Why do so many presenters struggle to get questions from their audience at the end of their presentation?
It can be explained by the ‘tennis ball analogy.’
Imagine you are holding a tennis ball and you need your colleague to catch it.
You might tell them in advance that you plan to throw the ball.
Then check they are ready.
And gently send it in their direction.
Chances are, they will catch it.
Now imagine a different approach.
You say nothing.
Wait until they are not paying attention.
Then throw the ball at them as fast as possible.
Chances are they’ll probably miss it.
This second scenario is similar to how many speakers approach a Q&A session.
They ambush the audience.
Which makes it harder to get questions from your audience.
If want a successful Q&A, treat it like the first scenario.
Give them advance warning of the Q&A.
And allow them an opportunity to move from listening mode to asking mode.
Make it easy on them.
Follow these steps and you’ll find it much easier to get questions from your audience.
And they’ll be far more likely to ‘play ball’.
For more helpful presentation tips, we’ve got some advice on controlling presentation nerves rather than allowing them to control you…
