Question or statement? A guide for session chairs at the RCOphth Congress

I had the pleasure of attending all 4 days of the Annual Congress of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists at Belfast in May this year. Having previously observed interesting ophthalmic cultural exchanges at previous congresses, especially in the questions asked of speakers and panels at the end of lectures, I had noticed that when session chairs ask the audience for questions and the questioner is known to the chair, the so-called question asked is more likely to be a statement of expertise rather than an actual question seeking information [1]. At this congress, I determined to prove whether this was true or not.

A question was termed a question if the phraseology was such that information was sought and was immediately followed by a response conveying said information. A question was termed a statement if it did not seek further information and was phrased such that additive information was conveyed beyond that directly mentioned in the lecture. A questioner was deemed known to the chair if the chair mentioned the questioner by either first name or surname prior to the question being asked.