How do you make Q&A sessions clear and concise?

Whenever possible, I try to solicit questions prior to the session. Even better is allowing people to upvote others' questions for which they also have interest. These advance questions inform my overall presentation design and I try to answer as many of them as possible throughout the session instead of reserving them for a more formal Q&A.

I recently created "Collab Topics" instead of just doing a QA session at a conference where I was the keynote speaker. This list of topics prompts my audience because I usually do know the most pressing issues on their minds. The other benefit of this new approach is that if there are no or few questions....I can go to the list and ASK THEM a question. It's light and friendly and feels collaborative.

A better way to handle Q&A is to offer to hang around after your keynote to speak directly with people at the back of the room, over morning tea etc...

I never do Q&A as part of my keynote. What happens... You finish your interactive, engaging, entertaining keynote on a high, everyone is pumped and excited to implement the action you have encouraged (and your booker is grinning from ear to ear at the back of the room)... Then the MC takes the stage to thank you starts the Q&A... there's a deafening silence as no-one wants to step into the spotlight...until Bill from Accounts says he has a question and then goes on for 3 minutes about something he got from the session that won't work in his experience, or Mary says she doesn't have a question but wants to give some insight into what she got from it all... Poof, the adrenalin and buzz from your keynote just expired!

J'anticipe toujours les objections, questions avant une conférence. Cela me permet de préparer les réponses. Je ne suis pas fan des Q/A à la fin d'une conférence, car cela peut casser l'état d'esprit dans lequel vous avez laissez votre auditoire. Je préfère rencontrer les personnes après et répondre à leurs questions.

Early on in my programs I ask participants to reflect on and then share with a partner what they want out of our time together. Then I have them think of potential questions they want answered. I sometimes have them write these "Big Questions" down on 3x5 notecards, which I have provided. I get an assistant to collect them. The questions on these cards not only help feed Q&A, they also help participants "tune" their intentions, energy, and attention. I use the cards to at least get Q&A going. I also take the cards home where they serve to help me create and update my programs and feed the content of my books and blog posts.

Repeating and rephrasing questions during a Q&A session is important for two reasons. First, it ensures everyone in the audience hears the question, especially in larger rooms or virtual settings. Second, it gives you time to process the question and make sure you fully understand it before answering. By rephrasing, you can clarify the question’s intent and make sure you're on the same page as the person asking. It also gives the person a chance to correct or refine their question if needed. This helps you provide a more accurate and thoughtful response

Avant de répondre à une questions, je m'efforce de faire un "accusé de réception", qui peut-être une reformulation, de l'empathie, etc... ?a permet de montrer à mon interlocuteur que je prends en compte son point de vue et me laisse le temps de réfléchir à une réponse.

For anticipated questions, I'll often build additional content slides in my deck to help visually reinforce any answers I give. I place them at the end of my deck and have an index card identifying each slide and the corresponding number. While offering my answer, I simply key in the appropriate number to jump to the relevant slide.

When answering questions in a Q&A, start by repeating the question to make sure everyone’s on the same page and to give yourself a moment to think. Give a brief intro for context, then dive straight into the main point. Use examples or data to back up your answer and keep it clear. Summarize what you said to highlight the key points and check if the person needs more info. Stay focused, keep it simple, and if you don’t know something, just say so and offer to follow up later. This way, your answers will be clear, concise, and engaging.

To handle Q&A sessions clearly and concisely, structure your answers by first acknowledging the question to show you’ve understood it. Then, get straight to the point—start with the most important part of your answer. Break your response into clear sections, if needed, to make it easy to follow. Avoid going off on tangents; stay focused on the specific question asked. If it’s a complex issue, offer a brief overview and suggest a more detailed follow-up if necessary. Keep your answer short but informative, and wrap up with a quick summary to reinforce your main point.

Some of the most difficult questions will present the best opportunities for the speaker. This is where the rubber hits the road. Let them see how you handle tricky situations. Don't shy away but always stay professional. I am sure to greet every question with gratitude no matter what.

When handling difficult questions in a Q&A, stay calm and composed. Take a moment to think before responding, and don’t rush your answer. If the question is challenging or critical, acknowledge the concern and be respectful in your response. Focus on the facts, stay clear on your message, and avoid getting defensive. If you don’t know the answer, it’s okay to admit it and offer to follow up later. Keep your response concise by sticking to the core of the question and avoid over-explaining. Finally, thank the person for their question, showing you value their input.

One way I sometimes close sessions with a smaller number of attendees is a lightning round. I ask people to submit to me in writing (often during a break) one question they're dying to have answered before the session ends. I then put 10-15 minutes on the clock and offer rapid-fire 30-60 second responses to the question. No discussion. Just question, answer, repeat.

To really get the audience involved in Q&A sessions, start by setting some ground rules and encourage everyone to ask questions directly or through digital tools. Repeat their questions so everyone hears them, and keep your answers short and clear. Stick to the topic, manage your time well, and use visuals only if they help. Ask follow-up questions to engage them more and summarize your points to keep things clear. If you don’t know something, just be honest about it. Use polls or quick surveys for interaction, thank everyone for their questions, invite them to share their stories, and follow up after the session to keep the conversation going.

If I'm presenting at a conference, I'll try to stay engaged with the conference hashtag on social channels for at least the next 24-36 hours, reacting to what others post and offering additional takeaways related to my presentation.

J'aime bien à la fin d'une session de questions-réponses, faire un récapitulatif de ce qui a été dit et de faire un lien avec mon intervention, afin de pousser à l'action.

Sometimes you may just have a quiet audience that isn't jumping out of their seats with questions. It's always good to have a few "seed questions" on hand. You may have prepared these in advance and given them to the moderator, or if it's quiet you could say, "After I present on this topic people often ask me "x"'. A seed question just gets the conversation going and helps transition between the formal portion of your topic and into the conversational portion. Think of it like "salting the tip jar" for presenters.

Silence. It's the thing that makes (almost) all of us really uncomfortable. It's also the thing that brings out questions or comments from those you might not expect. I've always found a "I'll ask the questions but I won't answer the question I ask" approach to be empowering to the audience. It absolutely can lead to a few minutes of weird, awkward silence but once that seal is broken, the commentary, questions and conversations can be incredible.