Off-white humour blog McSweeney’s has a guide to asking questions at public events, formatted by writer and teacher Meriah Crawford as a final exam. Questions include “How long should my questions be?” and “Is this a good opportunity to explain how the speaker is wrong?” and answers include “Sit your ass back down” and “It’s ideal to tell a brief story about yourself first, so the whole audience understands how important you and/or your question are.”
Photo by vagueonthehow
It’s maybe more useful as an actual etiquette guide than as a humour piece, and we share it with that purpose in mind, since bad question-askers are still out there, wasting other people’s time, as if they hadn’t even read our own guide to not being a dick at a Q&A.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/05/how-not-to-be-that-guy-when-you-have-the-mic-at-a-qa/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/ntmdin9ol3v8oacx47ti.png” title=”How Not To Be That Guy When You Have The Mic At A Q&A” excerpt=”At any reading, screening or panel, the audience Q&A carries the potential to beautifully cap off the event, or ruin it. For a few minutes, the whole room is captive to anyone who can hold a microphone and likes the sound of their voice. Not everyone deserves such power. Here’s how to handle it appropriately.”]
So take the test and score your own answers. If you’re angry that there’s no answer key, then you’ve already failed.
Univ 123: Asking Questions at Public Events [McSweeney’s]
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