Be an Interactive Speaker: Strategies for Getting People Involved & Leading an Effective Q & A

Have you seen this? A speaker talks for 30 minutes. Then it is time for the Q&A session. “Any questions?” Nobody asks. And there’s an awkward silence. The opposite can also happen and the session drags on and on. Or, a teacher is teaching a group of teenagers and it feels like a monologue to a group of statues. The teacher tries to encourage interaction and asks, “Any questions?” Stony silence follows. Ever struggled with this? You can be an interactive speaker, teacher or small group leader. You can have an effective Q&A session that dynamically adds to your presentation if you learn and apply these seven strategies.

Strategy #1: Get them buzzing early.

Early interaction will set the tone for the entire presentation or small group time. How you do this will depend on the context, the size of the group, and the age. For my junior high class, I’ll start with each person sharing one good thing that happened to them from the week. If it was a larger group of that same

age, I would have them tell the person next to them or a couple of people around them. After 30 seconds of buzzing, I’ll ask two or three students to share with the entire group. The same principle applies to adults. If it is a small group, I’ll start with a provocative question and have everyone or just a

few reply. If the group is easily sidetracked I might say, “Answer this question in one sentence.”

When leading a workshop or a college class, I’ll introduce the topic and then say, “Today, we are talking about _______. Take a moment and share with the person next to you what your question is or what you hope to get out of this session.” The room is electric with talk. Sometimes I’ll enhance the effect and play some upbeat instrumental music to raise the energy level. After a few minutes, I’ll ask, “What were some questions you had?” The answers fly in. I might write them down or have a volunteer write them down. The group is talking, I know what they are wondering and we are primed for a good session.

Strategy #2: Ask & Pause.

A teacher complained, “My class does not have discussion.” The problem was obvious because the teacher would ask the question and wait .09 seconds and then move on. The best way to cure this complaint is to pause for a count of 20. Yes, I’ll mentally count and if no one has spoken after 20, I’ll

rephrase the question and ask it specifically to someone who loves to talk. Another option is to ask two or three people who are sitting in one area. That way one does not feel like they are put on the spot. Sometime the opposite happens. The speaker waits for a minute or longer during an awkward silence. This problem can be fixed with the next strategy.

Strategy #3: Ask, “What questions do you have?”

Notice this question is different than “Any questions?”. This two-word question is a yes/no question and assumes that people may not have any questions. Asking, “What questions do you have?” assumes that there are questions and helps elicit them. Follow this up with the 20 second pause from Strategy #2 and maybe ask a more specific question to really fire up the discussion.

Strategy #4: Repeat questions & clarify questions.

Unless you are sitting around a table, repeat the question so all can hear. It’s irritating to the audience, if they just hear your answer. A bonus to this strategy is it gives you time to think of a good answer! It’s also often good to clarify the question. I was teaching on

ethics and someone asked my opinion of euthanasia. I replied, “What do you mean by euthanasia? There are 4 kinds of euthanasia and I need to know which one you are talking about.” Clarify so you know you are answering the right question. Don’t be afraid to ask, “What do you mean by _______?”

Strategy #5: Anticipate questions and have prepared answers.

An advanced speaking technique is to list out 10 plus questions you think your audience will have about the topic. This is important for three reasons:

• It allows you to answer many of those in your talk.

• During the Q&A, you’ll already have remarkable answers ready.

• If you need to get the pump primed during Q&A, you can say, “Here are a couple of questions that many people have on this topic.” Then share them and answer them.

Strategy #6 - Use the ask, share, & tell technique.

This tool is extremely effective with many adaptations and variations. You ask the listeners a question or give them an activity. They share their thoughts with the people around them and finally, you have a few participants tell everyone what they discussed.

I’ll use this to open a session as mentioned in strategy #1. I may say, “Gather into groups of 3-5 and share one question that you have about today’s topic.” Or, towards the end, I may say, “Before our conclusion, in your group share one takeaway or a concept that stood out to you from today.” After several moments, I’ll have a few people share with the group. This also works to prime a Q&A session. They will share questions in their group and I will ask, “Let’s hear your best questions from the group.” You can see a live demonstration of this method by attending one of my sessions at the Texas Ministry Conference.

Strategy #7 - Mix Q&A throughout your presentation and never conclude with a Q&A session.

Many speakers treat Q&A as the dessert...they put it at the end of their session. Bad idea. Why? First, people often remember the last thing that was said and Q&A sessions can bring up some wacky comments. Here is a better way. If it’s a 90-minute session, you can mix a few questions and answers in at the 30-minute mark and again at the 60-minute mark. You can still do a Q&A towards the end, but use the 95/5 principle. Give 95% of your talk, then pause for Q & A. You could start with the ask, share, and tell method. Then give the remaining 5% of your talk and leave them with your thoughts. Effective speakers have memorable presentations. Audience interaction solidifies and gives ownership of the information to the participants. They will walk away more engaged and more willing to act on or react to the knowledge they have been given by you. For more communication strategies, come to Arlen’s session at the Texas Ministry Conference entitled, “Become a Better Speaker in One Hour “.

- Arlen Busenitz

(Originally published in the Feb 2017 Magazine)