Executive and practitioner roundtables
Designing questions for a useful closed-door discussion
Senior guests will give you ninety minutes, so the questions have to be worth them.
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The short answer
Start from a decision or problem the guests actually face, then write three or four open questions that each need experience to answer. Test them with two people who will not be at the table, and give the moderator a follow-up prompt for each.
Good closed-door questions ask what people have done, what they would do differently and where they disagree. They do not ask for opinions on slogans or invite a round of product descriptions.
Begin with the decision, not the topic
A topic such as digital risk is a subject. A decision such as whether to bring in an outside review before the next board cycle is something guests can argue about from experience.
Write the decision in one sentence and ask the host what would be useful to take away. The questions follow from that sentence.
Question types that work in a closed room
| Type | Example form | What it draws out |
|---|---|---|
| Experience | What did you try, and what happened? | Practical evidence rather than positions |
| Trade-off | What would you give up to get this? | Real priorities |
| Disagreement | Where do you think the group would split? | Differences worth discussing |
| Next step | What would you do on Monday? | Concrete actions |
| Barrier | What stops this from working in your organisation? | Obstacles that others may solve |
What to avoid
- Questions answerable with yes or no.
- Questions that assume the answer, such as why the new approach is better.
- Questions that let a guest describe their own product or service.
- Questions that name a participant's organisation.
- More than four main questions in a ninety-minute session.
Test, order and release
- Draft six questions and cut to three or four.
- Ask two members who will not attend whether each question is clear and whether they would have something to say.
- Put the questions in order, easiest to engage with first, hardest last.
- Decide which to send in advance. Sending them gives guests time to prepare; holding one back keeps spontaneity.
- Give the moderator a follow-up prompt and a time limit for each. The moderator briefing builder turns approved questions into a timed briefing pack.
Check against the room
Look at the final seat list. If some guests are far more senior than others, add a question every guest can answer from their own work. Balancing seniority and participation covers how to keep the table level.
Worked example · Fictional example
Four questions for a table of procurement heads
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
A fictional association of procurement professionals hosts 12 members to discuss supplier consolidation. The first draft asks whether consolidation is good or bad, which the pilot reviewers say would take five minutes.
The secretariat rewrites it around a decision: whether to move 40 percent of spend to fewer suppliers before next year's budget. The four final questions ask what members have already tried, what they gave up, where they expect disagreement, and what each will do in the next month. Each has a ten to twelve minute limit and one prompt for the moderator.
Use this yourself
Question design worksheet
Fill one row per candidate question, then keep the strongest three or four.
- Decision the group faces, in one sentence:
- Output the host wants to take away:
- Questions sent in advance, and those held back:
- Questions cut, and why:
| Draft question | Type | Time (minutes) | Moderator follow-up prompt | Pilot reviewer reaction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experience / trade-off / disagreement / next step / barrier | ||||
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- The host knows the group's problems well.
- A confident moderator will shape the questions with you.
- You have two colleagues who can pilot the questions.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- The host wants a clear output but the questions keep drifting toward the sponsor's agenda.
- Questions need to satisfy several committees before the day.
- You need a moderator briefing, timed running order and rehearsal prepared alongside the questions.
Need the questions turned into a briefed discussion?
An Event Blueprint can record the decision, the approved questions, the timing and the moderator's follow-up prompts in one document the host signs off. A project lead can run the pilot, collect approvals and prepare the briefing, while the host keeps the final say on every question.
Questions organisers ask
How many questions fit in a ninety-minute roundtable?
Three or four main questions is usual, leaving time for opening, closing and any unplanned turns. More questions usually means shallower answers.
Should guests see the questions beforehand?
Often yes, so they can prepare examples. You may hold back one question to keep a fresh reaction. Decide before you write the invitation.
What if a guest uses the discussion to promote their organisation?
The moderator can redirect with a prompt such as asking for the lesson rather than the product. Brief the moderator on this beforehand.
Who approves the questions?
Name the approver in the brief, normally the host or the committee chair. Unapproved questions added on the day often cause trouble.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.