If you’re looking for questions to help you understand your audience better, StreamAlive has you covered with eight easy questions to keep your audience glued to their screens. If you’re hoping to understand more of your audience’s personality, we also have eight thought-provoking equivalents to keep your engagement meter pulsing.

These low cognitive load questions focus on personal facts, or facts about the audience member themselves that can’t be disputed and rarely need more thought than a quick glance around. Their medium cognitive load counterparts ask more about the audience member’s opinions and act as a window into their personality. 

Low: Where are you joining us from? 

Medium: What is a place you want to visit next? 

People love telling you where they’re tuning in from. Using the low-load version of this question will help warm up your audience at the start of your conversation. You can follow up with the medium-load version to let your audience give you a taste of their interests. 

‍Low: What languages do you speak?

Medium: What language do you want to learn next? 

A great way to follow up on where your audience is tuning in from—especially if they’re spread out around the globe—is to ask them what languages they speak. Many countries have bilingual populations, and asking what languages they speak will help you understand the culture of your audience. Following up by asking which language they’d like to learn will help you also gain a sense of what cultures they’re interested in or share values with.

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Low: What was the last thing you ate today? 

Medium: What’s your favorite cuisine? 

Food is an essential aspect of our daily lives, and many try to squeeze in a snack or meal before logging onto their next meeting or webinar. Asking about their recent snack, meal, or even their favorite cuisine will help you understand your audience’s tastes—literally.

Low: Do you have a pet?

Medium: What animal do you identify most with? 

Every pet parent is proud of their furry family members. A simple question such as this will allow your audience to gush about their companions, and a few may even make their way into the cameras. For those who don’t have pets, asking about their “spirit animal” is an easy way to find out what qualities they associate with themselves. 

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Low: Name one thing on your table. 

Medium: Name one thing on your table that you think no one else has. 

Glancing around to find one thing on your table is an easy way to show off your personality. Changing this to a medium-load question by asking for an item that no one else has is exciting for both the presenter and the participant, and allows a quick look into the various interests that people keep by their sides. 

Low: Name one color you’re wearing today. 

Medium: What’s your favorite color? 

A person’s favorite color and the colors they dress themselves in often don’t overlap. You might find that a particular color suits your style or skin tone well, while your favorite color might not be so common in a store. It’s also a question that evolves as you age, from simple answers like blue or yellow to aquamarine or ochre. 

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Low: How many hours of sleep do you get every night? 

Medium: How many hours of sleep would you like to get? 

Sleep is an integral part of our daily lifestyle, yet eight in ten adults around the globe want to improve their sleep according to the Philips Global Sleep Survey . Asking this question to your audience allows them to feel acknowledged. You can also ask someone how many hours of sleep they would like to get, as most would hope to get a couple more hours than they currently do. 

Low: What is your day job? 

Medium: What’s your dream job?

While this question is rarely asked, it’s a great question to ask your audience because the majority of their day or week is often spent on this aspect of their lives. If you’re hesitant to ask this of your audience, or generally know where they’re tuning in from, ask them about their dream job so they can take a few minutes to let their imaginations run free.

Make sure to mix in some of these low and medium cognitive load questions into your presentation to help your audience stay engaged and entertained. After your live stream has ended, check out StreamAlive’s analytics page to see the peaks and valleys from your stream to understand your audience’s personality and prepare for the next one.

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