Never Never Never End A Speech With Q and A

Think back to the last presentation you gave or the last one you attended as an audience member. I’ll bet you dollars to doughnuts (whatever that means) that the presentation ended with a Q&A session. Perhaps there was even a colorful PowerPoint slide with a giant question mark on it or it simply read “Questions?” Very creative.

It’s hard to pick the biggest mistake most presenters make, but ending on Q&A has to be up there in the top three.

So you might be asking, “What are we supposed to do? Every presentation should have questions at the end.”

To answer that question, let’s look at all the things that can go wrong during the question and answer portion of the program.

1. There are no questions. Yikes! Talk about an uncomfortable silence. (Check back in a few days for a post about out how to solve the “no questions” problem.)

2. Questions take you off topic. A waste of your time and everyone else’s.

3. The questions turn negative. Some colleague or customer wants to assert himself/herself by tearing you down. Not fun.

4. You get asked legitimate questions for which you have no answer. Ouch. Even if you say you’ll find the answer and get back to the questioner, your credibility takes a hit.

5. The Q&A session is flat. Nothing good or bad happens, but the energy and enthusiasm you worked so hard to generate during the presentation simply vanishes.

6. Finally, most of the time during Q&A people just want to get the heck out of Dodge. In many people’s minds the learning is over and they’re just sitting quietly waiting to leave (and secretly hoping that no one will ask another question).

So when do you let your audience ask questions? You have two options.

One, encourage them to ask questions throughout your presentation. This is the best way to handle questions because there isn’t a formal Q&A session that puts you on the spot. Plus people might forget a question they want to ask if they have to wait until the end. But be prepared, if the audience peppers you with throughout you speech, don’t let them throw off your rhythm.

The second option is to have your Q&A as the second to last thing you do. This way you signal to the audience that there’s more to come, that they should stay engaged and that the Q&A will not go on forever. I like to open Q&A by saying, “Before I make my final point, what questions do you have about my presentation?”

And just what is the “final point” you ask? Tune in tomorrow.

Time to Hit Your Stride…

Your Turn #1
Do a little experiment. Pay attention to the way the next three presentations come to a conclusion. Was it Q&A? What was the energy level in the room? What was the mood of the audience as everyone filed out?

Your Turn #2
Try the “questions throughout method” in your next presentation. You might be surprised to see the level of engagement go up. And your speech will feel more like a dialog than a monologue.

Dealing with a Chatty Audience

Have you ever faced an overly chatty audience? They’re not being rude per se, but once they get talking during an exercise or a Q&A, it’s hard to shut them up. How do you maintain control without alienating the people you’re talking to?

Yesterday, I got an email from a woman who speaks nationally as a nutrition expert. Her speeches are well received and her audiences like her, but she always runs into trouble during the “did-you-know-how-many-calories-and-fat-grams-there-are-in-some-of-your-favorite-fast-food” section of her program Is it just me, or does everyone today have a fast food calories and fat grams segment?

Without fail, when she “weighs” in on the fast food statistics the audience members begin to talk among themselves. Apparently they’re so amazed by some of these numbers that they can’t help discussing it with their neighbor. She doesn’t want to play the “heavy,” but if she lets them chatter away she won’t have enough time to finish her speech.

So how do you deal with a chatty audience while keeping them on your side?

Here are three ideas to consider and I would love to more from all you fine people out there (see below).

1. Prepare them. As you introduce a “discussion-inducing” portion of your program, warn the audience that they’ll be tempted to discuss it with the folks around them. However, you want to honor their time and keep the presentation on track. (Remember, no one ever wants a presentation to go over the allotted time.) This won’t eliminate the problem completely, but you’ll be clearly establishing your expectations for the audience up front. The easiest way to maintain your leadership position from the platform is by setting your expectations in advance, then your audience will be more likely to follow you. It’s the old adage leave-nothing-up-to-chance approach.

2. Give in. If they’re going to chat about the subject no matter what, go ahead and let them. Set aside 2-5 minutes for the audience to talk amongst themselves. This must be what schoolteachers face during the first snowfall of the year. I say let the students “ooh” and “aah” at the window for a few minutes to satisfy some of their natural curiosity. Then, once they’ve got it out of their system, they’ll be more willing to go back to their desks to continue with their schoolwork.

3. Snap ‘em out of it. Buy a hotel bellhop / lunch counter bell, place it on the lectern and “ding” it several times in rapid succession. These bells make a fun (non-threatening) sound that quickly gets everyone’s attention. The instant the room goes silent after hearing the bell, jump in and say whatever you need to keep them on track.

Time to Hit Your Stride…

Your Turn #1: How do you deal with chatty audiences?

Your Turn #2: What have you seen other speakers do when faced with a loquacious bunch?

Happy speaking,

Steve Hughes
Speaker – Trainer – Occasional Close Talker