I spent part of the weekend attending The Festival of Dangerous Ideas. Which despite its edgelord name is mostly a writers festival frequented by the kinds of middle class retired people that you encounter at arts events (theatrical plays, art gallery openings, mass hip replacements). N.B. I am only being dismissive because I can ultimately see what my fate will be.
Each talk or panel had a Q&A at the end. The questioners from the audiences in the events I attended were mostly well-behaved. However the word in the coffee queue was that some sessions were not so lucky. So here is a guide to how to ask a question at a public event. The people reading this post probably do not need this advice.
Your question needs to be a question. Not a talk. Not an essay. If it does not start with what, why, who, how, where, when then consider not saying it.
If your question requires some preliminary background setting then keep it to 2 sentences.
Your question should make the speaker look good. It is not about proving how smart you are or how much you have read. You don’t matter.
Your question should be generative. The interaction between you and the speaker should add to the event. Yes/No questions are generally not generative.
The question should be related to the topic of the event. I am surprised I need to raise this but it seems that I do.
What other advice would you give? What have I said that you disagree with?
Great list. To which we could add try not to ask the same question as the person just before you. If it happens, better just to sit back down.
Also, members of the audience are likely to have knee replacements, as well as hips. Just sayin'
Love the guide Matt. Perhaps an extension of 3 (and possibly conflicting with 4) - Don't argue with the speaker's answer to your question. Even if you disagree. Even if you've had a prophetic vision that you, in fact, are correct.