Q&A app puts an end to awkward and off-topic questions

AskMore intends to improve the quality of event Q&A sessions through its smartphone-based submission and voting system.

While the Catchbox – a foam-padded throwable microphone – has gone some way to encouraging participation and turn-taking at event Q&A sessions, there’s still no guarantee that the questions asked will be pertinent or useful. AskMore intends to remedy this through a smartphone-based submission and voting system.

Rather than requiring audience members to put their hands up and speak clearly to ask a question at the end of a conference or talk, the AskMore app enables users to submit their query with their phone. Their question is listed alongside other submissions, which users can upvote or downvote. The questions with the most votes are moved to the top of the list and speakers can easily see which ones should be answered to deliver the most useful responses for the audience. Speakers can decide whether they want to open submissions throughout the presentation, at a designated point at the end, or even before the event.

The app could help increase interaction during Q&A sessions and helps avoid repeated, off-topic or obscure inquiries from taking up the limited time available at events. How else can smartphones be used to get event crowds more involved?