A common public meeting technique, and one of the most ill-received is to have people standing in line behind a microphone waiting to ask a question or make a comment. The people waiting in line are not listening to the speakers ahead of them or the responses given. People in line become impatient and as the line grows others are less likely to stand up and join the line in order to ask their questions. Often a generalized feeling of frustration builds and people are likely to leave the meeting dissatisfied. As a public meeting facilitator, either have volunteers roaming through the audience with a microphone to take questions or take questions yourself, “Oprah-style,” using a hand-held microphone while wearing a Lavaliere. This method allows you to control the microphone and also prevent the frustration that wells up when people are forced to stand in line to ask their questions. 

One last thing: Never let go of the microphone, it can be very embarrassing to wrestle it back from an overzealous speaker!