How to Ask Questions when Public Speaking

A great way to start a presentation is to ask the audience a question or two.

This immediately gets the audience involved and generates some interest.

Although, for this to work it needs to be done correctly.

I’ve seen a lot of people employ this technique very clumsily simply because after they ask the question they don’t wait long enough for a reply from the audience.

Unless it’s a rhetorical question that you are asking you need to give people enough time to respond, like a show of hands, a nod of the head etc.

You also need to make it clear to the audience that you want a reply.

For instance, if you want a show of hands lift your arm up high while asking the question.

This tells the audience that you want them to respond to your question by raising their arm, if they are a “yes”.

The way to do this is to look around the room in silence while holding your arm up while people decide on their response.

Asking questions can be a great way to start a presentation but it needs to be executed with confidence and timing.

With practice and feedback this technique can be quickly mastered.