How to Moderate a Panel

I just love modesty!! No, I don’t. I hate modesty. I also hate arrogance, but modesty is terrible, because it means we never get to learn how awesome people are. Europa, a consummate businesswoman, complains about this a lot. “If I don’t know how awesome people are, how can I properly exploit them?” Europa, you go, girl!

How to Moderate a Panel

Last week, I attended a panel on attention deficit disorder. The moderator—we’ll call her Gladys—was a therapist who threw modesty to the wind. She proclaimed her skill at helping ADD folk. We leaned forward, eagerly anticipating a transcendental experience.

Well, her skill seems to be changing topics faster than her A.D.D. clients. She changes topics every sentence. Her clients probably cure themselves out of sheer frustration. I’m polite. I didn’t scream, “Finish your thought!” Fortunately, some people weren’t polite. As they left, they yelled out, “We have A.D.D. and we can’t even keep up with you!” See? Cured! My dear, sweet, talented, ambitious, well-meaning Gladys, this article is for you.

A while back, I taught you how to run an awards dinner. Fortunately, having no modesty myself, I must confess that I’m a darned good moderator. Today, let’s learn how to moderate a panel discussion.

How to Be a Good Moderator

A good moderator works much less and does much more. The best moderators seem invisible to the audience, yet they are in absolute control. Like any good evil overlord. (Stop laughing, Europa.)

Here are my rules for being a great moderator:

11 Tips for Moderating a Panel

#1: Know your job! Your job as moderator is to help the audience get their needs met via the panel’s discussion. Before you begin, make sure that you know what the audience expects. If your panel is “Pros and Cons of World Domination” featuring six mad scientists who also have a variety of other interests, your job is to meet the audience’s need for World Domination information. Even successful panels sometimes wander off topic. You must be ever-vigilant about keeping things relevant.

#2: Prepare the physical environment in advance. Make sure everyone has a nameplate that’s visible from the audience. Make sure everyone has a full glass of water at hand. Know where the microphones are and how far they reach. I moderated a 20-person panel that had one microphone, on a cord, that had to be passed along every time someone wanted to speak. It was a horror show.

#3: Know your timing and keep to it! Plan the time for Q&A, introductions, and panel remarks! If you have a 1-hour panel with 5 panelists and 20 minutes of Q&A, each panelist can talk for roughly eight minutes. If a panelist is going on and on about the electricity costs needed to reanimate a Frankenstein monster, gently interrupt and assure them that you can return to discussing electricity costs later in the panel. Since your job is to keep the topic on World Domination, don’t go back to the electricity topic. Yes, you just told a little white lie to your panelist. You’ve done it before. And if you say “No, I haven’t,” you’re doing it now.

#4: Don’t read panelist bios. It takes too long and no one cares. The bios were in the program, and everyone read the program. That’s why they showed up. If you must, give one or two credibility-building points that show why the panelists know about the topic at hand. Don’t mention unrelated awards, even if they’re impressive. And under no circumstances should you ever repeat what’s in the program. It makes you look foolish, like you did no preparation other than reading the program. It wastes the audience’s time, and it annoys the panelists. These are mad scientists. You don’t want to annoy them. This panel isn’t about their past, it’s to showcase their current brilliance. Let their contribution to the panel speak for itself.

#5: Beware of stories. Stories are entertaining and memorable, and panelists love to tell them. But very few people can tell stories well. Most people ramble. Be sure stories move the discussion along. If you ask panelists to “tell their story,” you’re in dangerous territory. Ask panelists for their opinions about specific issues or events. Ask them to analyze a situation, or speculate on a future development, or do a role-play where they apply their brilliance real-time. “Tell me about why you want to dominate the world.” Boring. You’ll get six variations of “because the other kids gave me wedgies in elementary school.” Instead ask, “If wedgies provide your moral justification for world domination, do you think you’ll be able to raise enough support among the masses?” That’s a speculation question, and likely to get much more thoughtful responses.

#6: Don’t offer your own opinions. Sad, but true. The audience is there to see you moderate, not be a panelist. If you offer your own opinions, you look like you’re trying to hog time from the panelists. Do this only if your panel  consists entirely of unbelievable bores, and you can bring down the house with your impromptu comedy routines. And certainly, never offer your opinion or tell a panelist they’re stupid.

Let another panelist say it instead. That brings us to..

#7: Get ‘em fighting. Notice where panelists disagree, and ask about that. Hearing six people say the same thing? Boring! Watching two people leap over their chairs and try to strangle each other with the microphone cord? Way cool! Remember those glasses of water you gave the panelists at the start? Now they have something to throw. Use conflict to keep it fun. Otherwise, your audience may fall asleep, especially if it’s after lunch.

#8: Come back to the juicy bits. You may cut a panelist short so someone else can speak. Keep notes so you can go back to the person you cut off and have them finish their point if it’s still relevant. Panelists love this, and it makes you look brilliant.

#9: Summarize. Jot notes so when you come back to a panelist, you can use your notes to summarize panelists’ previous points so they needn’t repeat them.

#10: Call on people. If the audience is full of raised hands, call on them! But beware panelist wannabes in the audience! They’ll use Q&A to hijack the session. When you call on someone, say “The Gentleperson in the red mumu, please give me your question in one sentence.” Then cut them off if they go beyond 3 sentences.

#11: Wrap up by thanking the panelists. Say “Thank you. You’ve been a great panel. (to audience) You’ve been a great audience. Let’s give the panelists a hand.” When the room erupts into applause, close your eyes and pretend they’re applauding for you. At least you’ll get something out of the experience.

Thank you, you’ve been a great audience.

Work Less, Do More, and have a Great Life!

Speaker Panel image courtesy of Shutterstock