- What is one of the best ways to engage your listeners?
We're going to talk about asking rhetorical questions
and I have six tips to help you become more effective at it.
(upbeat music)
Hey there, I'm Alex Lyon,
and all of the videos here are to help you
with your professional development.
And a big part of this channel is public speaking.
So let's explain what rhetorical questions are,
why they're so effective
and look at six tips to help you use them well.
So first, what are these?
Well, a rhetorical question is one that a speaker asks,
but they don't expect an answer to it.
They're asking a question for dramatic effect
to engage listeners minds and to draw them in.
Examples sound like this.
What do all your favorite teachers have in common?
Or how can we raise children right
in the age of social media?
Why do we find it so hard to follow through
on our new year's resolutions?
By the way, why do rhetorical questions work so well?
Well, when our brain hears a question,
it looks for an answer and that stimulates our imaginations
and draws us into a dialogue in our minds.
So let's contrast that with talking at listeners.
Let's say a speaker is talking to us and telling us
that quote, the best way to invest in retirement
is through our employers 401k program.
Well, let's turn that into a question.
Let's say the speaker asks, so what is far and away,
the number one most effective way to save for retirement?
Now that question has the same answer.
Our employer's 401k program,
but now instead of just jumping right to the answer
and telling your audience the way it is,
the question generates activity in your listener's mind.
So asking a question piques our curiosity,
and it makes us feel like we're having
a back and forth with the speaker,
rather than just listening to a monologue,
which can be very boring.
So let's look at six tips
to help you become more effective at this.
First, make your questions easy to follow
and easy to answer.
Don't phrase questions in a complex way, keep them short.
For example, have you ever wanted to go back in time?
That question is easy to understand.
And a related issue is don't ask quiz questions.
Don't say sir, do you remember who the third president was?
Don't put your listeners on the spot like that,
or make them uncomfortable, that will turn them off.
Make your questions easy to follow, easy to answer.
Number two, ask questions that make your listeners curious.
This will engage their minds even more.
So what do children care about most?
Or what do employees really want out of a job?
Those questions will make listeners curious
because the answers have value.
The question will make them say to themselves,
well, now that's an answer that I'd like to hear.
And once you've done that,
you've made them curious and drawn them in.
Number three, ask questions that either you
or your listeners can supply the answer to.
So asking questions builds interests,
but you don't want to leave your listeners hanging.
Don't ask dead-end questions.
That's like telling most of the joke,
but not finishing with the punchline.
Like what's the difference between
a large cheese pizza and a bass player.
So if your listeners don't have an answer
and you don't tell them an answer,
that can be very frustrating.
And by the way, I'll answer that question at the end.
So forth, consider asking two or three brief questions
in a row once in a while to build momentum.
So it's certainly a great technique
to ask a killer standalone rhetorical question.
But every once in a while during a presentation,
try asking two or three related questions in a row
to add variety and heighten listeners interests even more.
And just put a little pause in between them.
For example, here's some questions for you.
Have you ever thought about your dream job?
So what would your dream job look like day to day?
And how would it feel to have a career
that is really a calling?
Those three questions in a row build listener's interest.
Though sometimes it takes more than one question
to build to a point that you're trying to make.
Fifth, ask questions in a variety
of places in your presentation.
So many speakers do begin with questions
in their presentation, and that can be very effective,
but don't stop there.
Spread out some other questions in your presentation
to add a little spice and variety as you go.
So you could go through your presentation outline
once you have a draft and then set a goal
to ask a rhetorical question
for each main point in the body.
So let's say you have three points,
ask a rhetorical question for each point,
wherever it fits best in that point.
And this will help keep your listeners hooked
throughout the entire presentation
and engage their minds that way.
So sixth, it is 100% okay
to have your listeners actually answer the question.
So yes, technically a rhetorical question
doesn't expect an answer.
That's the theory, but in practice,
this video is meant to help you engage your listeners more.
So asking questions to answer once in awhile
will boost participation even further,
but keep it simple like I said,
I usually try to craft questions
so listeners can answer with a simple show of hands.
So question of the day.
What's your opinion, rhetorical questions
and what do you wanna hear more about regarding this?
I will look forward to reading your comments
in that section below the video.
And lastly, to answer the question and finish the joke,
what's the difference between
a large cheese pizza and a bass player?
(gentle upbeat music)
A large cheese pizza can actually feed a family of four.
So, sorry that's mean to bass players,
and it's not even that funny,
which is why I'm a teacher and not a comedian,
but I did owe you that answer.
So until next time,
God bless and I'll see you in the next video.