I recently attended what I had hoped would be an interesting presentation. However, I found myself frustrated and disappointed by how the speaker handled questions from the audience:

1. Some people interrupted the presenter as he was speaking and he answered their questions right away. As a result, he did not have enough time to deliver the material that most attendees came for. He should have said: “I’ll take questions at the end. I need to cover some material first,” or: “I will pause after each segment and invite questions, so please wait until then.”
2. Some audience members shouted out their questions without waiting to be acknowledged. Instead of answering their questions, the presenter should have said: “Do you mind waiting for your turn? There are two other people who’ve been waiting to ask their questions.”
3. Some questions from the audience were prefaced by long speeches. The speaker might have stopped this by asking: “Can you please just ask your question? Our time is limited, and I'd like to accommodate as many people as possible.”
4. The speaker took questions only from those who lined up at microphones, leaving behind people who hesitated to speak in public. He might have asked the audience to submit written questions (written clearly and legibly), as an alternative to speaking at the microphone.
5. When a person digressed and asked the speaker about an unrelated topic, the speaker addressed it anyway. He should have said: “Just to clarify, my topic is ___. Do you have a question about this topic? If not, I’ll be glad to speak to you about the other topic when this seminar is over.”
6. When a person had many follow-up questions, the speaker answered all of them. He did not have the strength to say: “I need to move on to other people who are waiting with questions.”
7. When answering some questions, the speaker rambled. Some answers were five-minute speeches. He should have spoken clearly, concisely and to the point. He should have stated his point of view first and then explained it, and not the other way around (a rambling explanation and only then the point being made).
8. Some questioners were soft-spoken, while others used jargon and abbreviations. The speaker should have repeated and/or clarified the questions (as well as any uncommon terms and abbreviations) for the benefit of others.
9. When members of the audience expressed strong opinions, the speaker became argumentative and defensive. Instead, he might have said: “Thank you. Do you have a question?” or: “Thank you for sharing your views. The next person in line is ___”
10. At times the speaker said: “That’s an excellent question.” I wondered whether it was necessary to evaluate and grade the questions, and what made one question excellent and another mediocre. It might have been better to just answer the question.