Serving as a moderator is no small task. A well-run panel provides an insightful exchange among experts, making the audience feel as if they’re part of a conversation with industry luminaries. A less thought-out panel condenses a sequence of individual lectures with awkward pauses and transitions. How the moderator manages the panel can make all the difference.
What’s the best way to prepare speakers?
Approach your role of moderator as if you were a referee. Set the ground rules for the players (panelists) in advance. Once the panel begins, it’s up to you to make sure that everyone plays fair by balancing the needs of the audience, event organizer and speakers. The audience wants new information or insight that they can’t get elsewhere. The speakers want the opportunity to articulate their perspective and interact with industry experts (without looking bad). The event organizer wants the audience and speakers to be happy, especially those panelists who happen to be platinum sponsors.
These three guidelines can help you referee panel discussions:
- Help speakers focus their message. Provide context as to how your panel discussion relates to the broader conference and other tracks or events. Based on this theme, what does each speaker want to highlight? What can you tell the panelists about who will be in the room? Set the expectation that each speaker should leave the audience with one message. Cumulatively, that’s probably all the audience will be able to absorb from the session. By giving speakers this kind of insight, you’re helping them prioritize which messages, data points and stories will resonate with the other panelists and audience. They’ll also leave knowing that they were able to convey their most important point rather than feeling rushed.
- Facilitate an exchange among panelists. Encourage speakers to think of questions they might ask one another, as well as the audience. This moves you away from falling into the trap of reading from a list of scripted questions as if you’re conducting a group interview. It’s often easier to prepare speakers for this kind of exchange through individual calls rather than convening everyone on a conference call. Panelists tend to share the most interesting and spontaneous information on the prep call instead of the event itself.
- Set the ground rules and intervene when necessary. You’ve let the speakers know how many minutes they have for opening remarks (keep it brief!) and whether you’re encouraging presentation slides (would advise against doing so). Kick off the panel by introducing the speakers and first theme, then step back and let the discussion flow. As needed, coax reticent speakers to contribute and keep more long-winded speakers from dominating the discussion. Field questions from the audience and give everyone the two minute warning (or its equivalent) as to when you’re wrapping up.
- Final note. As referee, this means you’re not playing. The audience and speakers rely on you to focus the panel’s messages, identify points of differentiation and reveal insight that’s not available in other formats. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to referee while sharing your own perspective, stories and insights. Great moderators understand this distinction. When moderators do most of the talking, it can be awkward to witness the effect it has on the room. Panelists shut down and the audience disengages. Save your stories for the next time you’re the panelist.
Game on!
