This study investigates Chinese audience perceptions and reactions to American advanced learners of Chinese delivering domain presentations. Drawing on video recordings of the Chinese Flagship students' Master's thesis defenses, the research focuses on the question-and-answer (Q&A) sessions, where Chinese audience members ask questions and provide feedback, and students respond accordingly. Utilizing discourse analysis, the interactions between students and Chinese audience members are examined to identify common themes across multiple defenses. Observations and conclusions are intended to inform design of a program that trains students to deliver domain presentations to a Chinese audience. This study underscores the need for learners and educator of CFL to be aware of their target audience's expectations and preferences by emphasizing the role of the audience's interpretation in determining the end product of a communication event and pointing out the lack of consideration of audience in current CFL education. The analysis of this study provides a thick description of how such a cross-cultural communication event takes place, detailing the background information, time, place, roles of participants and how these elements affect behaviors and perceptions of participants. The analysis also gives abundant examples of audience feedback to American students giving domain presentations in Chinese on China-related topics, as well as examples of how American students use culturally appropriate strategies and language to respond to feedback from the Chinese audiences. Informed by observations from analysis of the Flagship Master's thesis defense events and the researcher's practice as a Chinese teacher, suggestions and guidelines for designing a program that trains Chinese learners to give domain presentations are proposed. The guidelines state the program goal, discuss key issues in curriculum design, propose a working curriculum enlightened by the design of the Flagship program, and specify the instructor's roles. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]