Industry panels and stakeholder forums
Choosing between public Q&A and pre-submitted forum questions
You have 15 minutes for the audience in a forum, and you need to decide how those questions will arrive.
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The short answer
Open Q&A suits a trusting room and a moderator who can steer. Pre-submitted questions suit sensitive topics, institutional panellists and large rooms. A mix, with questions collected early and a short open slot at the end, works for most forums.
The choice depends on four things: how sensitive the topic is, who the panellists are, how big the room is and how much screening capacity you have.
The two models and what each does
| Aspect | Open Q&A (microphone or hand up) | Pre-submitted questions |
|---|---|---|
| Spontaneity | High. Questions follow what was said. | Lower. Questions may be answered by the panel before they are asked. |
| Control on sensitive topics | Low. A question can name a person or case. | High. Questions can be screened and reworded. |
| Panellist preparation | Little. Risk of surprise. | Panellists can see the themes and prepare examples. |
| Participation | Favours confident speakers and those near the microphone. | Includes quieter members and remote participants. |
| Staffing | Microphone runners and a moderator. | Someone to collect, sort and screen, before and during. |
| Risk of dominance | One person may take several turns. | Repeats can be merged. |
A decision sequence
- Rate the topic: ordinary, contested or likely to prompt personal or legal comment. The more contested, the more screening.
- Check panellists: if institutional panellists need clearance, they prefer to see questions beforehand. See the briefing guidance.
- Check room size: above roughly the number of people one moderator can see and hear, collect questions in writing.
- Check screening capacity: pre-submission only works if someone reads, sorts and merges.
- Choose the model, then write it into the run-of-show so that time for it is protected.
The mixed model
- Open the question channel at registration and keep it open until the session starts.
- Pick the best questions by theme and read them in the moderator's words.
- Keep a short open microphone slot of five minutes at the end, with a stated rule: one question, short, no names.
- Include remote participants through the same channel if the event is hybrid; see hybrid question routing.
- Tell the audience at the start how it will work.
What to put in place for each
For open Q&A: a clear time limit per question, runners with a script, and a moderator signal for moving on. For pre-submitted: a closing time, a screening team, a method for merging duplicates and a plan for questions not answered live.
In either case, agree where declined questions go. The sensitive questions protocol covers wording and decline lines.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional forum choosing a model
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
The Persatuan Fiktif Pengurus Sumber Manusia plans a forum for about 180 members on a proposed change to employment practice, with three institutional panellists. The first draft had open microphones for 20 minutes.
After testing the topic against the four checks, the secretariat moves to a mixed model. Questions are collected from registration until the interval; a secretariat member and the moderator group them into five themes, and a five-minute open slot closes the session. Two panellists ask to see themes the day before.
Use this yourself
Q&A model decision table
Score each line for your forum and choose the model with the better fit on the lines that matter most to you.
| Factor | Your forum (describe) | Favours open / pre-submitted / mixed | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topic sensitivity | |||
| Panellists need clearance | |||
| Room size and layout | |||
| Screening capacity (people and time) | |||
| Remote participants | |||
| Time available for Q&A (minutes) | |||
| Decision and owner |
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- The room is small and members know each other.
- The moderator can read the room and steer.
- The topic is ordinary and panellists are comfortable improvising.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- The topic is sensitive or public.
- Institutional panellists want to see questions in advance.
- The secretariat needs someone to design the collection process and run screening during the event.
Need the question process set up?
A conference project lead can set up the question-collection method, assign screening and merge roles, and write the model into the run-of-show with the moderator briefing. Decisions on which questions to answer stay with your moderator and programme owner.
Questions organisers ask
Can we collect questions anonymously?
Yes, through cards or a collection tool. Decide whether the moderator can see who asked. Anonymity lowers the barrier but can invite poor behaviour.
How many questions can be answered in 15 minutes?
Usually four to six, depending on answer length. Plan for fewer and set a time per answer.
What if nobody asks anything?
Prepare two seed questions from earlier submissions or from the committee. Ask them as audience questions without attributing them.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.