Let’s get straight to it:
Q&A doesn’t work.
It pretends to be interactive, but it isn’t.
One person asks. One person answers.
Everyone else checks out.
And the people who most need to learn?
They stay silent. Because the least confident voices almost never speak up.
That’s why Q&A is the weakest teaching format.
It drains energy. It slows the room.
It lets people hijack the mic.
And worst of all, it tricks facilitators into thinking they’re “engaging” when they’re really just stalling.
So why use Q&A at all?
Because while it’s terrible for teaching, it’s brilliant for one thing: flexibility.
Q&A is a spring. A time-buffer.
You can stretch it. You can shrink it.
20 minutes if you’re on time.
5 minutes if you’re running short.
Nobody notices. Nobody cares.
That’s its true value.
Not education.
Not interaction.
But schedule control.
How to make Q&A less terrible
If you must use it (and you probably should, for flexibility), make two tweaks:
Break it up.
Instead of one big chunk at the end, do a mini Q&A after each Learning Outcome.
This keeps the questions focused, the energy higher, and the answers relevant.
Be specific.
Don’t just ask: “Any questions?”
Instead, point them back:
“Any questions about [the thing we just did]?”
That focus helps the room stay sharp.
The big idea
Use Q&A. But don’t lie to yourself about what it’s for.
It’s not interaction.
It’s not learning.
It’s a pressure valve.
A flex tool.
A spring in your schedule.
Design with that in mind,
and you’ll finish on time,
with energy intact.
Thank you.
And Free Palestine.