The Q&A or fireside chat has become a popular format at events like conferences and employee town-halls, replacing more-formal presentations and panels. The one-on-one format can create a more conversational, interesting, and intimate experience, and has the added benefit that the CEO or luminary being interviewed theoretically doesn’t have to prepare as much.
A 4-Step Plan to Make Your Q&A More Audience-Friendly
The Q&A or fireside chat has become a popular format at events like conferences and employee town-halls, replacing more-formal presentations and panels. But to make the format work, the person being interviewed has to prepare. Four steps — easily remembered by the acronym FIRE — can help. First, think about framing. Instead of focusing on what you want to say, figure out what you think your audience needs to hear. Second, pay attention to inclusion. Use language that brings your audience along with you. Third, organize what you have to say with rails, or a structure like “Problem-Solution-Benefit,” “Comparison-Contrast-Conclusion,” or “What? > So What? > Now What?.” Last but not least, examples will illustrate what you have to say and make it memorable.