Allowing for audience discussion during a presentation or seminar can be incredibly beneficial for both the presenter and the audience.
It allows the audience to share their own experiences or perspectives, which can deepen their understanding of the presented topic.
In addition, it also helps the presenter to get better questions and insights from the audience, which can help them improve and tailor their content to the needs and interests of the audience.
To facilitate discussion during a presentation or seminar, the presenter can allocate a specific portion of the Q&A session for conversation. I have been doing this as a speaker for years, both at in-person talks and online with Zoom or Teams. I have written more about the practice in my blook and included photos and videos of engaged audience members, including in banked lecture theatres.
I encourage you to take a look and consider implementing this practice yourself, as it is easy and incredibly beneficial. I am amazed that it is not more common.
Here is an example of the conversation after a talk I gave at EC Knowledge Week in Brussels in 2018:
Audience conversation at an EC KM conference, Brussels, 2018. (source)
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Knowledge Letter: Issue: 273 (Subscribe)
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Photo Credits: Midjourney (Public Domain)