questions to ask the audience during a presentation

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?

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100 Questions to Ask an Audience

Ever found yourself standing before an audience, the spotlight gleaming in your eyes, palms slightly sweaty, with the daunting task of keeping everyone engaged?

Whether it’s a room bustling with seasoned professionals or a cozy circle of eager learners, nailing the interaction is key. Questions aren’t just words stacked into a sentence; they’re the swinging doors inviting thoughts, laughs, opinions, and shared stories.

But not just any question will do! They need to spark curiosity, foster connection, and genuinely engage your listeners.

Table of Contents

Ice Breaker Questions

• If you could have any superpower for a day, what would it be?
• What’s a book you’ve read recently that you would recommend?
• Can you share a fun fact about yourself that no one here knows?
• What’s your go-to karaoke song?
• If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?
• What’s your favorite movie or TV show that you’ve watched in the past year?
• What hobby would you get into if time and money weren’t an issue?
• What was your dream job as a child?
• Do you have a hidden talent, and if so, what is it?
• What’s the most interesting place you’ve ever visited?
• If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
• What’s something you’re looking forward to in the next few months?
• If you were an animal, which one would you be and why?
• What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
• Can you tell us about an early memory of yours?
• If you could switch lives with one person for a day, who would it be?
• What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
• Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
• If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be?
• What’s something that always brings a smile to your face?

Opinion and Insight Questions

• In your opinion, what is the key to a successful team project?
• How important is the role of technology in our daily lives?
• What do you think is the most significant event in our history?
• Where do you stand on the balance between work and life?
• What are your thoughts on the future of education?
• How can our society better address environmental concerns?
• What is one change you’d like to see in the world within the next decade?
• Do you think social media has been more beneficial or detrimental to society?
• What are your views on the importance of arts in education?
• How do you perceive the impact of globalization on local cultures?
• What measures do you think are effective in promoting mental health awareness?
• How can individuals make a positive difference in their communities?
• What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing the youth today?
• How do you define success, and do you feel it’s important to be successful?
• What’s your take on the relevance of space exploration?
• What steps should be taken to improve public transportation in cities?
• In terms of innovation, what’s one invention you think we’ll see in the next 20 years?
• How does the media influence our perceptions and decisions?
• What are your thoughts on lifelong learning and continued education?
• What role do you think individuals should play in political processes?

Audience Engagement Questions

• Who would like to share an example of a challenge they’ve overcome recently?
• Can anyone in the audience volunteer an idea on how we can make these sessions more interactive?
• Is there a particular topic you’d like to learn more about at this event?
• Could I get a show of hands for those who have been to an event like this before?
• Who here believes that they have a unique perspective they can share on the current discussion?
• Can anyone describe an instance where our discussion topic has had a real-world impact on you?
• Who has a success story related to what we’re talking about today?
• Would anyone be willing to share a personal connection to the theme of today’s event?
• Can we get some volunteers for a quick activity related to our topic?
• Does somebody have an anecdote that illustrates the importance of what we’re discussing?
• Would someone like to suggest a solution to a problem we’re addressing today?
• Can anyone identify a recent trend that relates to our topic and their experience with it?
• Is there someone here who’s made a significant change in their life based on knowledge from these sessions?
• Who would like to offer a counterpoint to the opinion that has just been shared?
• Does anyone feel like they have a question that could benefit the whole group?
• Would someone be brave enough to share an unpopular opinion on the subject?
• Who can articulate a goal they’ve achieved that aligns with our discussion?
• Could I ask for insights from audience members who come from a different industry or field?
• Would anyone be interested in sharing how they first became interested in this subject area?
• Can someone recount a recent experience that perfectly captures the essence of our subject matter?

Feedback and Improvement Questions

• What’s one thing you enjoyed about today’s event and something you feel could be improved?
• How do you rate the relevance of the topics discussed to your personal or professional life on a scale of 1 to 10?
• What additional subjects or themes would you like to see covered in future sessions?
• Can you provide constructive criticism on the flow and structure of this event?
• Would you be willing to share feedback on the pace of today’s discussions?
• Is there a speaker or type of speaker you’d like to hear more from at these events?
• How did you find the interactivity and engagement level of this session?
• Do you have any suggestions for additional resources or materials that could supplement the content presented?
• Could you suggest one change that could make this experience more valuable for you?
• How comfortable did you feel with the opportunities to participate or ask questions during the session?
• Were there any points where you felt the event was lacking in depth or explanation?
• How valuable did you find the networking opportunities provided?
• What was your impression of the audio-visual elements used in the presentation, and any improvements?
• What’s your perception of the duration of the event – too long, too short, or just right?
• Can you comment on the usability of any interactive tools or technology used during the event?
• Would you appreciate more real-life examples or case studies in future discussions?
• How can we further tailor this event to meet your expectations or learning objectives better?
• Are there any follow-up materials or support you would find helpful after the event?
• What’s your overall satisfaction with the venue and logistics?
• Could you share how likely you are to recommend this event to others and why?

Personal Experience Questions

• Can you share a pivotal moment in your life that has shaped who you are today?
• What personal achievement are you most proud of and why?
• Have you ever faced a fear or phobia head-on? What was the experience like?
• Can anyone discuss a personal tradition that’s important to them and its significance?
• What was a significant learning experience you’ve had outside of formal education?
• Has there been a book or movie that has profoundly affected your view of the world?
• Can you talk about a time when you had to adapt to a significant change?
• What’s been your most memorable travel experience, and what did you learn from it?
• Could you share an example of when you had to exhibit leadership in your personal life?
• What’s a challenge you’ve faced in your career, and how did you overcome it?
• Can you describe a moment when someone’s kindness made a big difference in your life?
• What life lessons have you learned from your family or cultural background?
• Have you ever taken a big risk that paid off? What happened?
• What’s an obstacle you’ve turned into an opportunity?
• Can anyone share their experience of moving to a new city or country?
• What’s a decision you made that completely altered your life path?
• Have you had a moment when you had to stand up for what you believed in? What was the outcome?
• Can you talk about a time when a seemingly negative event led to positive personal growth?
• What’s a habit or practice you’ve adopted that has significantly impacted your life?
• Is there an unexpected friendship or connection that has had a large impact on your life, and in what way?

Frequently Asked Questions

How can i encourage audience interaction during my presentation.

Audience Engagement Questions  are all about involving your listeners in the conversation. They allow the audience to actively participate and can generate energy and enthusiasm around the event’s topic.

Is it appropriate to ask the audience for feedback on my talk?

Seeking feedback is always a good idea.  Feedback and Improvement Questions  allow you to understand your audience’s experience and what can be enhanced for future interactions.

Are personal experience questions too intrusive for an audience?

Not if they are framed correctly.  Personal Experience Questions  should be inclusive and considerate, giving people the option to share if they feel comfortable. The aim is to foster a sense of community and personal connection.

Final Thoughts

And so, we wrap up with a toolkit of vibrant, thought-provoking questions that are sure to bring your next audience interaction to life. These inquiries are designed to peel back layers, invite laughter, unlock passion, and build a bridge between you and your audience.

Remember, the right question at the right time can turn a monologue into a dialogue, transforming passive listeners into active participants and co-creators of the vibrant tapestry that makes up your event.

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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.

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8 tips for encouraging questions in your presentation

by Olivia Mitchell | 8 comments

Most of us would like people in the audience to ask questions. A lively Q&A session is stimulating and engaging for the audience. But sometimes you ask for questions, and you’re just met with blank gazes back from your audience. It’s a let-down and your presentation ends on a sour note.

Questions from the audience are like young fragile seedlings – they need nurturing. Consider when you’re in the audience – what stages do you have to mentally go through in order to ask a question? It might go something like this:

So as the presenter, you need to nurture your audience’s questions through these four stages. 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 have any questions. Conversly, if it’s too complicated for them, they’ll turn off rather than risk asking a question which might make them look stupid.

2. Don’t cover every aspect of your topic in the presentation

If you cover everything there is to know on the topic – you won’t leave room for questions. So don’t be exhaustive in your coverage.

3. Let your audience know you would like questions and when to ask them

Near the beginning of your presentation let your audience know that you welcome questions. Then let them know when to ask them. There are a number of options:

Take questions throughout your presentation

Tell people they can interrupt you throughout the presentation to ask questions as they come to mind. This has several benefits:

• people won’t have to remember their question till later
• if they’re uncertain about something they can get that clarified at the time
• questions on a particular issue are dealt with at the same time that you’re discussing that issue.

The downside to this strategy is that it can take you off track if people ask irrelevant questions or questions that you’re going to cover later in the presentation. If you find it tricky to get back into the flow of your presentation after an interruption it may not be the best strategy for you. Finally, it can throw the timing of your presentation if people ask a lot of questions on a particular issue. This strategy is best used in longer presentations and training courses where timing is less critical.

Take questions at defined points of your presentation

Tell people you will have an opportunity for questions after you’ve finished each part of your presentation. This option is a useful halfway point between having questions throughout and leaving them till the end of the presentation. You can also decide how long to take questions for during each break in your presentation, and so control the timing better.

4. Let them ask a question as soon as they have one

If you’re serious about ensuring that people get their questions answered, invite people to interrupt you and ask their question. It’s the only way to ensure this. That’s when the question is burning for them. The longer you make people wait, the less likely they are to remember it. Once you’ve moved onto a new topic, their question will seem less relevant. Joey Asher from Talking Points blog says:

Questions aren’t to be feared. They’re to be embraced.  There’s no better way to connect with an audience than to allow them free rein to ask as many questions as they want.

5. Invite people to write down their questions as they think of them

If you don’t want to take questions throughout, you can help people remember their questions by suggesting that they write them down.

6. Validate every question

It takes courage to ask a question. It’s public speaking – just not from the front of the room. People are held back by wondering if their question is stupid or did they miss something and you already answered it. So you need to do your bit to make it a safe environment for people to ask questions. Do that by responding warmly to all questions that are asked – even if the question is stupid or you had already covered it. I don’t recommend saying “Good question”. It’s become a cliche which is often used when the presenter can’t immediately think of the answer.

7. Have people discuss in pairs any questions they may have

If your audience seems a little shy, give them an opportunity to discuss their questions with one other person before they ask them in front of the whole of the audience. Here’s how do do this:

“I’m going to ask for questions in a moment. Please turn to the person next to you and discuss together any questions you have. Then I’ll answer those questions.”

This has several benefits:

• It gives people the opportunity to try out their question in front of one person before risking humiliation in front of the whole audience.
• Any questions that are answered by material you’ve already covered can be answered by their partner.
• It gives people the opportunity to rehearse and fine-tune their question so that it will be shorter and clearer when they ask you.

8. Answer questions clearly and succinctly

If you answer every question with a long-winded and incoherent ramble, people are going to be reluctant to ask you another one. They’ll conclude they’re unlikely to get a useful answer from you. Nor do they want to subject the rest of the audience to another ramble.

More resources on other blogs

Five ways to make presentations Q&A friendly from Joey Asher at Talking Points. He also recommends validating every question:

Smiling at the questioner is like rewarding a dog for sitting on command.  Once rewarded, the chances are the audience will ask more.

John Windsor has a useful post Making the most of a Q&A session . He stresses anticipating the questions that might be asked. And also advises that you recap and conclude your presentation after the Q&A session. That provides a stronger ending to your presentation than just lettting questions peter out.

Andrew Dlugan discusses Leading the perfect Q&A . This covers all elements of the Q&A session from both the audience’s point of view and the presenters.

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Hi again Olivia – just seen this following someone else’s link. It’s something I blogged about myself a while ago – and in retrospect I probably over-stated my case: http://www.curved-vision.co.uk/presentation-skills-blog/2008/03/29/questions-or-not/

To me, it’s important to differentiate between two types of question. Firstly, you’ve got questions of fact (“Did you say 200%?”) which seem to me to be necessary at any point because otherwise people won’t be able to make much of anything you say after that.

Secondly though, there are questions of “application” for lack of a better term. Things like “So in my position, would it make sense to….?”. I love these questions as it shows the audience has bitten what I’ve said and is running with it. My instinct is that these questions should only surface at the end (in fact if the presentation is well structured this is probably the only place it CAN surface!).

And, for the “during the presentation so askers don’t forget”, I’ve also seen Twitter used effectively – either as a displayed backchannel – so that the whole audience can see, or just visible to those who have the necessary hardware. Quite often, small questions can be answered by someone else in the audience (like whispering to the person next to you – only there are lots of people next to you!), or the presenter/room host can skim them at the end & answer the key ones.

Hi Emma Yes, that’s a great use of the backchannel. Thank you for adding it to this post. Olivia

You actually make it seem really easy with your presentation however I to find this topic to be actually one thing which I believe I might never understand. It seems too complex and very wide for me. I am taking a look forward to your next publish, I will attempt to get the dangle of it!

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Các c? ?ã có câu Nh?t dáng nhì da th? ba là váy c??i”.

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• 15 ways to improve your presentations in 2009 : Speaking about Presenting - [...] When you’re just starting out presenting, it makes sense to take questions near the end of your presentation. It’s…
• IPDI » Blog Archive » Innovation Brainstorm: Public Speaking and Twitter - [...] with asking the audience for “out-loud” questions as well. It’s good practice to stop for questions throughout your presentation…
• Best Presentation Tips | Speaking about Presenting: Presentation Tips from Olivia Mitchell - [...] 8 tips for encouraging questions in your presentation [...]
• How to Present While People are Twittering — Pistachio - [...] with asking the audience for “out-loud” questions as well. It’s good practice to stop for questions throughout your presentation…
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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

Presentation Training Institute

A division of bold new directions training, engage with your audience by asking thought provoking questions.

Asking questions is an essential part of any presentation.  Good questions keep the audience engaged, stimulate them intellectually, and create a more exciting atmosphere. Questions can also be beneficial for the presenter because they show what information the audience has retained and it helps them clarify any confusion. That said, asking questions is an art.  It can be difficult to get the audience to participate and it can be just as tricky to decide which questions to ask.  The following guidelines will help you better understand the role of audience feedback and how asking questions can contribute to a more open dialogue between the audience and the presenter.

What Is A Good Question?

A good question opens discussion and is the product of engaged, active listening.  It is thought provoking and encourages the audience to explore a particular topic or issue.   A good question also demonstrates what the audience has learned from the presentation and motivates them to look beyond the data that has been presented in order to explore a broader experience.

How Do You Construct A Good Question?

• Thinking about broader issues is a great way to construct a thought provoking question that will stimulate discussion. What is the larger public issue that the presentation addresses? How does your presentation directly relate to your audience?
• Draw upon your own experiences that might be of interest to your audience. Use these experiences and knowledge as a foundation for creating good questions.

What Is The Purpose Of Asking Questions?

For most of us, we ask questions when we don’t understand something.  This is also true in presentations.  Questions are asked to help the comprehension of the entire audience.  Questions can also be asked when no answer is expected.  These questions might be advice from the speaker, a suggestion about a topic, or a problem identified to the audience.  Questions are used to deepen meaning and understanding and to exchange ideas among audience members.

How Do You Get Your Audience To Participate?

Most of us would agree that when we are in the audience we are not always the first ones ready to answer the questions.  You can encourage audience participation by starting with easier questions and moving to more challenging ones.  Also, try not to talk for too long without asking a question.  You don’t want your audience to settle into “passive mode.â€Â  Finally, warm up your audience by letting them get to know you a little before asking them questions.

A good speaker does not want their audience to just sit back and listen during the entire presentation.  Rather, they want to engage their audience and make them part of the discussion.  Asking thought provoking questions will open the discussion with your audience and make them an active part of your presentation.

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Tips on How to Create Good Leading Questions

January 23, 2024 Jessica Teteak

One of the best ways to keep your audience engaged is to ask the right types of questions.

Recently, we were asked by a member of our Rule the Room Public Speaking Community  to write a blog about how to create good leading questions.

I started to email the answer, and then I realized that this is a topic that all of you probably want to know.

Choose Your Questions Wisely

It’s not just about what types of questions are good questions.

Many of you have learned that.

It’s about how to CREATE those questions .

In general, there are four main types of questions you can use to Rule the Room.

Today’s blog is going to focus on how to create good leading questions and what it can mean for your next presentation.

A leading question is used whenever you want to help the audience understand (or “synthesize”) a challenging concept.

Put in simpler terms, it helps ensure your audience is “thinking” as you are presenting.

This thinking is also referred to as “synthesis” .

In Bloom’s Taxonomy , a classification of learning objectives, synthesis is defined as, “Compiling information in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions.”

A question that inspires synthesis accesses the right side of the brain.

A leading question that inspires synthesis and gets people to pay attention must meet the following criteria:

• There has to be a right answer.
• The audience has not yet been taught the answer.
• The audience can figure out the answer.
• The answer requires some thought.

For example, once I explain that the left side of the brain stores memories and the right synthesizes, I can ask…

“Which side do you think you access to come up with presentation topics?”

And the audience’s right brain will go to work on an answer.

The question meets all four of the criteria.

When I hear someone in the audience say, “Ooooooh,” I know the person has synthesized what the presenter is saying and arrived at an “aha!” moment.

Aha moments come when people have put together information that’s coming from you with what’s stored in their brains in a new way and then come up with an answer they can express in their own words.

When there is true understanding—and only then—synthesis is possible.

This is exactly what you want and will achieve when you create good leading questions.

When the audience members come up with the answer, they are learning.

When they are learning, you keep their attention.

Asking a question that requires synthesis is one of the most powerful ways to keep an audience’s attention, and good presenters are masters at doing that.

Below is a step-by-step guide to help you create a leading question using an example of Jason’s.

Step 1: Choose a concept or topic

Select something that is challenging to understand in your presentation:

My example: I’m talking about asking leading questions, so that’s my challenging topic.

Step 2: Choose a leading question candidate

Select one of the statements below that, if you were giving a test on this topic, you could use to help you find out if someone understands the concept or topic better.

1. “Explain what it means to…” 2. “Explain why…” 3. “Describe what the effect of…” 4. “Describe what the difference is between and ” 5. “Explain who can…” 6. “Describe where is coming from.” 7. “Explain when ” 8. “Explain when ” 9. “Describe what happens when…” 10. “Describe where/how ”

Did you notice that all of the ten candidates above implicitly contain the words “do you think”—for example, “Explain what [you think] it means to . . .”

A question containing that phrase either implicitly or explicitly prompts them to come up with an original answer based on what they have learned.

That’s powerful.

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Requiring synthesis will keep their attention.

My example: I would choose #8 above to test you to find out if you understood what happens when you ask a leading question.

Step 3: Add your topic

Simply attach your topic to the end of the leading question candidate you chose above.

My example: “Describe what happens when you ask leading questions.”

Step 4: Create your leading question

Turn the statement above into a question by removing the very first word of the statement and adding the worlds “do you think” to the statement to help form a question.

My example: “What do you think happens when you ask leading questions?”

Step 5: Ask the question at the right time

Ask this question sometime during your presentation after you have explained just enough that your audience can figure out the answer, but it still requires some thinking.

If someone in your audience answers your leading question incorrectly, it’s likely your fault.

You probably didn’t lead him or her enough.

Don’t correct the person; simply ask another question with a better hint.

If you get no response at all, you probably asked a leading question that is unanswerable or patronizing.

A leading question is unanswerable if any of the following apply:

It’s too complex or confusing.

Example: “What do you think the engineers at NASA were thinking thirty seconds before launch in 1997?”

How can you possibly know what the engineers were thinking?

There’s no single right answer.

Example: “Is everyone in agreement about this?”

The audience hasn’t enough information to come up with an answer.

If in retrospect you realize your question is unanswerable, then ask an easier leading question (give a bigger hint) or rephrase the question.

A leading question is patronizing if it’s rhetorical or obvious—for example,

“Do you think it’s important to wear a coat in cold weather?”

If you realize from the audience’s lack of response your question is rhetorical or obvious, quickly answer it yourself.

“Do you need to wear a coat in the winter? Of course!”

Continue as if you intended it to be rhetorical.

As you read this, you may think, I don’t ask silly questions, but I bet you do.

I would say three-quarters of the presenters we observe ask at least one question intended to be a synthesis question but that instead confuses or patronizes the audience.

This is dangerous because even if you do this only once, the audience members may stop listening .

Therefore, I suggest you prepare your questions in advance.

I hope this helps you to create leading questions of your own.

If you’d like to know how you’re doing, create a leading question and send it to us at [email protected], or post your question on our Facebook page .

About Jessica Teteak

Jessica Teteak is a contributor to Rule the Room Public Speaking. As a copywriter, editor and author she knows the power of finding your “voice” and words well spoken.

Jessica is an Energizer and a dynamic encourager. Her years spent coaching in Athletics, as a Fitness Professional and through Entrepreneurial ventures developed her holistic, unique approach to Public Speaking and Build Your Business Presentation Coaching.

Work with her ONLY if you’re ready to break the mold and lean more towards a “Jobs” presentation than a “Gates”. (And yes, she is Jason’s wife and coach.)

Strengths Finder: 1. Communication 2. Individualization 3. Activation 4. Belief 5. Woo