Asking Good Questions in Presentations
3 Quick tips on asking good questions in presentations
Asking good questions during a presentation can be difficult. If you haven’t understood a point in the presentation, it is likely that other people in the audience will be thinking the same as you. You don’t want to leave the presentation with a question mark in your head so it is important to ask your question. Other people in the audience will likely be pleased that you have asked. Here are 3 quick tips on asking good questions in presentations.
1. Prepare
Write your question down before you ask it. This will allow you to reflect on your question before you ask it, as well as giving you time to check to see if it is understandable. Also, some questions sound good at first, but you may reconsider asking them after a minute of thought.
2. Provide context
Some presentations are long and your question may be related to a topic covered 10 minutes ago. Provide some context of what the topic was or what point you are addressing. This will help both the person who is answering the question and the rest of the audience understand what you are talking about. It also shows that you have been paying attention and are following the presentation.
3. One question
Try to ask just one question instead of clustering your questions. If you ask a lot of questions all at the same time, it can confuse the presenter and you probably won’t get the detailed response you are looking for. If you have a two or three part question, wait until the presenter answers the first question and then ask your next question. They may answer your second question in their first answer.
If you have any more tips on asking good questions in presentations, please let us know in the comments section below.
These are terrific tips, Jonny. Understandably, we focus so much on giving the presentation, we sometimes forget it can be an interactive process: As an audience member, you may have the opportunity to “participate” in the presentation, as well.
I agree with Victoria: “one at a time” is great. In cases where there may be several questions from people, one question at a time is not only practical and easier to answer, it’s courteous to others who may also have questions. That doesn’t happen too often, but I think it’s nice to keep in mind.
Jonny these are all really good tips.
Writing down a question is a great idea – otherwise the danger is your question is confused or unclear. If the presenter doesn’t understand your question they clearly won’t be able to answer it! A ‘lose-lose’ situation.
I also particularly like your tip about asking one question at a time. People can have a tendancy to think out loud, going from one point to another. This is not unusual in an informal setting, but you should gather your thoughts and stick to one specific point in formal settings.