About five years ago I became a very active public speaker, giving keynotes, presentations, and participating on and running panels. I wanted to share some simple rules for how you can succeed in organizing and moderating a panel on just about any topic. My experiences were mostly in the technology arena, but I think these basic principles I’m about to share hold true for any kind of conference or panel.
The number one mistake I see people make when planning for a panel is overthinking it. If you pick the right panelists and setup the right environment, then panels will mostly manage themselves. Keep it simple still reigns supreme.
Panels are made of people and the success of a panel will be predicated on the following: who you pick, how their opinions differ, and how well they are managed (or not) during the event itself. This last piece is key. A good moderator is a member of the panel in the broadest sense and will either lean in and participate heavily if warranted or lean out and let the panel do it’s thing without a lot of oversight. This piece is really an art not a science.
Who you pick is important. You want participants who have an interesting story and whom are capable of expressing themselves well. Clear concise speakers are best, but some times the story or content is compelling regardless. What I always tell people who are new public speakers is that content is king. You can have the world’s worst delivery and be horribly nervous, but as long as you have something material to say to the audience you will hold people’s interest. About the worst thing you can do in a presentation is to bring canned marketing material or a video [1].
Opinions matter, but differences of opinion matter more. Froth helps the audience discern how differences of opinion apply to the problems they face. They are there to learn and if everyone on your panel is in near perfect agreement then the differences in opinion in the greater world won’t surface. And there is always a difference in opinion out there. As the panel organizer get people who are not only eloquent, but also representative of a cross-section of opinions. As you moderate, be certain to help surface those divisions, which will foment a vigorous discussion and educate the audience.
Finally, one of the biggest mistakes I see made is the number of panelists. As a general rule of thumb a three person panel can take about five great questions in 45-60 minutes. When you add the fourth or even fifth panelist you drive that number down rapidly. You can make four work if the chemistry is right, but five is nearly always a mistake. With five panelists I’ve seen near paralysis. The issue is that everyone wants their stage time and having one in-depth opinion per person can turn an interesting panel into jungle warfare. I strongly urge you to keep panels to two or three people max and to focus instead on content, content, content.
Again, panels are made of people, content is king, and differences of opinion help us with understanding the issues. Keep it simple, don’t overthink, and most of all, enjoy yourself and your guests during the event itself. With these tips you too can be a public speaking pro.
- Canned marketing videos are far more prevalent than they should be. If you show one in a presentation it’s probably due to a lack of imagination.