4. Q&A Stands For Questions And Awfulness

Now this one is my personal preference and you don’t have to take my advice here, but I have never gotten pleasure from a Q & A segment of almost any panel. There is a quote (pardon me but I couldn’t remember or find the source) that goes something like this: “The easiest way to lower the collective IQ of the room is to ask ‘Any questions?’” And I gotta agree. For every one great question, there are thirty bad, terrible, or painfully awkward ones. Honestly, it is fully ok to get up and leave once the Q & A session starts. It’s cool, a lot of us do it.

Oh, and if you are yourself going to ask a question, just remember the golden rules: Don’t be a jerk and try to respect the time of the audience. Ask your question, be polite, and move along once it’s been answered. Trust me, it makes things better for everyone.