The Art of Asking Questions in Town Halls
Town hall meetings present valuable platforms for employees to engage directly with the senior leadership team. Whether it’s an in-person or virtual town hall meeting, it’s a great opportunity to gain strategic insights and contribute positively to the organization’s culture. However, the effectiveness of a town hall-style meeting is tied directly to the quality of the questions asked.
Thoughtful questions can foster meaningful two-way conversations about the company’s direction and culture — without them, town halls can become counterintuitive. In this article, we’ll discuss how to ask the right questions — and, in turn, enhance employee engagement — in effective town hall meetings.
Understanding the Context of Town Hall Discussions
In essence, town hall meetings are a Q&A session for transparent communication between chief executives and their employees. At these all-hands meetings, the executive team typically shares important updates, addresses common concerns, and reinforces the company’s key values.
The company leaders holding town hall meetings are often responsible for the organization’s high-level decision-making. By extension, they’re also in charge of developing and balancing strategic priorities, as well as maintaining employee morale. As an attendee, always be considerate of the upper management team’s broad scope of responsibilities and keep all questions constructive. In other words, this is not the time to air any personal grievances.
Quick Tips for Thoughtful Questions
Good questions in town hall meetings should accomplish at least one (and, ideally, more than one) of the following objectives:
Gain insight into the company’s vision and priorities
Contribute open dialogue to a collaborative culture
Discuss concerns that impact all parties (or at least multiple teams)
Encourage executive leadership to open up regarding growth, challenges, innovations, etc.
Keeping these goals in mind can help you better tailor your questions to get the most out of every town hall interaction and make a good impression on upper management. After all, you don’t get to interact directly with company executives every day, so why not maximize the opportunity when it arises? Let’s take a look at some best practices for town halls and discuss how you can leverage them.
Focus on Strategic Value
Town halls present a relatively rare opportunity to gather valuable insights into the organization’s long-term objectives and market trends. Asking thoughtful questions about strategic planning can help employees better understand how their efforts align with broader company goals.
Example: “How are we adapting to market conditions to maintain our competitive edge?”
This sample question encourages leaders to share their insights on the company’s competitive positioning and adaptation strategies. In addition…
Example: “What are our biggest growth opportunities in the next three to five years?”
By framing this question around the potential for expansion, you can help your colleagues better understand management’s overarching vision for the organization’s future. It also gives company executives an opportunity to discuss exciting upcoming projects and company initiatives.
Benefit the Broader Audience
The entire point of a town hall is to encourage discussion on a large scale. With this in mind, only ask important questions that are relevant to multiple teams or departments. The best questions in company town hall meetings apply to everyone in attendance. Avoid niche queries that only apply to small groups.
Example: “What steps are we taking to encourage collaboration between departments?”
This inquiry fosters discussions on communication and teamwork that apply to all employees company-wide. Here’s another idea:
Example: “How is our remote work policy helping employees maximize their productivity?”
By addressing a specific issue that’s relevant to a large portion of the overall workforce, this question encourages widespread inclusivity and engagement.
Demonstrate Professionalism and Respect
Always frame your questions in a constructive manner, especially if your core message is one of doubt or difficulty. Show appreciation for leadership’s efforts, but don’t be afraid to seek clarity or improvement on important issues. This can be a delicate balance — if in doubt, save any potentially uncomfortable questions for a more private setting.
Example: “Given our recent achievements, what are the biggest challenges and opportunities you anticipate as we scale?”
This approach acknowledges past successes and indicates that you trust leadership to keep driving accomplishments in the future. This helps buffer a somewhat more difficult question about the inherent challenges of organizational growth. Let’s examine another example:
Example: “What lessons have we learned from the past year, and how should we apply them to our ongoing strategies?”By framing your question around what you’ve learned, you can encourage a growth-oriented discussion while still providing leadership an opening to acknowledge any recent disappointments or shortcomings.
Finally, I’d like to mention that being concise is another vital aspect of showing respect and professionalism to everyone involved — both those in leadership and your fellow colleagues. The opportunity to ask the CEO questions isn’t exactly one that comes around on a frequent basis, so keep it concise and don’t take too much time with your questions.
Encourage Open Dialogue
Ask open-ended questions instead of more closed-off queries. This paves a path to richer discussions and more detailed answers. Instead of asking simple yes/no questions, offer inquiries that give leadership a chance to elaborate on their thoughts.
Example: “How can we as employees help you drive innovation?”
This invites leaders to highlight key employee contributions, while also acknowledging the potential for improvement. Furthermore…
Example: “How do you see our company culture adapting over the next few years?”
This is another open question that can lead to other important conversations about the new opportunities and challenges in the market and how they could affect matters of organizational structure and culture.
Seek Insights on Development
Professional growth is a significant point of interest for most employees, regardless of which department they work in. Considerate questioning about development opportunities can help your colleagues understand where they stand within the greater organization, and how to enhance their skills to advance their careers.
Example: “Are there any plans to expand the company’s professional development initiatives?”
With this question, you acknowledge the organization’s ongoing growth opportunities while also opening the door for leadership to elucidate forthcoming training programs. Additionally…
Example: “How can we take more active roles in the leadership development process?”
This line of questioning opens two doors. First, you’re indicating to company management that you’re interested in your own career growth. Second, asking this question encourages leadership to get down to brass tacks regarding potential pathways for company-wide advancement.
Tips for Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Asking great questions in a town hall is always important. That said, I might argue that not asking the wrong questions is even more vital! Selfish or irrelevant inquiries could easily irritate your colleagues and superiors alike, so let’s walk through a few mistakes to avoid in your next town hall meeting. In short, don’t ask the following questions.
Self-Serving or Irrelevant Questions
By definition, a town hall should focus on issues that are relevant to a large portion of the organization — it is absolutely not the time to bring up personal goals or private issues. Always avoid questions that only benefit you, or those that should be discussed in more private settings.
Example to Avoid: “When will my department get the new equipment we’ve asked for?”
Not only is this too specific to one team, but it also paints leadership in a negative light by repeating a question you’ve clearly already asked in other settings. Asking questions like this is a great way to paint a target on your back! In addition…
Example to Avoid: “Can I get a raise?”
Discussions of compensation are entirely personal matters best handled in private. Please don’t be the person who asks this in a town hall!Confrontational “Gotcha” Questions
Asking critical questions is one thing, but being confrontational is another. Frame your questions in a way that encourages constructive discussion and never put leadership in a defensive position.
Example to Avoid: “Why did we fail to miss our Q4 targets? Was it a result of your poor planning?”
This question both highlights leadership’s shortcomings and places the blame squarely on their shoulders. Seek solution-focused discussions instead of playing the blame game. As another example…
Example to Avoid: “Who is responsible for the recent budget cuts?”
Asking questions like this creates a potentially hostile environment that directly targets individual members of the management team. Reframe these queries to focus on productive discussions about company-wide strategies.
Trivial Time-Wasters
If you have a minor logistical or administrative issue, address it in other channels rather than bringing questions like this into a town hall.
Example to Avoid: “Can we get better snack options in the break room?”
You know how people sometimes say, “This meeting could’ve been an email?” It’s because of questions like this. Never waste valuable time in company town halls on trivial matters. As another example…
Example to Avoid: “The Wi-Fi has been cutting out on our floor lately — can we get an extender to improve its range?”
Basic issues like this are better addressed through a one-minute phone call to IT, not in public forums.
Complex or Confidential Topics
Many discussions in the workplace belong in confidential settings rather than town halls. Save any detailed questions about finances, legal matters, or human resources issues for their appropriate channels.
Example to Avoid: “What’s our financial strategy during merger negotiations?”
Mergers and acquisitions involve highly sensitive info that can’t be disclosed publicly, even to the organization’s own rank-and-file members. In addition…
Example to Avoid: “I’m concerned about some details of our legal disputes, such as [x, y, and z]. How will we resolve them?”
Legal matters are confidential and you should never discuss them in an open forum, at any level of detail.
In Conclusion:
Key Considerations for Town Halls
To wrap up, I’d like to quickly review a few general guidelines for town hall “state of the company” meetings. First off, timing always matters. If you have specific questions that involve in-depth details or are only relevant to small groups, save them for one-on-one virtual meetings, forums with team members, or even an email to your direct supervisor.
Secondly, ask solution-oriented questions that encourage problem-solving instead of merely voicing your gripes. Invite leadership to share potential solutions — don’t just point out problems.
Finally, be professional! Maintain a calm, consistent tone and acknowledge leadership’s ongoing efforts. Keep in mind that they have tough jobs with wide-ranging responsibilities. Ask thoughtful, well-structured questions to demonstrate your engagement, enhance your credibility, and contribute to a culture of clear communication between all levels of the organization.
About The Author
Emily Sander is a C-suite executive turned leadership coach. Her corporate career spanned Fortune 500 companies and scrappy start-ups. She is an ICF-certified leadership coach and the author of two books, An Insider’s Perspective on the Chief of Staff and Hacking Executive Leadership.
Emily works with early to senior executives to step into effective leadership with one-on-one coaching. Go here to read her story from seasoned executive to knowledgeable coach.