How many times do those who are speaking at conferences start answers to every question that is put to them with “that’s a good question“. It is a useful delaying tactic, giving the speaker time to frame the answer to avoid saying anything that might go down poorly. I suspect it’s taught in media courses that speakers now attend before presenting their employers pitch. The statement puts us all at ease, the speaker is in control and the questioner – relieved.

There is a two way grooming going as it involves in the audience. It is now the job of those who ask questions to frame questions in a way that they sound positive because we hope to have our question chosen by the Chair who moderates the discussion. Very rarely nowadays do we have live questions and that’s a shame because it allows for questions that are not “good” for the speaker. These “bad” questions challenge the position he or she is taking. For the sake of those attending, the bad question is a good question but not for the convenors of the Conference!

Let’s face it, most sessions in financial service based conferences are advertisements.  The price of our listening to these adverts is the lunch and evening drinks and the fine surroundings in which the conference is heard.

So we don’t get many questions that are not “good”. When people do , it is usually because they are expected to be up for it. When Torsten Bell is asked a question by Steve Webb in an open session, the Conference comes to life. Steve we know will ask the difficult questions others do not have the balls or competence to answer.

We have very few of these moments because we have few questions from the floor. I was at a rather ballsy event yesterday where all the questions were from the floor and there were people, me among them, who thought this a very good thing. Not all the questions were “good ones” in as much they challenged the contention of the speaker(s).  I’ll compliment Pensions Age for its “Autumn Conference 2026 for its engagement of its audience.

One of my questions was definitely bad! I won’t go into the details of what I asked but it was second hand from a Trade Union that I work with.   It was not one that either speaker or Chair had expected. I was told that mine was not a “question” but an “observation” that did not merit an answer. I did not get an answer! Is this the fate for “bad questions”?

I will blog on the question another time, I think it poses a question that needs answering and we will persevere. The important principle of being able to ask “bad questions” at conferences needs to be upheld. Because if all sessions become advertisements with no possibility that challenging questions will be asked, we will have allowed PowerPoint paralysis to have taken over!

I am aware that people prepare for what they are going to say but not for questions that might come from the audience. As a result, most presentations get little engagement from the audience and are much diminished (IMO).

Let’s bring back the “bad question“, not every question should be good!