions you always fall back on? Please share your experience, and we may include your advice in a future article. Contact us. Looking for more opportunities to moderate panels? Find out more about being listed on SpeakerHub. Disclaimer: this article includes a paid product promotion. Train the Presentation Coach Certificate Program Take Your Presentations to the Next Level: This Is Your Ultimate Guide "Paid Speaking Gigs: From Start to Finish" - Live Webinar with Tim David Conference Badge 28 post event survey questions to ask after your conference. Artwork by Mónica Alexis Jacob Black Feb 02, 2024 28 Post-Event Survey Questions to Ask After Your Conference You’ve just spent thousands of dollars on an event for your business. It doesn’t matter if it’s a sales event, team training or bonding exercise, or even a new product launch: every event organizer wants to know: How did my conference go? To answer that question fully you’ll need a post-event survey. What are Post Event Surveys? A post-event survey is a form you’ll send out to gauge the success of your conference or seminar after the event has finished. Most of the time, you’d send a post-event survey to attendees, but it can also be valuable to send them to your sponsors, staff, and any other stakeholders who attended. Other Types Of Event Surveys Pre-event surveys are surveys you’ll send out before the event: usually to find out things like dietary requirements and accommodations that your guests might need, or to compile a small amount of demographic data. Mid-event surveys are more common for long events, they might ask how the attendee feels so far, and what they aren’t enjoying. This gives event organizers the opportunity to adapt and adjust on the fly. These surveys are a valuable part of any conference planning checklist. For now, we’ll focus on post-event surveys, and the reasons it’s important to send a well-constructed questionnaire. Benefits of Post-Event Surveys Apart from the obvious ability to make sure your guests were satisfied, post-event surveys offer a wide range of benefits. They help you: Engage your attendees and stakeholders in a way that makes them more likely to respond to future outreach and invites. Learn what worked and didn’t work so you can improve in the future. Find efficiencies that can save you time and money in the long run. Implement new ideas. Improve trust between your organization and your guests. Find out how successful your event was according to specific goals. Put simply, the amount of feedback you get in a post-event survey is almost infinite, and if you spend a little time crafting your questions carefully you can get immediate, actionable feedback to use on future events. Types of survey questions The main types of survey questions fall into these categories: Yes/No: A closed-answer question that tells you simply a yes or no answer. This is useful for getting specific answers on high-level questions. Open-ended questions: These allow written responses and offer the opportunity for respondents to give you their honest opinions without constraints. These are useful for getting qualitative insights. Comment boxes: A comment box differs from an open-ended question in that it doesn't necessarily ask anything. Instead, it’s a totally free text field for respondents to put any general feedback they want to add. Rated or Ranked Questions: Rated questions often ask for a response on a scale – usually between five and 10. They help you get a more nuanced quantitative number you can use as a comparative metric later on. Multiple choice: Like a rated question, a multiple-choice question helps you get looser and less constrained answers but while still controlling the data you collect. They let you maintain the scope of your question while still offering nuance in the data. Each of these question types has a place. How you use them will determine what sort of information you can glean. Managing your mix of question types is one of many best practice tips for creating a post-event survey. Best Practices for Event Surveys It can be hard to get engagement on surveys at the best of times. After a large conference or event when attendees are tired or traveling is even worse. So how do you make sure your survey gets filled out? Some best practice tips include knowing: When to send: The best timeline is between 24 and 48 hours after the event. Too soon, and attendees are recovering or traveling, too late, and their recollection won’t be strong. What incentives to offer: Sometimes, you’ll get more engagement if you offer a prize or a discount for attendees who respond to post-event surveys. If you have a particularly large event or if you feel like the survey responses will be more valuable, it’s worth adding a small incentive. Be careful not to make the prize too compelling or you may find people responding with useless answers just to enter for the prize. When to follow up? It’s often a good idea to send a follow-up request for your members to complete the survey. This should go out 24-36 hours after your initial survey request. In those follow ups, include a personal note for the guest, so they know it’s their opinion you are looking for in particular. This can motivate people to respond more fully. Length of survey: A recent HubSpot survey showed that most people are only willing to spend 15 minutes or less completing a survey . With a combined total of 42% only willing to spend 1-10 minutes. That’s about 7 – 10 questions, depending on how complicated your survey is. This length allows you to get the most responses, with a good balance of fast and well-considered answers. How to write questions: Simple questions are easier and take less time to respond to than complicated questions. You have likely seen the “How true is this statement, rate from 1-5: The event was useful.” style of survey question. This is more complex than needed. A better way to structure it is to ask, “How useful was this event?” with multiple choice answers like “Very, Not very, Neutral”. The more straightforward your question, the more likely you are to get accurate responses and a better response rate. How to Distribute Surveys Options for distributing your survey vary from print to digital, and even telephone surveys. As always, each option has pros and cons. Printed Surveys: Print surveys are easy to distribute because you can hand them out with any exit packs or gift bags, or even just hand them to your members as they leave your event. You’ll know who you’re giving surveys to. You can even add your survey to the welcome pack along with your conference badge holders and member name cards . If you have a drop box for participants to return completed forms as they leave the venue or their hotel you might get a strong response rate, but may not be as effective if they have to mail in the form. Also, it’s hard to compile the results of these surveys. They’re best used for short, sharp, tick-box style surveys with yes or no, or multiple choice questions. Telephone Surveys: Calling participants after your event can add a personal touch, but the response rate isn’t always high, and sometimes phone calls feel intrusive. You’ll also need to record the calls in order to get the most accurate results, and compiling those answers is time consuming. Digital Surveys: A web form sent out by email or even an email form are far more efficient and effective methods to send out post-event surveys. You’ll get statistics on open rates and response rates and compile the responses in an easy-to-access online portal. Most importantly, you’ll give your attendees a convenient way to answer your questions in their own time. Online surveys are more cost-effective and have better response rates than other formats. Questions to Ask As we said above, the best surveys will have between seven and 10 questions of varying types. Here’s a selection of post-event questions you can choose from depending on your needs. Are you satisfied with your experience at this event? This is the first and perhaps most important question to ask. It will give you a high-level understanding of the most basic question: Are guests happy? You can ask this question of both stakeholders like vendors and event partners as well as attendees. It is best phrased as either a yes/no, or a ranked question from 1-5. Best practice would include a “Why/Why not” comment box. Would you recommend this event to others? This question is often used to create a net promoter score (NPS). By offering a rank of 1-10, guests can suggest how likely they are to recommend your event. Those who answer 9-10 are a promoter, anything from 7-8 are considered passive, or neutral, and anyone who answers 0-6 is a detractor. Using this question to generate an NPS can give you a quantitative metric to compare to other events. This question is relevant to both event partners and sponsors as well as attendees. Was this event well structured? You can use this question as a yes/no, or a rated question to get a sense of the overall architecture of your event and how it was received. You might also pivot this question to ask “how did you find the structure of our event?”. Ask this of attendees to make sure they got everything they need. You might find answers that suggest a new format, or show that guests missed out on content due to scheduling conflicts. It’s valuable to include a why/why not comment box for open-ended questions on this one as well. How useful did you find this event? We used this example earlier when talking about the best ways to structure questions. By asking it this way and offering a range of multiple-choice answers from “Not at all” to “Extremely” you can get a sense of sentiment. You can also easily convert those selections to a numerical value to blend the quantitative and qualitative data into a reportable format. Ask this of event attendees. Will you attend future events put on by [company]? This question aimed at attendees is also good for volunteers, event sponsors, or vendors selling at your event. It gauges the success of your event from a high level. A why/why not box makes this question more valuable by offering more nuanced insight. What did you hope to get out of this event? (develop skills/gain knowledge/networking/other)? This is another good multiple-choice question for attendees and guests, or event partners and sellers. You can tweak the options available to suit each audience. This will also help validate your event marketing and format. The answers to this might give you ideas for future events and topics as well. Did this event meet your expectations? Follow the question above up with this more generic question that gives you a sense of how well you met the needs of your members and guests. A yes/no here makes it easy to compile the results, but a why/why not comment box will help drill down into more actionable insights. Why did you decide to attend this event? A variation of the two questions above, this open-ended query lets you know what your attendees value about your event. You could also select multiple-choice answers like “networking opportunities”, “it looked fun”, “I wanted to see the new [product]” etc. This is a particularly good question for new stakeholders or those who are peripherally related to your core business. Rate this event on the following: Event timing Layout of the venue Date of the event Refreshments/Snacks/Beverages/Catering Programming/content Value for money If you want quick, rapid-fire responses to specific elements on your event you can do a rated style question. Ask respondents to assess each of the elements of your event on a 1-5 or even 1-10 scale. The qualitative data you get here can be compared to other events, and also give a snapshot of what you did well, vs less well. What would you describe as the biggest takeaway from our event? If your event was a sales meeting or a training conference this question is a must-have. It will help you determine if your attendees got the key messages, and help you measure your goals for messaging and education. Ask this one of attendees using an open-ended style in a free-form comment box. How helpful were the staff at the event? Every event needs help. How your staff respond to attendees will impact their perception of your organization. Use this as a rated question, with an optional box for comments to find out if there was anything particularly good or negative that people experienced. Did our event improve or weaken your impression of our organization? Some events are all about community outreach, or thought leadership. If you launch an event hoping to engage with clients, this question will measure success. Like many of the questions here, you can structure it with a ranking system or multiple choice, and even add a comment box. It’s a good question for event guests as well as partners. What would you improve about this event? / What would make the event better? By asking for specific improvements you’re guiding your respondents to give their constructive feedback. This kind of “growth opportunity” question can improve the way your less happy members react to your event, while also giving you valuable feedback from stakeholders. What did you enjoy most during our event? An opportunity to spread positivity toward the end of your survey can help influence the overall impression of your event and organization in the eyes of its participants. It will also give you a sense of what went right, and what sort of content is most appealing. Ask this of any attendee, partner, or worker at your event via a free text box. Which part of the event was most valuable for you? This question and the one above are slightly different, in that the most enjoyable parts of an event aren’t always the most valuable. Here, you might get surprising answers, so it’s best to leave it to free text. For example, a guest might say “learning about the different workgroups within your organization” was the most valuable – which may trigger more content based on the different functional groups within your company. As with many questions, this is useful feedback from both guests or members, and for groups like vendors or event sponsors. What should we add more of to future events? Asking for attendees' thoughts on this subject will help you ideate new content ideas or formats for new events. Questions for Digital Events You can ask any of the above questions for events of all kinds, but these ones are specifically targeted to online or virtual events. They include: How satisfied were you with the event's digital features? Finding out if your guests enjoyed or benefited from the digital format is important. This question does that. You should use a rated system to gain quantitative data. Was it easy to log on? This type of usability question will help you uncover any errors or issues you weren’t aware of during the operation of the meeting. You could add multiple-choice responses like: - Yes, very - Yes, once I figure it out - Not really - No, I had problems with your connection - No, I had problems with my computer Would you prefer virtual or in-person meetings in the future? Especially in the current era, many events are moving digital. You can determine if this move was the right one for your organization by polling guests after they attend a digital meeting. Questions for Internal Stakeholders As with digital events, your internal stakeholders and partners, as well as staff, your board, and even volunteers might have separate feedback to offer. Questions for these groups might include: Would you partner with this event again in the future? This question, specifically for event partners and vendors, will assess whether you delivered value for money. It can help determine the feasibility of your conference or meeting down the road. This question is a good candidate for a yes/no response, with a why/why not comment box that helps provide further insight. How can we improve the event experience? Stakeholders will likely have a lot of opinions to offer here, especially if they partnered with your organization’s event for business opportunities. Give them a large comment box to capture their thoughts with. By giving staff the opportunity to give their thoughts, you might also capture unofficial responses they heard anecdotally during your event. Also, they’ll be more invested in the event’s success because your staff worked hard to make it all happen, so their insights will be particularly keen. Comments often lead to meaningful improvements, like a switch to sustainable lanyards that helps improve the environmental footprint of an event and leads to a better public perception for the organization that made the move. Do you consider this event a success? Why or why not? Similar to the questions above and below, this seemingly straightforward question can help you see where or how you did well for your stakeholders. A yes/no followed by an optional comment box is the best format for this stakeholder question. Did the event meet our objectives for our organization? This is a very nuanced question, but it is one for your post-event analysis team to work on. This question will be informed by the post-event feedback surveys sent to guests and members, if you structured them well. Finishing Questions The final questions you ask should be the opportunity for respondents to give any feedback they hadn’t yet had the opportunity to provide. Possible finishing questions include: How would you rate this event on a scale of 1-10? This overarching question is another quantifiable way to measure overall customer satisfaction (CSAT) with your event. A good time to ask this question is right before the final open-ended question of your survey that asks for free-form feedback. Please share any other feedback, ideas, or suggestions for future events This is one of the most important questions you can ask, and it should be added to almost every survey, usually as the last question. The free-form format is a catch-all for your stakeholders and guests to give their honest and unfiltered or unguided views. This is where you’ll get some of the more surprising feedback. You might even find it’s where attendees leave their most positive feedback. Ready to Survey? These types of questions and the tips for post-event surveys will help you get the most effective feedback from your efforts and gauge attendee satisfaction. Remember, not all your feedback will be positive: That’s a good thing! Take the constructive feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow. You can incorporate this post-event feedback into your future event planning and make each one more successful than the last. For more conference and event inspiration and ideas visit our resource centre at ConferenceBadge.com . Originally published on Feb 02, 2024 More From Forbes How to make your presentation sound more like a conversation. Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The main difference between strong, confident speakers and speakers who seem nervous in front of the room is in how relaxed and conversational they appear. Here are some basic pointers that will help you create a conversational tone when speaking, regardless of the size of your audience. 1. Avoid using the word, “presentation.” Every time you say, “I’m here to give you a presentation on X,” or, “In this presentation, you’ll see…,” you are emphasizing the formal, structured, sometimes artificial nature of the interaction. No one wants to be “presented” to. Instead, use language that emphasizes a natural, conversational exchange. “We’re here today to talk about X,” or “Today I’ll be sharing some ideas regarding Y.” You can even go so far as to say, “I’m glad we have time together today to discuss Z.” Even if your talk is not going to truly be a dialogue, you can use language that suggests engagement with the audience. 2. If you are using PowerPoint, avoid using the word “slide.” Instead of talking about the medium, talk about the concepts. Swap out, “This slide shows you…,” for, “Here we see….” Instead of saying, “On that slide I showed you a moment ago,” say, “A moment ago we were discussing X. Here’s how that issue will impact Y and Z.” Casual conversations don’t usually involve slide decks. Just because your complicated presentation on tax exposure, supply chain issues, or new health care regulations requires you to use slides, doesn’t mean you have to draw attention to that fact that the setting is formal and structured. 3. For many large-group events, speakers are provided with what’s called a “confidence monitor,” a computer screen that sits on the floor at the speaker’s feet showing the slide that appears on the large screen above the speaker’s head. Avoid using confidence monitors. Our natural inclination when using a confidence monitor is to gesture at the bullet point we’re discussing at the moment. However, we are pointing to a bullet point on the screen at our feet, which the audience can’t see, so it creates a disconnect between us and the audience. Instead, stand to the side of the large screen and gesture at the bullet point you’re talking about so that the audience knows which point you are discussing at the moment. 4. Don’t tell your audience, “I want this to be interactive.” It’s your job to make it interactive. If you are delivering the type of presentation where your audience size allows you to create true engagement with your listeners, create that connecting in stages to “warm up” the audience. Stage One engagement is to ask the audience a question relevant to your topic that you know most of the audience members can respond to affirmatively. “Who here has ever bought a new car?” or, “How many of you have ever waited more than 5 minutes on hold on a customer service line?” Raise your hand as you ask the question to indicate to the audience how to respond. Whoever has raised their hand has now participated in the discussion. They have indicated a willingness to engage. Stage Two engagement is calling on one of the people who raised their hand and asking a specific, perfunctory question. Again, it needs to be a question they can answer easily. If your first questions is, “Who here has bought a new car?” you can then call on someone and ask, “How long ago,” or “What kind of car did you buy most recently?” If your first question was, “Have you ever waited on hold for more than 5 minutes,” you can’t ask, “What company were you calling at the time?” The people who raised their hands weren’t thinking of a specific instance; they were just thinking broadly about that type of experience. You could, however, call on someone and ask, “Do you prefer when they play music or ads for the company’s products?” Anyone can answer that question. At that point, you are in an actual dialogue with that person. Stage Three engagement is asking them a question where they need to reveal something more personal. “How does that make you feel when you hear those ads?” You’ve warmed up your audience and drawn them in with baby steps. Now you have actual, meaningful audience participation. Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024 Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024. 5. Use gestures. When we’re speaking in an informal setting, we all use hand gestures; some people use more than others, but we all use them. When we try to rein in our gestures, two things happen that diminish our speaking style. First, we look stiff and unnatural. We look like we are presenting a guarded or cautious version of ourselves; we look less genuine. Second, hand gestures burn up the nervous energy we all have when speaking in front of a large group. That’s good. When we try to minimize our hand gestures, we tie up that nervous energy and it starts to leak out on odd ways, where we start to tap our foot, fidget with our notes or microphone, or tilt our head side to side to emphasize key points. Just let the gestures fly. It’s unlikely they will be too large or distracting. I have coached people on their presentation skills for 26 years. In that time, I have met three people who gestured too much. Everyone else would benefit from using their gestures more freely. The impact we have as communicators is based on the cumulative effect of many different elements of our delivery. These suggestions alone won’t make you a terrific presenter. They will, however, add to the overall package your present of yourself when speaking to large audiences. Editorial Standards Reprints & Permissions Join The Conversation One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts.  Forbes Community Guidelines Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space. In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain: False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms. User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms. So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your insights Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view. Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service. MarketingSherpa Blog Letters to the Editor Sponsorships Web Design Services MarketingSherpa.com Designing Slides That Don’t Suck: 20 questions to ask before you present When I first started at MarketingSherpa, I was hired under the title of “Visual Storyteller.” Although that title is ambiguous, I learned that I was hired to address a pain point that many professionals face: using PowerPoint efficiently. My title has since changed, but I remain an advocate for fluent visual expression in the same way that editors are keen on using words efficiently. As part of my position, I’ve consulted with many speakers over the past few years on creating effective presentations. Time and time again, I find that confusion lies in how to treat PowerPoint. Many think of PowerPoint as a presentation buddy — that content is on the slides and coming out of the speaker’s mouth and bullet points are simply needed to reinforce the speaker’s message. This is not true. A person can only process about 1.6 conversations at a time. He can choose to either listen to you or read your slides. The other .6 gets split between emails, texts and interior monologue, to name just a few other channels. The dictators of any presentation include: audience, context, purpose and design. About your audience A speakers’ first priority when beginning to draft their presentation is their audience. The purpose of speaking is to serve the listeners, not your own ego. Consider whether or not PowerPoint is the right way to get your message across, if it helps to convey your message or if it only dilutes it. Consider these questions when framing your slides: Who is my audience? Why should they listen to me? How much information do they need? Do I need to establish credibility for myself or my argument? The context Like knowing your audience, contextualizing your deck is vital to the life of your presentation. Don’t use the exact same deck for an audience of 15,000 that you would for an audience of 12. Personalizing and adapting to your audience breaks down the barrier between the stage and the seats. Consider, for example, a presentation on health and nutrition. The same speaker would present information differently to a group of medical students than a group of kindergartners. The content would be similar and the principles the same, but the language and structure would vary greatly. Many speakers also struggle with the amount of text to put on the slides. For live events, much of my time is spent slashing text from slides, adding beautiful imagery and eliminating animations. However, on academic presentations, training and webinars, text is important to reinforce the message since the speaker is teaching from the slides rather than presenting a story. After establishing the audience, ask yourself these questions about the context: How large is the audience? Am I asking for a high-pressure item, such as funding? Is this strictly informative? Is this a live presentation, a recording, a webinar or slides-only (like SlideShare)? Your overall goal and purpose The content of your slides should be determined by the goal of your presentation. They usually fall into educational, persuasive, storytelling or paradigm-shifting. With any of these types of presentations, ask yourself these questions when deciding the framework of your presentations — from structure to individual slides: How do you want the audience’s behavior to change after the presentation? What is the big ah-ha? Why should the audience be passionate about your topic? How can you best convey the urgency of your message? Bullet points can make your content fall flat. Instead, use visuals to support your presentation. Strategizing design I am a snob when it comes to PowerPoint design. However, design is secondary to messaging. There have been pretty decks that should have never been presented because the content wasn’t there. Having great content and messaging is more important than how it looks. That being said, good design lends credibility and quality to your presentation or speech that would otherwise seem lackluster and amateurish. Like in biology, design speaks to the form and function of a presentation. To help you draft the images on your deck, close your eyes and recite the content. What do you see? If you see clip art, stock photos or endless bullet points — try again. Look for more sophisticated inspiration on Pinterest, Flickr or SlideShare. Here are some guidelines to help you determine if your slide design is helpful or detrimental: Do the visuals convey your message? Are you just trying to fill blank space with your images? Could the images or text stand alone and still make sense? Do you need the text, or could you speak to what you’re saying? Experiment with blank slides and whitespace to catch your audience’s attention. Building out effective presentations takes practice, not talent. It’s a learned skill that develops over time. Creating something new and finding powerful images that reflect your speech helps to build rapport with your audience and adds a polish to your message. I encourage you to practice — learn what works, throw out what doesn’t and create really ugly design mistakes in search of something beautiful and unique. Save this checklist or share it with others. Also, tell me your presentation secrets in the comments section below, and share what works for you. You can follow Jessica Lorenz, Event Content Manager, MECLABS Institute, on Twitter at @JessicaPLorenz . You might also like Marketing Automation: Precor achieves 74% lift in new leads via segmented database overhaul  [MarketingSherpa case study] Email Summit 2015: Top Takeaways from this year’s best sessions [MarketingSherpa webinar replay] Social Media: Understanding Pinterest consumers [More from the blogs] Email Design: How to optimize for all environments in a mobile world [MarketingSherpa video archive] Blogger Intervention: 3 reasons why no one is engaging with your content   [More from the blogs] Categories: Copywriting Tags: content , design , PowerPoint , presentation , storytelling , visual the slide above is horrendous … how about showing a slide that is good and follows best practices. what am I missing? this was not at all helpful. @Loren McDonald Hi Loren, Thanks for your comment, I’ve made a couple of edits on the blog to address your points. I’ve added a caption below the checklist so that it’s clear that it’s not supposed to be a slide — yikes! You’re right that would have been terrible to present with. I also added an example of a good and bad example — I think that was super helpful feedback and I think it adds a lot of value. – Jessica Top Resources Infographic: how to create a model of your customer’s mind. Infographic: 21 Psychological Elements that Power Effective Web Design 7 Steps to Discovering Your Essential Value Proposition with Simple A/B Tests Marketer Vs Machine Free Marketing Course Affiliate Marketing B To B Ecommerce Business Technology Marketing Business To Business Channel Marketing Lead Generation Sales Lead Generation B2C Marketing Consumer Electronics Consumer Packaged Goods Ecommerce Eretail Entertainment And Sports Marketing Financial Services Marketing Health Marketing Real Estate Marketing Retail And Restaurant Travel And Hospitality Marketing Content Marketing Copywriting Customer-Centric Marketing Email Marketing Event Marketing Inbound Marketing International Marketing Marketing and Advertising Marketing Careers Marketing Law Media Buying Non Profit Fundraising Offline Marketing And Advertising Online Advertising Online Marketing PR Fame Communications Referral Marketing Research And Measurement Search Marketing Social Media Marketing Social Media Uncategorized Value Proposition Video Marketing Viral Marketing Website And Landing Page Design Today's news Reviews and deals Climate change 2024 election Fall allergies Health news Mental health Sexual health Family health So mini ways Unapologetically Buying guides Entertainment How to Watch My Portfolio Latest News Stock Market Biden Economy Stocks: Most Actives Stocks: Gainers Stocks: Losers Trending Tickers World Indices US Treasury Bonds Top Mutual Funds Highest Open Interest Highest Implied Volatility Stock Comparison Advanced Charts Currency Converter Basic Materials Communication Services Consumer Cyclical Consumer Defensive Financial Services Industrials Real Estate Mutual Funds Credit Cards Balance Transfer Cards Cash-back Cards Rewards Cards Travel Cards Credit Card Offers Best Free Checking Student Loans Personal Loans Car Insurance Mortgage Refinancing Mortgage Calculator Morning Brief Market Domination Market Domination Overtime Asking for a Trend Opening Bid Stocks in Translation Lead This Way Good Buy or Goodbye? Fantasy football Pro Pick 'Em College Pick 'Em Fantasy baseball Fantasy hockey Fantasy basketball Download the app Daily fantasy Scores and schedules GameChannel World Baseball Classic Premier League CONCACAF League Champions League Motorsports Horse racing Newsletters New on Yahoo Privacy Dashboard Yahoo Finance Invitation to presentation of hexatronic's q2 report 2024. Press release July 1, 2024 Hexatronic will publish its report for the second quarter and first half of 2024 on Tuesday, July 16, at 07:00 am CEST. A webcast presentation with CEO Henrik Larsson Lyon, CFO Pernilla Lindén, and Deputy CEO Martin Åberg will be held the same day at 10.00 am CEST. Please use the link below to follow the webcast presentation. During the webcast, participants will have the opportunity to ask written questions. https://ir.financialhearings.com/hexatronic-group-q2-report-2024 To participate via the telephone conference, please register at the link below. After registration, you will receive a telephone number and a conference ID to log in to the conference. During the telephone conference, you will have the opportunity to ask oral questions. https://conference.financialhearings.com/teleconference/?id=50048745 The webcast will be available on Hexatronic's website after the presentation. For more information, please contact: Pernilla Grennfelt, Head of Investor Relations, + 46 702 90 99 55 Hexatronic creates sustainable networks all over the world. We work with customers on four continents – from telecom operators to network owners – and offer leading-edge, high-quality fiber technology for every conceivable application. Hexatronic Group (publ) was founded in Sweden in 1993 and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Our global brands include Viper, Stingray, Raptor, InOne, and Wistom®. 2024-07-01 Invitation to presentation of Hexatronic's Q2 report 2024 348 COMMENTS 160 Questions to Ask After a Presentation Asking questions after a presentation is not just about seeking clarity on what was discussed. It's a golden opportunity to delve deeper, engage with the speaker, and enhance your understanding of the subject matter. But knowing which questions to ask isn't always straightforward. 90 Questions to Ask After a Presentation Ask open-ended questions that invite the presenter or audience members to share thoughts and perspectives, thus fostering a more interactive dialogue. Final Thoughts And there you have it—a comprehensive guide to quenching your intellectual curiosity and contributing valuable insights after a presentation. 75 Questions to Ask Guest Speakers During a Virtual Event Use this simple checklist to make sure you ask great guest speaker questions: Raise questions that relate directly to the speaker's presentation. Personalize questions by putting yourself in the speaker's shoes. Invite the audience to ask questions from their own perspective. Respond naturally with follow-up questions. How to Nail the Q&A After Your Presentation Beforehand, think through the types of questions audience members might ask. Put yourself in your shoes and ask yourself what concerns they might have about how your message impacts their job ... How To Answer Questions After a Presentation (With Tips) 2. Ask others what they might ask after your presentation. A beneficial way to determine the questions your audience might have is to ask individuals you know who are similar to your expected audience what their questions are about your topic. Consider discussing potential questions with people you know who work in a similar field or position. Questions to Ask Presenters In addition to asking open-ended questions, it is important to listen closely to the presenter's responses and ask follow-up questions that can help you clarify any points made during the presentation. For example, if the presenter mentions a specific tool or technique, you can ask how it works or how it has been used in real-world applications ... 14 Smart Ways To Follow Up With Attendees After A Presentation 5. Be Personal. Mention a question they asked, a topic that might be relevant to their company or something they said in a chat before or after the main presentation. Even if you restrict your ... 350 Top Q&A Questions To Expect For Any Presentations Q&A questions, short for "Questions and Answers", are inquiries posed by an audience or participants to the speaker or presenter during the Q&A session of a presentation. This Q&A segment typically follows a presentation, a talk or a lecture, providing the opportunities for the audience to seek clarification, ask additional information, or ... Handling Questions and Answers Calling those who want to ask questions by their physical characteristics; Not taking questions in the sequence they are asked, but focusing on certain people or a side of the room; Asking Good Questions. If you are in the audience, know also how to ask good questions to indicate that you are following the presentation. The Art of Question & Answer: Handling Audience Questions Like a Pro Audience Engagement and Participation: Inviting questions at the end of your presentation allows your audience to actively participate, transforming your session into an interactive experience. As Albert Einstein aptly put it, "The important thing is not to stop questioning.". 2. Addressing Confusion and Skepticism: 30: Audience questions to prepare for Be prepared to tell the audience a little bit about how you might progress. Think about what you want to say before the question is asked and make a structure of the points you want to say, so you don't leave out anything important. Use our free worksheet "Questions I should be ready to answer" to help you. 2. 15 Questions for Better Feedback Here are the three least effective ways to ask for feedback after a talk or presentation: "What'd you think?". "How do you think I did?". "Did you like it?". And because you asked an empty question, you can expect an empty response…. "I thought you did a great job!". "Loved it.". "I really liked it.". "Nicely done.". 50+ Questions to Generate Audience Participation This can be a challenge, but with the right questions, it can be easy! In this post, we will provide you with over 50 different questions you can use in your next presentation. These questions are broken down into different types, so you can easily find the ones that will work best for your needs, as well as slide deck recs for each type of ... Guide for Handling Questions after a Presentation 1. Listen to the whole question. You don't have to answer a question immediately. Pause for a few seconds, actively listen to all parts of the question and think about the best way to answer. Frequently questions can change direction at the last moment, particularly if the questioner is thinking on their feet. 8 tips for encouraging questions in your presentation Here are 8 tips to help make them through: 1. Pitch your presentation at the right level for your audience. The first stage of questions is birth - they have to be born in your audience's mind. If your presentation is too simple for the level of knowledge in your audience - it's all material they've covered before - they won't ... 6 questioning tactics to use in your next presentation Ask open questions. Questioning, with a view to increasing engagement, becomes even more effective when you use open questions - especially good if you're using a word cloud polling tool. Open questions prompt your audience to consider their personal opinions and beliefs in their response, bringing them closer to the subject matter and ... Tips to encourage audience questions in your presentation Q&A So try these tips to encourage questions: 1. PREPPING YOUR Q&A: > TIP THEM OFF EARLY: As you start your presentation, tell your audience: "I'll take all your questions at the end, so write down your questions as you think of them along the way.". That'll get them active thinking of questions throughout your presentation. The 10 steps to asking questions so you get an answer every time Here are the 10 steps for asking questions in a presentation which will help you avoid being left hanging. 1. Warm up your audience first. Comedians warm-up their audiences - or if they're stars - they have another comedian do it for them. You also need to warm up your audience first. 11 Essential Post-Webinar Survey Questions Remember: with follow-up surveys, timing is everything. Mention the post-webinar survey — and ask people to fill it in — just after the presentation has concluded, right before you start Q&A. Your attendees are engaged, they've either asked questions and are waiting to hear them answered, or are ready to participate in Q&A. 21 insightful questions to ask when moderating your next panel Here are some questions that will help get you started. 21 Questions to ask when moderating your next panel discussion. While creating questions specifically for your panel is the very best way to make your discussion unique and engaging, sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start. 28 Post Event Survey Questions To Ask After Your Conference This question is often used to create a net promoter score (NPS). By offering a rank of 1-10, guests can suggest how likely they are to recommend your event. Those who answer 9-10 are a promoter, anything from 7-8 are considered passive, or neutral, and anyone who answers 0-6 is a detractor. How To Make Your Presentation Sound More Like A Conversation 1. Avoid using the word, "presentation." Every time you say, "I'm here to give you a presentation on X," or, "In this presentation, you'll see…," you are emphasizing the formal ... Designing Slides That Don't Suck: 20 questions to ask before you A person can only process about 1.6 conversations at a time. He can choose to either listen to you or read your slides. The other .6 gets split between emails, texts and interior monologue, to name just a few other channels. The dictators of any presentation include: audience, context, purpose and design. About your audience. Invitation to presentation of Hexatronic's Q2 report 2024 Press release July 1, 2024 Hexatronic will publish its report for the second quarter and first half of 2024 on Tuesday, July 16, at 07:00 am CEST. A webcast presentation with CEO Henrik Larsson ... assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review speech thesis