Powerful Panels

I like to get to the panel discussion early - at least an hour or so earlier than the panel's start time for several reasons. What can you do during that hour? Here's what you need to know.

Having a friend or two in the room can be super helpful during a panel discussion. Here are a few ways your friends can help you be successful during a panel discussion.

The order in which panelists offer their prepared remarks is a major factor in determining how they will be perceived.  While each panelist will be speaking on the same topic, your pre-event meet-up should have ensured that your key points shed a different aspect or point of view in this segment of the program. Here are the advantages and disadvantages to being the first, last or in the middle.

With dominating extrovert panelists, what is an introvert to do to stack the odds in their favor? To answer this question, I called my colleague and author of Creating Introvert-Friendly Workplaces, Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, Ph. D, CSP . Here is what she had to say.

I highly recommend finishing the panel discussion on a high note with a very clear call to action.  It is this "final thought" that creates clear takeaways for the audience and positions you and your company as a resource.  Here are some things to consider.

Promoting the panel discussion is not just the responsibility of the event organizer.  As a panel moderator or as a panelist, you can help promote the panel to a wider audience, encourage them to attend, engage with the attendees, and follow up after the panel discussion is over.

At some point during a panel discussion, the panel moderator will turn to the audience and ask for questions.  Most folks call this " Audience Q&A " where the moderator takes questions from the audience via text, question card , open  microphone , or  Oprah-style , depending on the event. To facilitate a meaningful audience Q&A session, try these techniques.

Since  ChatGPT has hit the headlines pretty hard, I thought I would use artificial intelligence to write this week's blog on "biggest panelist faux pas." Amazingly enough, here is what ChatGPT answered:

It annoys me when panelists solely talk to the panel moderator and their fellow panelists - and never address the audience. After all, it is the audience that is benefitting from the panel's wisdom! Why not engage with the audience directly? You may not be the panel moderator, but you still can involve the audience in small ways.