Presentation Q&A Sessions Roleplays
A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS
Asking and answering questions in presentations roleplay cards, including discussion of good and bad ways to do so.
Lesson Plan Content:
Q&A sessions roleplays and useful phrases
Work in small groups. Deal out all the cards below between you. Decide who will be the presenter first and roleplay a (real or imaginary) Q&A stage (without the rest of the presentation first). As you ask and answer questions, try to do as many of the things on your cards as you can. When the presenter ends the Q&A stage, try to guess what things your partner’s cards said, then discuss if you all did those things well or not, and how good or bad those things are. Then switch roles and do the same thing again with different cards. If you are playing for points, you get one point for doing what it says on your card (as long as your partner agrees that you did that thing) and one more point if your partner didn’t guess what you did.
When you are finished, ask about any cards you don’t understand, couldn’t think of good phrases for, etc, then do the brainstorming stage below.
Roleplay cards for the presenter
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The presenter really encourages people to ask (more) questions.
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The presenter suggests (kinds of) questions that the audience might want to ask.
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The presenter checks the meaning of the question before answering it.
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The presenter asks the questioner to wait while they do something to help them answer the question (find a slide, find something in their notes, remember something, etc).
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The presenter apologises for not saying the information earlier before answering the question.
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The presenter answers the question by referring to something they said earlier.
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The presenter has an answer to the question but isn’t 100% sure about it.
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The presenter’s answer contradicts what they said earlier (at least partly).
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The presenter doesn’t know the answer to the question (and maybe feels that they should know).
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The presenter can’t answer the question because the information is secret.
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The presenter doesn’t answer the question (at that point) because it will be answered later anyway.
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The presenter doesn’t answer the question (at that point) because it not likely to be of audience to the rest of the audience.
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The presenter doesn’t answer the question (at that point), instead offering to contact the questioner later.
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The presenter doesn’t answer the question (at that point), instead asking the questioner to speak (one-to-one/ face-to-face) later.
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The presenter doesn’t answer the question (at that point), instead asking the questioner to email the question later.
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The presenter checks and double checks that there are no more questions before ending the Q&A.
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The presenter stops the Q&A due to lack of time.
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The presenter stops the Q&A but suggests other ways of getting answers to any further questions.
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Roleplay cards for the audience
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The audience ask no questions in the Q&A stage (until they are encouraged to).
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Two or more people raise their hands at the same time to ask questions.
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Half raise your hand (so that it isn’t 100% clear if you have a question or not).
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One member of the audience keeps asking more and more questions (without giving anyone else the chance to do so).
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Someone asks a question which has already been answered by what the presenter said earlier.
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Someone asks an off-topic question, e.g. about your partner’s studies, hometown, or opinions on a story which is in the news.
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Someone asks a question which probably doesn’t interest the other members of the audience, e.g. a link between the topic and your own life.
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Someone puts up your hand to ask a question but then speaks about the topic without actually asking a question.
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Someone asks a question which the presenter probably doesn’t know the answer to, such as asking for the exact number of something, a date, the title of a book, or the name of someone.
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Someone asks a question which is difficult to understand, e.g. a double negative like “Is it not true that people don’t…?” or too much polite language like “I’d really appreciate it if possible if you could take the time to give me a detail or two about…”
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Someone asks a question that in fact everyone would probably know the answer to, e.g. “What does (a basic word in English) mean?” or “Why do people like (something obvious like ice cream)?”
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Someone interrupts while the presenter is already answering a question.
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Someone shows from their body language (facial expression etc.) that they have questions, but doesn’t actually raise their hand to ask a question.
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Someone keeps nearly raising their hand to ask a question, then changes their mind and puts it down again.
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Someone asks a question which probably needs a really long and/ or complex answer, e.g. “Why do humans…?” or “What is the history behind…?”
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Someone asks a list of four questions all at the same time.
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Someone asks a question which is (probably) too personal to answer.
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After the presenter answers their question, someone asks another question on the same topic.
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After the presenter answers their question, someone asks for more information.
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After the presenter answers their question, someone checks the meaning of the answer.
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After the presenter answers their question, someone checks back what the presenter just said.
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After the presenter answers their question, someone wrongly checks back what the presenter just said (because they misunderstood the answer).
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Someone asks a question that is linked to or follows on from the last question.
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Someone asks a question which points out a (possible) contradiction in what has been said (= means that two parts of the presentation don’t seem to match).
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Brainstorming stage
Write at least one useful phrase for each of the situations/ functions below, including things you said or could have said during the roleplays.
Presenter/ Dealing with questions
15A: Dealing with interruptions
15C: (Filling silence by) encouraging people to ask questions/ suggesting questions
15D: Indicating whose question you will answer next (pointing with an open hand)
15E: Reacting to questions (filling silence/ speaking while pausing, mentioning what you said earlier, not answering the question yet, etc)
15I: Bringing the Q&A to a close
Audience/ Asking questions
17A: Interrupting the presenter
17Bv: Asking two or more questions at the same time
17Eii: Checking that you understood the answer
17Eiii: Asking follow-up questions/ more questions after the answer
17F: Discussing what the presenter said/ Giving an opinion (not asking a question)
Check with lists of phrases or as a class.
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