Presentation Basics

Asking Questions

Not every presentation you make includes asking your audience questions. However, the more presentations you do, the greater the likelihood that asking questions will become an integral part of how you present. To ask good questions requires some thought because there are different kinds of questions for different purposes. Most people are aware of the two basic forms of questions: open-ended and closed-ended. There is, however, a third option—the hypothetical question—that’s worth considering.

Open-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions are those that generally call for more than a one-word answer. Open-ended questions enable the audience members to express their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and opinions.

For example, you might ...