Abstract: Question and answer sessions at conferences represent a shared interactional space where participants have the opportunity to learn more from the presenters. Of note, the conversational floor of such sessions is a limited resource in that, to the extent that one researcher is speaking, another cannot; the expectation is that question askers share the floor with the presenter and other askers. Different tactics may be used, however, to mitigate the threat posed by taking up more space. We hypothesized that question askers can employ politeness strategies, such as expressing gratitude or praise to the presenter, during their turn in order to make themselves, the presenter, and the audience feel better about their greater occupation of the floor in a Q&A session. In two videotaped conferences, askers who displayed polite behavior at the outset of their turn proceeded to ask more and longer questions than askers who did not. By first indirectly establishing their credentials as respectful of social expectations, question askers may then feel licensed to use more of the space allotted to Q&A sessions.