Webinar Questions to Ask Your Audience
For hosts, marketers and trainers looking for webinar questions to ask the audience at every stage of the event, not only at the end. The list runs in the order a webinar does (the registration form, the opening minutes, prompts for the chat while you present, starters for a quiet Q&A and the follow-up survey), and each question has a note on what a good or a worrying answer looks like and what to do with it. If you are an attendee who wants something to ask the presenter, the Questions to Ask Speakers page is the one to use.
Want questions from the whole vault instead? Try the random question generator.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Registration
What do you most want to learn from this webinar?
Why ask it
Make it an optional open box and read every reply in the week before. Replies that cluster on one subject show where the middle of the session should go. A pile of answers the outline never touches means the invitation is promising something else, and that is cheaper to fix now than on the day.
What is your biggest challenge with [topic] right now?
Why ask it
People answer in their own words, and those are the words to put on the slides and in the reminder email. On the day, open with two or three of the replies, without names, so the room hears its own problems before it hears your solution.
How much experience do you have with [topic]: new to it, some practice, or doing it every day?
Why ask it
Keep this one multiple choice so it can be counted. The worrying result is an even split between beginners and old hands. Plan a short recap of the basics for that room and say out loud who each later section is for.
What is your job title, and what kind of organization do you work for?
Why ask it
The answers choose your examples: a case from a hospital means little to a room of retailers. Drop the field if nothing in the session would change because of it, since each extra box is one more reason to leave the form unfinished.
Is there a question you would like the presenter to answer during the session?
Why ask it
Questions sent ahead are the ones to read out if the live Q&A starts in silence, so collect them even if you expect a talkative crowd. Say on the form whether the asker's name will be read with the question. Pass the list to the presenter a few days early, not the morning of.
How did you hear about this webinar?
Why ask it
Offer a short list of the places you promoted it, plus 'a colleague told me'. A full room that mostly came by word of mouth is good news about the topic and a warning about your own channels. Skip it if your registration links already record the source.
Have you attended one of our webinars before?
Why ask it
First-timers need the two-minute introduction to who you are and how the chat works; returning attendees do not. When most of the room is back for more, ask them at the top what they used from last time.
Do you plan to join live, or are you signing up mainly for the recording?
Why ask it
An honest count of recording-only sign-ups keeps you from reading a half-empty live room as a failure. If that group is large, send the recording quickly and say where each main section starts, because those people were never going to sit through the housekeeping.
Is there anything that would make the session easier for you to follow, such as captions or slides sent in advance?
Why ask it
Ask only for what you are able to deliver. Features such as live captions differ from platform to platform, so check what yours does before the form goes out, and write back to anyone who asks for something you cannot provide.
Would you like us to email you about future sessions on this subject?
Why ask it
A box somebody checks on purpose is worth more than a list of everyone who registered. Rules on marketing email differ by country and by company, so have whoever looks after that in your organization approve the wording and whether the box starts unchecked.
Opening
Where are you joining from today?
Why ask it
The classic first chat prompt, because nobody can get it wrong. Read a few places aloud as they scroll past, and people learn in the first minute that typing gets a response. With an internal group who all sit in one building, ask which team they are from instead.
Can you hear me and see the first slide? Type yes or no in the chat.
Why ask it
A sound check dressed as a question, and it gets every attendee to find the chat box before you need it. Put the words on the slide as well, because someone with no sound cannot hear you ask. One 'no' usually points to that person's setup, so have a co-host message them privately; several at once mean stop and fix your end.
What is in your mug or glass right now?
Why ask it
Pure warm-up for the minutes while people are still arriving. Nothing rides on it, which is the point: latecomers miss no content. Leave it out when the audience is senior and short of time, and start on the hour instead.
In one word, what comes to mind when you hear [topic]?
Why ask it
A word is quick to type, so replies come in a rush. Words like 'confusing' or 'expensive' tell you the mood you are presenting into, and you can come back to them: 'someone said confusing at the start, so here is the part that usually causes it.'
From one to five, how confident do you feel about [topic] right now?
Why ask it
Run it as a poll and save the result. Asked again in the last five minutes, the same poll shows whether the number moved, which is the plainest sign you will get that the session did its job. If it stays put, add a question to the survey asking what was missing.
What brought you here today: a problem to fix, a decision to make, or plain curiosity?
Why ask it
Three options make a poll people answer in seconds. A room of problem-fixers wants steps and will forgive a plain slide. The curious want the bigger picture, and a room of deciders is the one where it is fair to mention what you sell.
Which of these would you most like us to spend time on: [option A], [option B] or [option C]?
Why ask it
Only offer choices you are prepared to act on, then act where everyone can see it: 'most of you picked B, so I will go quicker through A.' Asking and then giving the planned talk unchanged teaches the audience that your polls are decoration.
Have you already tried [the approach] yourself? Type Y or N.
Why ask it
Mostly N means you start from why it is worth trying. Mostly Y means skip the pitch and go to what goes wrong. Ask one of the Y people how it went, and you have a real example before your first content slide.
What have you heard about [topic] that you are not sure is true?
Why ask it
Half-believed claims come out here that nobody would raise as a formal question. Pick one or two you can settle during the session and promise to return to them. Do not rule on anything you are unsure of yourself; say you will check and put the answer in the follow-up email.
Is anyone watching with colleagues in the same room? Tell us how many of you there are.
Why ask it
One login can hide a whole team around a screen, which changes both your head count and who is doing the typing. When groups are present, give them something to discuss later on and ask one person to report back for the table.
In the chat
What are you using for this at the moment?
Why ask it
Everyone has an answer, from a named tool to 'a spreadsheet' to 'nothing', which makes it a safe first prompt once the content starts. For a product webinar it is the line of the chat log most worth saving. Never mock a tool someone names; the people who rely on it are in the room.
Which of these two looks more like your situation: A or B?
Why ask it
Put both on one slide and wait for the letters. Then follow the majority first and tell the minority when their case is coming, so they have a reason to stay.
True or false: [a common belief about the topic]? Type T or F.
Why ask it
Pick a statement you expect the room to split on, because a unanimous right answer teaches nobody anything. Read out the count before you give the answer, then explain it for the minority without singling anyone out. If nearly everyone gets it wrong, that is the slide to slow down on.
Before I show what happened, what is your guess?
Why ask it
A guess commits people to an answer, and they then pay attention to see if they were right. Wrong guesses are the useful ones: say what most people expected and why the result was different. Skip it when the reveal is obvious, because a guess everyone gets right falls flat.
What would you do next if you were in this position?
Why ask it
Use it at the turning point of a case study, with the slide paused. Read out two answers that disagree and let that tension carry the next section. Replies of 'it depends' deserve a follow-up: on what?
Does this match what you see in your own work, or is it different where you are?
Why ask it
Agreement is pleasant, but the 'different here' replies are worth more. Ask one of those people for a line of detail and you may get a counterexample that makes the session more honest. If nobody recognizes the picture at all, your example comes from the wrong industry for this crowd.
How is this part landing: clear, fuzzy or lost?
Why ask it
Ask it right after the hardest section, not at the end. A few 'fuzzy' replies call for one more example. Many 'lost' replies mean going back, even at the cost of a later section, because everything after builds on it.
Should I go deeper on this or move on? Type deeper or next.
Why ask it
It hands the room a real choice, so be ready for either answer. Keep a spare example for 'deeper' and know which later slide you would cut to pay for it. A near-even split goes to 'next', with an offer to cover the rest in the Q&A.
Is the pace working for you: faster, slower or just right?
Why ask it
Better as an anonymous poll, since few people will tell a presenter in open chat that they are dragging. A mix of faster and slower with few 'just right' means the audience is split by experience and pace is not the real problem. Point beginners to the recording and keep moving.
What is one thing from the first half that you want to remember?
Why ask it
A halfway recap written by the audience instead of the host. The replies show which points stuck, and latecomers get a summary by reading the chat. If the point you care most about is missing from the list, say it again before going on.
What question has come up for you so far? Put it in the Q&A box now and we will come to it at the end.
Why ask it
Asked around the halfway mark, it fills the queue while the thought is fresh, so the Q&A does not open on an empty box. Have the co-host tell you if one question arrives several times, since that one is worth answering on the spot. Whether there is a Q&A box apart from the chat depends on the platform, so name the place your attendees can see.
What would get in the way if you tried this next week?
Why ask it
The obstacles people type here are the objections they would otherwise take home unspoken. Time and budget are the usual ones, so have an answer ready for both. Something you did not expect is worth stopping for, since others are likely thinking it too.
How would you finish this sentence: the thing I wish I had known about [topic] a year ago is ...?
Why ask it
A sentence to finish is easier than a blank question, so keep this one for a chat that has gone quiet. Read five or six endings aloud in a row, and the newer people get advice from their peers instead of from the presenter. With a room of beginners, who have no year to look back on, change the ending to 'the thing I most want to stop guessing about is'.
Q&A
What question did you come in with that we have not answered yet?
Why ask it
It reminds people of the reason they registered, which is a stronger pull than 'any questions?'. Give it a full ten seconds of silence, because typing takes longer than raising a hand. If nothing comes, go to a question from the registration form.
Several of you asked about [subject] when you registered. Should we start there?
Why ask it
This is the seed question that needs no acting, because it is real and came from this audience. One answered question tends to bring out others on the same theme. Keep three of these ready and you will rarely need the third.
Which part of the session would you like me to go back over?
Why ask it
Asking for a section is easier than admitting confusion, and the request tells you which slide to rebuild. Bring the slide back up on screen as you explain it again, and try a different example from the first time.
Which question in the Q&A box do you most want answered? Give it a vote.
Why ask it
If your platform lets attendees upvote, this sorts a long list by what the room wants and not by who typed first. Where it does not, ask a co-host to group similar questions and read you the most common. Either way, say that unanswered ones will get a written reply, and then send it.
Would it be easier to ask privately? Send your question to the hosts only and I will read it out without your name.
Why ask it
Some questions go unasked because they would expose a problem at the asker's company, or because they feel too basic to type in front of peers. Whether attendees can message only the hosts depends on the platform and its settings, so try it in rehearsal before you offer it. Read the question as it was written, and keep the promise about the name.
What will your manager or your team ask when you bring this back to them?
Why ask it
A doubt is often easier to voice as someone else's. You get the real objection, and the attendee leaves with an answer they can repeat on Monday. It suits business audiences best; with students or the general public, ask what a skeptical friend would say.
What did I say today that you are not convinced by?
Why ask it
An invitation to disagree that is easier to accept than 'any objections?', because it asks about one claim and not about the whole talk. Thank the first person who takes it up and answer the detail of what they said. Getting defensive here ends the Q&A, whatever the clock says.
Would anyone prefer to ask out loud? Raise your hand and we will unmute you.
Why ask it
Some questions are too tangled to type, and a second voice wakes up the session. Whether attendees can speak depends on the platform and how the event was set up, so test it in rehearsal. Have the co-host ready to mute again if there is background noise.
Is there a situation from your own work you would like to test this against?
Why ask it
Specific cases make better answers than general ones. Ask for the situation in a line or two, answer the principle behind it, and steer anything that needs confidential detail to email. If a case is outside what you know, say so.
We have time for one more. What is the question you would kick yourself for not asking?
Why ask it
A deadline moves the people who have been hesitating. Announce it with about five minutes left, not one, so the answer is not rushed. Then finish on your own closing line and next step, so the session does not end on whatever the last question happened to be.
Follow-up
Overall, how would you rate this webinar, from one to five?
Why ask it
Put it first, since some people answer one question and close the tab. The score means most when compared with your own earlier sessions, not with anyone else's. A three with no comment tells you nothing, which is why the next two questions matter.
What was the most useful thing you took from the session?
Why ask it
Compare the replies with the point you thought was the heart of the talk. When attendees keep naming a side remark or one particular slide, build the next session around that. Their phrasing also shows you how to describe the session honestly in the next invitation.
What is one thing we could do better next time?
Why ask it
Asking for exactly one makes it easy to answer and keeps the reply specific. Sort what comes back into content, delivery and technology, and fix whichever pile is largest. A complaint that appears once is one person's taste; act on it only if you agree.
Did the session cover what the invitation said it would?
Why ask it
A 'no' here is the most serious result on the survey, more than a low rating, because it means people felt misled about what they signed up for. Look at whether the title oversold or the session drifted into a sales pitch, and change whichever one it was.
How clear and easy to follow was the presenter, from one to five?
Why ask it
With more than one speaker, ask it once per name, or the score is an average nobody can use. A high overall rating beside a low one here means the topic carried the session and the delivery needs work. Tell guest speakers before the event that this is on the survey, and pass their result on privately.
Was the content too basic, too advanced or about right for you?
Why ask it
Set it beside the experience answers from the registration form. Beginners saying 'too advanced' and practitioners saying 'too basic' in the same survey are asking for two sessions, not one compromise. If nearly everyone says about right, leave the depth alone.
Was the session too long, too short or about the right length?
Why ask it
'Too long' usually arrives with a comment about a slow start or a section that dragged, so read the two together before cutting anything. 'Too short' is often a compliment about the Q&A. Check it against when people left, if your platform reports that.
How likely are you to recommend our webinars to a colleague, from zero to ten?
Why ask it
The useful part is the box underneath: 'what is the main reason for your score?'. Track the number across your own sessions and treat it as a trend line. One session's figure, from the handful of people who answer surveys, is too small to read much into.
What question do you still have that we did not get to?
Why ask it
Every reply is a reason to write back, and a personal answer to a leftover question is the follow-up people remember. Questions that repeat belong in the recording email for everyone. They are also the first slides to add before the session runs again.
Which topics would you like us to cover in a future webinar?
Why ask it
Give a few options to check and an 'other' box, since a blank field gets few replies. Whatever wins, tell this audience first when it is scheduled. Do not list a subject you have no intention of running.
Did you have any trouble with the sound, the video or getting in?
Why ask it
Low ratings sometimes turn out to be about a frozen screen and not about the content, and this question lets you tell them apart. One report is likely that person's connection. Several naming the same fault are yours to raise with the platform's support team, who can say what happened at their end.
What will you do differently because of this session?
Why ask it
This one measures whether anything changed, as opposed to whether people enjoyed themselves. Concrete replies, such as 'rewrite our welcome email', are a success. Lots of 'not sure' after a well-rated session means it entertained more than it taught.
Would you like someone from our team to contact you about [product or service]?
Why ask it
A plain yes or no, last on the form. People who check yes have asked for the call, which makes it a different conversation from phoning everyone who attended. Get back to them within a day or two, while the session is still fresh.
Which days and times would suit you best for sessions like this?
Why ask it
Worth asking when attendance was thin or the audience spans time zones. Offer a few slots you could really run. If the answers scatter, keep the time you have and lean on the recording instead.
How to ask questions across a whole webinar
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the day
Keep the registration form short
A long form loses people before they reach the button, so ask for a name and an email plus two or three of the Registration questions at most, and make the open ones optional. Choose the ones whose answers would change something: the outline, the examples or who presents. A field nobody reads before the day should come off the form.
Read the answers a week out, then again the day before
Late registrations change the picture. A first read tells the presenter where to add and where to cut. A second, the day before, gives you fresh questions for the Q&A and a line for the opening: 'a lot of you said the hardest part is getting budget, so we will get to that early.'
Write the prompts into the slides
A chat prompt that lives only in the host's head gets forgotten once the presenting starts. Put each question on its own slide, with the exact instruction for answering it: type one word, pick A or B, vote in the poll. Build the polls in the platform beforehand and try them in rehearsal, since each tool handles them differently.
Give someone else the chat
Presenting and reading a moving chat at the same time is more than most people can do well. A co-host can post the prompts, pick out replies worth reading aloud, answer questions about logistics and keep a list for the Q&A. If you are alone, pause after each prompt and read in silence for a few seconds. The audience will wait.
If you are attending, not hosting
This page is written for the person running the event. If you are in the audience and want a good question to put to the presenter, the Questions to Ask Speakers page has them, grouped by what you want to find out.
During the session
Ask in the first two minutes
People decide early whether this is a webinar they take part in or one they half-watch. An Opening question before the first content slide, with replies read aloud, sets the pattern. Waiting until the second half to ask for input usually meets a room that has already settled into listening.
Say exactly how to answer
'What do you think?' leaves people unsure whether to type, vote or unmute. 'Type one word in the chat' gets replies. Name the place and the size of the answer every time, and say whether the chat goes to everyone or only to the hosts, because that depends on how the event is set up.
Wait longer than feels comfortable
Typing is slower than talking, and a live stream can reach attendees a little behind the presenter. Count slowly to ten after a prompt before you say anything else. Filling the gap with more talk tells people they did not need to answer.
Use what comes back
Read replies aloud, with first names if the group is small enough for that to feel friendly, and let at least one answer change what you do next. A poll result that is shown and then ignored is worse than no poll.
Space the prompts
A question every few slides holds attention; a question on every slide becomes a chore. Put the chat prompts where energy tends to dip: after a dense section, at the halfway mark and just before the Q&A. Match the effort to the moment, with one-keystroke answers in the middle of content and full sentences when you have paused anyway.
After the webinar
Send the survey while people still remember
The closer to the end of the session, the more replies and the more detail in them. Some platforms can show a survey as the event closes or send one automatically, so find out what yours offers. Put the link in the recording email too, for those who watched later.
Keep it to what you will use
Five or six of the Follow-up questions are plenty: the rating, the most useful thing, one improvement, the leftover question and whichever of the rest you have a decision riding on. Long surveys get abandoned halfway, and the open questions at the end are the ones that suffer.
Read the chat log alongside the survey
Only some attendees fill out a survey, and they are often the happiest and the most annoyed. The saved chat and poll results cover everyone who took part. Between the two you can see where the room was lively, where it went quiet and which prompt to drop next time.
Close the loop
Answer the leftover questions, send what you promised and tell people what you changed because of what they said. An audience that sees its answers put to work is more willing to answer at the next session.
Mistakes to avoid
Saving every question for the end
A single 'any questions?' after forty minutes of slides asks a cold room to perform. Questions spread across the session warm people up, so the Q&A begins with a chat that is already moving.
Asking for information you already have
If the registration form recorded someone's role, a poll asking for it again tells them nobody read the form. Keep the live questions for what could not be known in advance: how the session is landing and what people think now.
Turning the survey into a sales form
One clear question about a follow-up call is fair. Several questions about budget, buying timeline and who signs off, in a form presented as feedback, will cut the number of replies and sour the goodwill the session earned.
Planting fake questions
Starting a quiet Q&A with a question from the registration form, or one you are often asked, is honest as long as you say that is what it is. Inventing an attendee who supposedly just typed it is not, and regulars notice.
Calling on people by name without warning
In a large public webinar, being singled out can feel like being caught. Keep named invitations for small sessions where people know each other, and even there, let someone pass.