Host
Randy Mitchelle
Podcast Content
The first person to speak also influences the tone of your panel - so think about who you want to begin with, and why. To open up a discussion, ask your panelists easy questions -- maybe questions that you have told them beforehand that you plan to ask. When creating your questions, you should begin by returning to your panels goal. While creating questions that are specific to your panel is a great way to make your discussions unique and compelling, it can be hard sometimes knowing where to begin.
Each question needs to go back to your panels goal, and consistently challenge your panelists to provide value and insights to your audience. With a virtual panel discussion, you need to plan out what methods you are going to use to get questions from the audience. This means that your virtual panel needs to consist of experts in the field that will be able to answer questions and give additional insights to your audience that build upon the core presentation.
A panel discussion provides a unique opportunity for your audience members to hear specific tips and feedback from presenters they might not have received otherwise through a conventional virtual presentation or session. Business conferences or academic conferences holding panels respond to either the prepared statements of organizers or real-time questions from the audience. Typically lasting approximately 60-90 minutes, the panel discussions are typically conducted live, with the audience participating live, and may be recorded for on-demand viewing.
The typical discussion panel format includes the moderator facing an audience. The panel moderator facilitates a discussion in a group setting, speaking about a particular subject matter to panelists and audience members. The format of the panel talk should involve a short presentation on the topic followed by discussion between panelists and audience.
A panel of experts provides feedback to an enthusiastic member of the audience presenting an idea. The panelists and the audience are asked a question, and panelists record their one-word response on a whiteboard.
Live Polling - So that your audience interacts with the panel, asking questions and providing feedback. You can collect questions in advance, or live, as you are running your panels. To collect the information ahead of your panels, you can use a tool that helps you parse data and insights from your audience.
Polling will give both the moderator and panelists a good idea of who they are speaking to, and will prevent you from holding a professional-level panel to a novice-level audience, or vice-versa. There are zillions of other creative ways to engage an audience, and I guarantee that will make your panels better. You could do the panel presentation in front of a live audience, or you could record it to be replayed remotely.
Your job is to make the panels as insightful, entertaining, and informative as possible. The main goal of the panel is to provide a meaningful setting where the participants on the panel are able to share knowledge and insights valuable for the listeners. Panel discussions provide an opportunity for individuals to pose questions that may be of value to others in the field. Moderation of a panel discussion is a lot more challenging than being on the panel, or even leading an ordinary session at the conference.
The over-talking moderator usually believes she has to contribute to the panel just as much as the panelists, be just as knowledgeable as them, and wants to communicate this to the audience. My take on panels is that a moderator could easily take all of her time asking questions she believes will interest the audience...or she could really just allow the audience to ask questions the audience cares about. The moderator could even decide to let the audience know she will be taking questions during the panel if any audience members raise their hands. You may want to set up additional chairs for your panel so an audience member may join in on conversation.
Panelists will want to feel comfortable discussing a specific topic. Running a practice session prior to the next panel discussion would also help you help panelists get comfortable with the format of your panel discussions, ensuring that conversations flow smoothly. Without the right prep, you may find that your panel discussions are going off the rails, creating an uncomfortable experience for your audience, and making event organizers look bad.
A successful panel needs dedicated amounts of time to allow for off-the-cuff discussions, critical takeaways, and the audiences Q&A sessions. Not every person in a panel needs to weigh in on every question; as the moderator, my goal is generally to try and squeeze in as many audience questions into the Q&A as possible. The reason why I generally like to keep questions in check during the first half of a discussion is that I can ensure we are covering the more crucial points the audience is there to learn.
The opening questions set the tone of the panel, and they can immediately generate interest and curiosity. Your question could lead to an excellent debate, leaving viewers informed as well as entertained. This is the place to tease out themes and establish an expectation that viewers are going to learn something new, that it could be of greater benefit to viewers - or whatever value proposition a roundtable will provide your audience.
Panels typically involve a moderator, who guides the discussion and occasionally asks questions from the audience, with the aim to be both informative and engaging. Since panel discussions are often part of larger agendas, which include many slides presented by keynote speakers and others, I typically ask that panelists do not bring slides that they would like to present as part of their panels. Participants prep several brief texts offering their own perspectives on a central question or theme for the panel.