Everyone is quiet. Is that good?
“Any questions?” Nobody speaks. You put your notes away. In the corridor, two people ask each other what they are supposed to do.
Have you learned that everyone understands, or only that nobody wants to be the first to say they do not?
Asking a question happens in front of other people. Someone may be weighing the uncertainty of the task against the discomfort of admitting confusion.
Your invitation matters. So does what happened to the last person who used it. A quick interruption or impatient reply may be remembered longer than “please ask”.
Silence is not evidence of understanding.
TRY THIS 01 SMALL EXPERIMENT
At the next meeting, replace “Any questions?” with “What is the least clear part?” Leave enough silence for someone to answer.
Today, or the next time it happens.A question from Jana’s collection