I still get nervous before any speaking engagement…I’ve read that it’s just a natural response. But I’ve learned to embrace that nervousness and turn it into productive energy.
Facilitating a panel discussion, for me, is a lot less stressful because, if I do my homework and prepare, all I have to do is tee up the topics to my panelists and let them run with their stories. Sounds good, right? But if you don’t do the right prep work, you might end up disappointing your audience.
Last week, I facilitated a panel discussion on the topic of “Transitioning from a team member to a team leader”. It was a lot of fun to re-connect with friends in the industry and hear their stories on the topic. And to make this impactful for my audience, I leaned on some best practices I’ve learned over the years. Here are the top 7:
The Rule of three. 3 panelists, 3 key lessons, 3 things. The rule of three is one of the oldest in the book. Aristotle wrote about it in his book “Rhetoric”. Think about the 3 inalienable rights in the US Declaration of Independence: Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Steve Jobs applied the Rule of 3 in nearly every presentation and product launch. So I often leverage the rule of three. Each panelist is to do 3 things: 1) their word that summarizes the key to making a successful transition, 2) a story that illustrates this key trait, 3) key takeaways from their story.
Use stories. Ask panelists to share a story. People relate to real world stories more than hypothetical or theoretical anecdotes.
Send bios ahead of time - especially if you have a limited time frame. Share a bio of your panelists in an email to participants before the event. Include personal notes in the bio related to why you selected each panelist for the event.
Prepare questions in advance. There’s nothing worse than opening the floor for questions and no one raises their hand! While you hope your audience is engaged and excited about your topic, a little preparation will help overcome the risk of “crickets” at the start of Q&A. Have each panelist send you a question they think the audience might ask and have them be prepared to answer.
Select panelists carefully – it’s ideal if you can have a voice in selecting your panelists. Focus on a diverse group (gender, experience, viewpoint, etc) as well as individuals who are respected, respectful, and able to share insightful ideas on the topic.
Prepare panelists with all the info they need. I sent them a two page summary of our plan for the discussion which included an overview of the topic, who the audience is, agenda, dial-in/technology instructions, info on each panelist (especially important since they had not met each other before), what each should prepare to talk about, how much time each panelist has (very specific “you have 7 minutes to share your 3 things”). Following the 2-page summary, I had a phone call with each panelist to answer any questions, hear their ideas and talk about what they planned to share. This helped level set expectations for the discussion.
Avoid “creeping death”... The worst moderators repeat the same question to each panelist. Nobody wants to hear the first panelist answer the question, then the second panelist say “I agree” and then pile on, and then a third panelist say “yes, I agree with them” and just feel the need to add on more of the same. Being prepared will help you direct each question strategically to each panelist and have them prepared to respond.
What are your tips for facilitating a panel discussion? Please share in the comments.
Photo by Evangeline Shaw on Unsplash