Questions to Ask a Presenter
Questions for the Q&A after a talk, a conference session, or an internal briefing, aimed at the limits and the workings of what you just heard rather than a recap of the slides.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What surprised you while you were putting this together?
Why ask it
Separates a presenter who investigated something from one who packaged what they already believed. If nothing surprised them, the talk was probably a summary of other people's work.
What did you cut for time, and what was in it?
Why ask it
People cut the caveats and the failed attempts first, which is exactly the material you wanted. Presenters often offer to send the removed slides, and they usually mean it.
What do people most often misunderstand about this?
Why ask it
Gets you the correction before you make the mistake yourself. A presenter with a ready answer has explained this to sceptics before, which is a decent proxy for how tested the idea is.
Where does this approach stop working?
Why ask it
Anyone who has actually deployed something can name the conditions under which it fails. "It works pretty much everywhere" means either it is untested or the failures have not been counted.
If someone here wanted to try this next week, what's the first step?
Why ask it
Forces the talk down to one concrete action, which also reveals how much scaffolding was assumed. If the first step is a six-month procurement, say so now.
Which slide gets the most pushback when you present this?
Why ask it
Points you straight at the contested claim, and it is a friendlier route there than challenging it yourself. Their answer tells you which objection they are tired of hearing.
Who else worked on this, and what did they contribute?
Why ask it
How readily someone names collaborators tells you something about how the work was run. It also gives you the person to email when your question is too specific for the room.
Was there an earlier version of this that didn't work?
Why ask it
The abandoned attempt usually explains a design choice that looks arbitrary on the slides. Presenters rarely volunteer it, and most are glad to be asked.
Which of your numbers are you most confident in, and which is the roughest?
Why ask it
Every deck mixes measurements with estimates, and the formatting makes them look alike. Asking the presenter to rank them is more useful than asking how the data was collected.
Who is this not for?
Why ask it
A clear answer shows they know their own scope. If the answer is that it suits everyone, treat the rest of the talk as marketing and check the claims yourself.
What did you believe about this a year ago that you no longer believe?
Why ask it
Tracks whether their thinking is still moving. It also tends to get a candid answer, because it invites them to sound thoughtful rather than to defend a position.
What's the strongest argument against your conclusion?
Why ask it
The test is whether they can state the counterargument in a form its holders would accept. A straw man here tells you they have only read people who agree with them.
What would change your mind about this?
Why ask it
Asks for the evidence that would count against them, which is harder than it sounds under stage lights. An answer with no such evidence in it is worth noting quietly.
How much of this have you seen work outside your own organization?
Why ask it
Distinguishes a result from a general method. Many talks describe something that worked once, in a setting with unusual advantages that never make it onto the slides.
What would you need to answer this properly that you don't have yet?
Why ask it
Turns the gap into a shared problem rather than an accusation. The answer is often a specific dataset, budget line, or permission, which is useful if you are in a position to help.
What did this cost, in time or money, to get to where it is now?
Why ask it
The number rarely appears in the talk and it decides whether you can copy the approach. Evasion here usually means the real figure would undercut the pitch.
Where should someone look next if they want more than a summary?
Why ask it
Asking a person rather than a search engine gets you the source they actually rely on. Note whether they cite anything they did not write themselves.
Which question were you hoping someone would ask today?
Why ask it
Hands the microphone back and usually produces the most interesting two minutes of the session. Presenters prepare for a question that never comes, and they want to use it.
If you gave this talk again tomorrow, what would you change?
Why ask it
Reveals which part they know landed badly. Better asked near the end, when they have read the room and are being honest with themselves about it.
What part of this are you still unsure about?
Why ask it
A closing question that gives them permission to drop the performance. Someone who names a genuine uncertainty is more trustworthy on everything else they said.
Asking a Good Question in Q&A
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before You Raise Your Hand
Write it down during the talk, with the slide number
Questions formed in the moment come out as three questions in a trench coat. Note the slide you are asking about so you can say "on the chart with the two lines" and the presenter can find it.
One sentence, no preamble
Skip your job title, your history with the topic, and your compliment. State the question and stop talking. Long run-ups are the main reason chairs cut people off.
Sort your questions by who they serve
Ask the room-sized question at the microphone and save the one about your own edge case for the coffee break. Presenters answer narrow questions far better one to one.
Quote them back before you push
"You said the effect held for the second cohort as well" gives them a specific thing to confirm or correct. Paraphrasing loosely invites a correction of your paraphrase instead of an answer.
What Not to Do
The comment disguised as a question
If your first eight words are about your own view, you are making a speech. The audience notices, and the presenter answers a question you did not ask.
The two-part question
Presenters answer the easier half and the harder half quietly disappears. Ask the harder one and hold the other for later.
Pressing a third time
If someone dodges twice, they are choosing not to answer, usually because of a confidentiality line or an unpublished result. A third attempt costs the room goodwill and gets you nothing.
Asking what the slides already said
A question answered on slide four signals you were not listening and burns time others wanted. If you missed it, ask a neighbour rather than the microphone.
Sequences for Different Sessions
A conference talk with fifteen minutes of Q&A
- 1"What surprised you while you were putting this together?"
- 2"Where does this approach stop working?"
- 3"Which slide gets the most pushback when you present this?"
An internal briefing where you may have to act on it
- 1"If we wanted to try this next week, what's the first step?"
- 2"What did it cost in time or money to get here?"
- 3"Which of your numbers is the roughest estimate?"
- 4"What would you need that you don't have yet?"
Catching the speaker afterwards
- 1"What did you cut for time?"
- 2"Was there an earlier version that didn't work?"
- 3"Where should I look next if I want more than a summary?"