Virtual town halls: Lessons learned from Barack Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama recently hosted the first-ever White House virtual town hall, "Open for Questions." The one-hour session was designed to open the lines of communication between the president and regular folks. Here's what worked and what didn't.

What we'd fix:		What we'd steal:
Be spontaneous. All of the questions in the session were selected in advance, chosen from a pool of questions that users submitted online and voted on. The questions were then read to Obama by a staffer, which made a potentially interactive format feel pretty flat. Fix: Don't pre-select questions—let employees ask questions themselves. The session will be livelier, since participants will feel that anything can happen.		Be prepared. Although he never sounds rehearsed, Mr. Obama is clearly prepared to answer the questions put to him. This also allows him to relax, so his personal warmth comes across. Steal: Prior to the meeting, write up the likeliest questions—and you know what they are—for the executive(s) leading the meeting. Help him or her practice responses using simple language until answers come easily.
Keep Q&A responses short. Mr. Obama prefers to give detailed answers to questions. This means he answers fewer questions from a smaller pool of people. Fix: Set a time limit for each answer and develop a target for the number of questions to answer at the session.	Use two-way communication. The president wants to listen to the American people's concerns and respond directly. That's the heart of effective communication. Steal: At your next town hall, let employees know that you will use half the time to respond to their questions. Employees will be more inclined to bring their concerns—and your session will be more engaging.