Re: Questions after talks at DebConf (idea)

[Matthew Vernon <matthewv@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

On 08/09/18 15:37, Steve McIntyre wrote:
> On Sat, Sep 08, 2018 at 11:11:39AM +0100, Chris Lamb wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I noticed yesterday [0] that the PyCascades conference [1] explicitly
> > does not permit any questions and answers after a presentation.
>
> Ewww...
>
> I *really* don't like this - for me, the main point of a DebConf talk
> is to promote interaction. It's a way to present what you've done or
> are doing, and then immediately get involvement from the audience
> (both local and virtual). That might be to clarify something you've
> just said, or to talk about working together, or similar.

I prefer questions-during to questions-after when I'm speaking (because 
usually it means I failed to explain something properly), but I think 
they're a valuable part of giving a talk. OK, there are times when the 
questions "more of a comment..." can be unhelpful, but I think on the 
whole they're valuable. Moderators happy/able to cut people off who 
aren't really asking a question seems a better solution than banning all 
questions.

Regards,

Matthew