Executive Town Hall Question Intake

executive town hall question intake

Run executive town hall question intake with clear channels, topic ownership, privacy choices, and an honest record of what will be answered later.

Explain the intake rules before collecting questions

Tell employees when the form closes, whether names are required, who can view submissions, how questions will be grouped, and which topics need another channel. Do not promise anonymity if the tool records identity or administrators can retrieve it. A clear notice lets people choose the right route and reduces the risk that a sensitive report enters a widely shared event worksheet.

Keep the original question intact

Store the submitted wording and create a separate edited version for the moderator. Correct obvious clarity issues without changing the concern. If several questions share a theme, preserve the underlying submissions and state that the onstage version combines them.

The assistant may organize the queue, but should not soften criticism to make the event easier for leadership.

Route protected topics to qualified owners

Questions about harassment, discrimination, retaliation, safety, individual employment actions, investigations, or personal data may require confidential handling outside the town hall. Send them through the company's designated process with limited access. Tell the submitter what channel is available when policy permits.

Do not investigate the concern or circulate it among event planners for context.

Build a balanced moderator queue

Group questions by subject, note how often themes appeared, and distinguish questions requiring a decision from requests for information. Include direct and difficult questions that fit the event scope. Give the executive and subject owners time to verify facts.

The moderator should know which answers are approved, which require caution, and which should be acknowledged with a follow-up owner.

Record unanswered commitments

During the event, capture every promise to provide data, clarify policy, or return with a decision. Assign an accountable owner and a realistic publication channel. Avoid inventing an answer to fill silence.

A concise acknowledgment plus a named next step is more credible than an unverified response that must be corrected later.

Review access and delete working copies

After the event, move approved answers and open commitments into their normal systems. Limit retention of raw submissions according to privacy, legal, and records guidance. Remove duplicate exports from personal drives and event chats.

Review whether the intake method excluded workers with language, disability, schedule, or technology barriers, then improve the next event's channels.

Common questions

Can leaders see who asked every question?

Follow the disclosed collection rules and restrict identity when it is not needed for the response.

Should duplicate questions be deleted?

Keep the source record, then combine themes only in the moderator's presentation queue.

What if time runs out?

Publish the approved follow-up process and track promised responses to completion.

Source and service boundaries

Organizations can review our executive communications support, use the communications management guide, or contact our team about governed executive support. Source: EEOC retaliation guidance.