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Communication · Lesson 5 of 6

Asking Questions in a Talk: Ask, Then Pause

Practice a well-chosen question followed by a deliberate pause.

15 min · Free · no sign-up

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What you will learn

Invite people back in

In your selected clip, Winston asks the audience to suggest another way to regain attention. The answer is to ask a question. Participation can help listeners re-enter the talk rather than remain passive.

Let the silence do its job

Around 08:51 he describes counting roughly seven seconds while waiting. It feels long to the speaker, but listeners need time to think. Use seven seconds as a rehearsal target, not a universal rule for every conversation.

Choose the difficulty deliberately

Winston cautions against questions so obvious people feel awkward answering, or so hard nobody can respond. Ask something the audience can reason about from the information already available, then listen to the answer.

Watch: 08:19–09:13 · Your selected moment at 08:51 ↗

An example

After showing a funnel, ask “Which step would you investigate first, and why?” Pause before offering your own answer. A participant can point to a stage and explain a reason without guessing an obscure fact.

The trap to avoid

Do not use silence to pressure someone into agreement. The goal is room to think, including room to disagree.

Try it: the exercise

Answer these three prompts. In the Equip learning desk your answers are saved in your browser, with a checklist to review them.

  1. Your audience questionWrite a question people can answer using what you have just shown.
  2. What you will do during the pausePlan where you will look and how you will avoid answering for them.
  3. Rehearsal reflectionTry the seven-second trainer. What felt difficult, and what will you change?

A good answer has

  • Question neither trivial nor impossibly difficult
  • A real pause without self-answering
  • A plan to acknowledge and use the response
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Check yourself

At 08:51, what is the practical lesson?
  1. Every silence must last exactly seven seconds.
  2. Give listeners thinking time instead of answering your own question immediately.
  3. Use silence to force agreement.

Answer: B. Winston’s seven-second example demonstrates patience. It is a heuristic, not a law or a pressure tactic.

Which audience question is best calibrated after showing a simple funnel?
  1. What is the exact revenue of an unrelated company?
  2. Can everyone see that three is a number?
  3. Which step would you investigate first, and why?

Answer: C. It is answerable from the shared information but still requires useful thought.

From the course library

  • How to Speak ↗

    Patrick Winston · MIT OpenCourseWare · About 1 hour · guided practice

    Learn to open with a promise, signpost your structure, ask better questions, and make your contribution memorable.