Leaving room in the programme

An original commentary about planning a public talk.

An organiser once showed me a programme so tightly arranged that questions had been given three minutes between two long speeches. The page looked efficient. It had also decided how much curiosity the audience was allowed to have.

A public talk needs preparation. Without a sequence, an explanation can wander until its most useful point arrives after everyone has left. Yet planning should include the listeners rather than merely arrange the speakers. Time for a question is part of the event, not an interruption to the printed design.

Questions can reveal where an explanation failed. A speaker may believe that a diagram made everything clear while several listeners remain uncertain about the same step. Hearing that uncertainty gives the speaker a chance to explain differently. It can help others who did not feel confident enough to ask.

There are limits. One person should not turn a question into a second lecture, and the event still needs an ending. A chair can protect both the questioner’s opportunity and the wider audience’s time.

The aim is not an unplanned evening. It is a plan which leaves enough room for the people who came to take part.

What does the writer suggest about allowing questions during a public talk?