Since its inception, the Learning Society was designed for the visiting guest speakers to spend as much time conversing with students as presenting at the evening community lecture. Before each public program, there is an hour-long student discussion with the speaker. This reserved time for the Queens students begins with select students opening the conversation with specific questions, and then ending with a general Q&A where any student can join in.

In addition to the student discussion, at each evening lecture three students are chosen by the faculty to prepare a question to present at the larger community lecture. These are students who are studying in fields related to the speaker’s area of expertise, and they are given time to read and engage with the speaker’s topic months prior to the lecture, and then present their questions at the conclusion of the full lecture.