How to Take Your Audience Q & A to the Next Level

May 19, 2016 Michelle A. Lee

Keep it Engaging
​During your event, the audience is the most important factor. Don’t wait till the end of the Q&A to get the audience involved. Having your audience sit through an hour of someone talking will make them tired and ready to go home rather than ask questions. Include them in everything that you present so they feel invited to discuss even more after the event.

Technology
Yes. It’s become a huge part of our every day life so why not incorporate it into Q&A sessions? One way of doing this is by asking a question that everyone answers on a clicker or their cell phone, the results will show up on a bigger screen for the audience to see. This will foster a lot of conversation especially if the results are surprising. It also includes the introvert who may not speak up during Q&A’s, but a technological step such as this will get them involved and their voice heard.

Don’t Get Stuck
It’s important to keep the Q&A running smoothly. Make sure you cover an array of topics rather then discussing one question too long. By staying on one question the entire time, you are excluding other people’s ideas and thoughts and not having a diverse discussion. Although it may be an interesting topic, you want to make sure that everyone is included and participants feel welcomed to express their thoughts.

Reverse It?
Keep the audience on their toes. Why not have the Q&A in the beginning of the event instead of the traditional end. Get questions from the audience from the beginning and try to answer those questions throughout your presentation. Doing this will give you a better idea of what your audience is expecting and starts the conversation early. You could also have a shorter presentation and a longer Q&A. Most events have 45-minute presentations and 15 minute Q&A’s, turn that dynamic around and see how it works out.