Conference speakers can often be confident about their talk. It’s the questions that come afterwards that unsettle them.
I experienced this at the Association of Association Executives (AAE) Congress in Gothenburg. I’d answered one question reasonably well. Then came one I genuinely didn’t know how to answer. I felt the ground opening up.
And then, from somewhere, a thought: ‘Hey I’m not on my own. There’s a room full of expertise right here”. And then I asked them what they thought.
One person offered a perspective. Another built on it. A third refined it. I added a summary and a thought of my own. The energy shifted. It stopped being a test of me and became shared thinking.
How did this happen? And how can you make it happen for you?
I’ve been learning recently from Karen Pratt about Eric Berne’s Imagoes. Imagoes are a useful way to map the psychological shape of a group. I got to thinking about how they apply to a conference speaking occasion.
Picture the room while you’re speaking.
You’re at the front. Slightly elevated, you’re the leader, the expert. The “above and apart” stance works for this part. It helps the audience listen.
Now picture the room when Q&A begins.
The lights come up. The mic is passed around. Someone asks a question.
Everyone, including you is hearing it for the first time. The shape of the room has changed. But many speakers don’t change with it. They try to answer from the same “expert above” position. That’s where the tension comes from.
The talk works from above. The Q&A works better from alongside.
And you need to shift to perform well. When you move, something else changes. You are not on your own. You and your audience become collaborators.
By the end of your presentation, the audience is ready to pop. They have thoughts, refinements, counter-examples.
Instead of defending your expertise, invite theirs.
Here are two practical ways to help you move from “above” to “alongside”:
1. Find your words
Practise some ways of inviting your audience in and find the options that work for you and the occasion for instance:
- “That’s a big question… I’d welcome a range of views.”
- “We’re still working on that, here’s what we know so far.”
- “I’m not sure yet. Who’d like to start us off?”
2. Change your physical position.
If you can, step off the stage. Move closer to the audience. This says “we’re thinking together now”.
The presentation needs you to be clear and distinct. The Q&A needs you to be curious and alongside. When your position matches the moment, questions become a room full of people thinking and much lighter to carry.
For in-house workshops to support your speakers, chairs and facilitators, visit associationexecutives.org
For now, thanks for reading and happy conference speaking.