How to fix the conference Q&A segment

Howard Gray -

Live events are back. Conferences, summits, conventions, festivals. All hail human interactions! Fresh ideas! A variety of salted snacks!

But there’s one issue I’ve noticed at a bunch of events recently. 

Q&A segments are killing the experience. 

And it’s happening both in-person and online. 

This kept occurring at a conference I attended recently. At the end of a keynote or panel discussion, the audience were invited to ask questions. But many of the questions were either:

  • difficult to hear
  • too long/complex to synthesize
  • incredibly specific or contextual
  • off-topic

(And sometimes all four at once)

Ooof.

Speakers attempt to respond, but they, the questioner, or the audience (or all three) invariably end up feeling shortchanged.

Humans overvalue the final parts of an experience. And Q&As come at the end. So, no, not good.

What to do if you’re in the spotlight? 

Here’s a simple approach to use with any question you receive. 

  1. Pause: Take a beat. This gives the audience a moment to process, and you the time to prepare a response. The pause also allows attention to shift back to you rather than the questioner. Don’t be afraid to take a few seconds here. It can be startlingly effective.
  2. Repeat: Play back their question aloud. You can either:
    a) Mirror (repeat it back verbatim)
    b) Paraphrase (restate / remix / augment it. “It sounds like you're saying…”)
    c) Track (synthesize the question with a few related lines of thought from the wider session)

    * Pro Tip: Paraphrasing gives you license to do some jiu jitsu with the question so you can bring it towards a topic/angle that’s a good fit for your perspective or expertise. Just be mindful not to pull it out of context. Go too far and you’ll turn everyone off faster than me rocking a pair of skinny jeans
  3. Respond: Say whatever you’re going to say. Aim to speak directly to them, and also address the rest of the audience. Oh, and be kind. Even if you think the question sucks, no one likes to feel dismissed or patronised

This sounds stupidly simple, and it is. But I guarantee you’ll notice the difference. All the pieces matter.

While you’re here, which other parts of live events are in need of a tune-up? 

P.S. For what it’s worth, I like to go with option (b), and also ask the person to confirm if I’ve heard them correctly.  But option (c) is the killer move if you know how and when to use it….