Any questions?

Any questions? Although we hear it at the end of every speech, we rarely hear any questions being asked. And sometimes when they are asked, it’s by someone who prompts the speaker in a direction they aren’t knowledgeable in. It’s a question designed to make the asker look and feel good, instead of benefiting anyone. So what should we do when we hear this question, do we dare raise our hand in response?

There are more subtle ways to say I'm not listening

The most optimal thing to do is try and catch the presenter later, once you’ve had some real time to process what they said. If you do catch them, you don’t really need to say anything too witty, or even have a real question. You can simply ask them to clarify something they already said. Not only will it make them think you were listening, but it allows them to be smart. It allows them to feel like they’re imparting their expert knowledge onto you, which is exactly the point of presenting in the first place. 

Nothing worse than forgetting to put on your clothes before work

And if we do feel like raising our hand at the end of a talk, we should ensure that our question is thoughtful, on topic, and most importantly makes the presenter feel heard. Make sure that it gives the presenter an out. A question where you believe the answer is within the realm of their knowledge, but also won’t require another presentation's worth of time to get to an answer. You don’t need to pretend to be a fellow expert, you just need to make them feel like one.