Facilitators and team leaders often ask these three questions in meetings:

• Does anyone have any questions?
• Does everyone understand this?
• What is most important to you?

Do you recognize them? Could these common questions actually not be the best ones to ask? Let’s take a look at the first one: “Does anyone have any questions?”

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS QUESTION?

I’ve been in multiple peer review meetings with clients over the past 25 years. The typical conversational pattern went something like this.

The presenters took about 90 percent of the meeting time to share their ideas. With about five to ten minutes left, they asked everyone, “Do you have any questions or comments?”

Crickets chirping. Hardly anyone responded. Faces disappeared from the Team’s screen. Meeting over. “Thanks for your time!”

What’s happening here?

First, the presenter’s question is a closed question. It requires only a yes or no answer—not the best way to encourage engagement or ignite deeper thinking.

Compare the closed structure of that question to this one: “What questions do you have?” This question uses what’s called a presupposition question structure. Presuppositions have a built-in command or implicit assumption. Here, the assumption is that your meeting participants do have questions. It prompts them to go check into their brains and find them, a much better way to engage folks and cultivate the level of thinking that leads to better meeting outcomes.

Lastly, asking a closed question near the end of a meeting is “hearable” to your meeting attendees as you are not really interested in getting responses. What is the question really trying to do? Signal the end of the meeting! Think of a waiter who comes up to you in a restaurant, check in hand, and asks, “Will there be anything else?” You know your waiter is not really seeking additional requests off the menu. You hear this as a way to politely hand you the bill or to leave so they can close for the evening.

WHAT’S THE RECOMMENDATION?

If you’re not getting the feedback you want, give these ideas a try:

• Use presupposition structures—“What are your questions about proceeding with this idea?” or “What areas should we be most concerned with?” (You can read more about this and other question structures in my book, Asking is Better Than Telling.)
• Call people out by name (particularly if you’re meeting virtually). “Johnson, you have a lot of experience in this area. What are your key concerns about changing this process?” This question set-up will almost always generates a response. First, you’ve noted the reason why you have chosen to call on this person (he’s got lots of experience). Second, he’s probably feels compelled to respond (in order to uphold his status as someone with lots of experience). Third, you focused his thoughts on his concerns, rather than just giving a wide open area for a response. And that makes for easier thinking on his part. The best part is, others start to add in their thoughts when they realize that you want to hear from them.
• When you are genuinely seeking input (for product design reviews, project post-mortems, or proposal meetings), design your meetings so only 30–40 percent of the meeting time is allocated to the presentation. The rest should be dedicated to discussion and questioning initiated by the participants. To make that point clear, I will provide small note pads and pens for each participant and ask them to write down their comments as the presentation progresses. I then share we will be taking breaks to capture those written thoughts, as well as provide ample time for the discussion of those thoughts. If the meeting is virtual, I will ask participants to grab a sheet of paper and pen and then will capture those comments in the chat at specified moments.

These small tips will make huge difference in the level of engagement and thinking in your meetings. And when you’re ready to close the meeting, just say, “Thanks so much for attending today. If I failed to capture any of your input, please do not hesitate to reach out.”

Be sure to check back for my critique of why the next two questions are not the best to ask.