Comments on: The 10 steps to asking questions so you get an answer every time

By: It doesn’t work to leap a twenty-foot chasm in two ten-foot jumps « the scenic route

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 07:36:26 +0000

[...] ways to increase audience participation [...]

By: Makana Chai

Makana Chai — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 06:45:16 +0000

Great ideas, Olivia. Though you implied it, I think it’s worth making obvious that the very best questions are those to which there are many right answers, or even better, no wrong answers.

By: The 10 Steps to Asking Questions so that You Get an Answer Every Time « Gilbert Toastmasters

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:57:09 +0000

[...] “Asking questions of your audience is a great way to keep the audience engaged. But asking questions is an art… There are many reasons why people won’t answer your questions ranging from lack of clarity of the question to fear of public speaking. Here are the 10 steps for asking questions in a presentation which will help you avoid being left ha….” [...]

By: Chris Witt

Chris Witt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:56:56 +0000

Olivia,

Everything you say about getting people to answer questions is right on. And what you say applies equally well to getting people to ask questions.

I like to ask my audience questions. (I hope that I follow your guidelines when I do, although I need to work on framing my questions so they’re immediately and easily understood.) And then I follow up — if appropriate — with, “And what questions do you have?” If I ask, “Do you have any questions?” they just sit there. (It’s a yes/no question, which doesn’t encourage engagement.) But by asking what questions they have, I let them know I presume they have some. It doesn’t work all the time, but it usually gets people started.

By: Brent Dykes

Brent Dykes — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 16:18:20 +0000

Great suggestions, Olivia. Thanks for the insight.

Brent.

By: Rhett Laubach

Rhett Laubach — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:40:03 +0000

Great post, Olivia. These strategies are highly useful and they absolutely work!

Rhett

By: Marti Barletta

Marti Barletta — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:48:07 +0000

Love this – so smart!

By: Laua Bergells

Laua Bergells — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:19:27 +0000

Here’s an old teacher’s trick for a shy audience: start with an action.

Instead of asking the audience “Show of hands — how many of you…” — do the opposite. Ask everyone to raise their hands.

This gets everyone “active” right away.

Next, you can demand, “Now, drop your hand if…”