Continuation from Part I

Step 5 – Take the time to review the initial flow and prepare speaking points

During the preparatory meeting, give the speakers orientation on the next preparation steps. For example, tell them that you will share your notes from the meeting and incorporate their feedback into your tentative script. Invite them to share any additional feedback, copying to all other speakers, too. Set a deadline by which you will agree on the storyline together. Point out when you will be available for any final questions in person at the event location ahead of the panel delivery. This option is particularly useful if a speaker sends only an assistant to the preparatory meeting.

I would advise against encouraging the speakers to draft presentation slides or speeches. In my experience, this bears the risk that speakers will be overprepared – making long presentations or reading out speeches may cost your panel attention from the audience. Remember, you seek to have a discussion – hence a ‘no slides and no speeches’ approach has worked best for me in panel discussions.

A compromise could be to agree that the speakers can present one or two slides (if technically agreed upon with the organizer). However, I suggest encouraging them to focus these slides on interesting figures, graphs, or visual depictions, applying a rule of thumb of no more than twenty words per slide. Similarly, you might propose that the speakers prepare a few short bullet points as anchors for their discussion interventions. If you agree on any slides or talking points, invite the speakers to share them with you and the other panelists, and do not hesitate to provide feedback. Remember, your goal is to help all speakers shine in the panel, so any feedback you give comes with good intentions – it is your gift to the speakers.

Step 6 – Bring in a personal touch, listen, and go with the flow

On the day of the conference, listen actively during the sessions preceding your panel. You will likely pick up unanticipated directions and inspiring examples that can support your script. In addition, use the opportunity to talk to people during any networking opportunities ahead of your panel. Get an initial sense of their thinking on the key topics of your panel. You might hear some great personal stories that you could build into your interventions. Add any additional observations and thoughts to your notes along with your scripted discussion flow, and pick them up in your introductory words or moderation, as you then deem best fit “on-the-go”. I recommend also double-checking the panel stage and equipment ahead of the conference day to ensure everything works for you. Find out how the microphones work, how you will enter the stage and be introduced by the organizer, and how you can interact with any online panelists. If there is a communication platform to interact with the audience, make sure to test it. Take the time to think how you and the panelists will feel on the stage setting. Is the furniture arranged so that you can see each other and the audience well? Will there be a visible timer that the panel can observe? Will you have enough space to place your notes? By the way, I typically bring a clipboard with the most important documents, including the scripted panel flow and guiding questions.

It is also important to establish contact with each panelist, listen to any final thoughts they may wish to share, and reassure them that everything is under control. Help them ease up by sharing a personal story, e.g., when and how they got into the topic and why they decided to take action. This can help the panelists to relax and allows you to introduce them more personally when you start the panel. I tend to keep my introductions of the speakers very short (to save time) and rather bring them in by asking them to share some personal facts.

Usually, my adrenalin goes up directly before getting to the stage. However, I have learned to manage it. To calm me, I remind myself that “the panelists and I are there for a reason,” and that I am well-prepared, so I should “just go with the flow”. I also seek to connect with the audience, for example, by reflecting on how I feel in my role, asking a few quick polling questions, and explaining how I intend to go about the session. Once I introduce the panel and give floor to the first speaker, I feel calm. I then try to focus my attention on actively listening to each speaker’s intervention. This is sometimes not easy, especially when we get worried about timing. However, I try to pick up 1-2 key points from each speaker (writing them in my notes) and refer to them when thanking the speaker. In case I do not manage to do this, my notes on their envisaged interventions from the preparatory stage come in useful.

Active listening is also essential to determine when it is time to move the discussion on to the next speaker (e.g. when the intervention point has been made sufficiently clear) but also to help dig deeper by asking a direct follow-up question for a concrete example, especially when getting the impression that the intervention seems too complex or vague. The same applies when bringing in the audience. Try to capture their questions and comments, briefly sum them up, and check whether any panelist would like to respond.

In my notes, I normally have a few draft bullet points ready for concluding the panel. These concluding remarks should link with the key purpose of the panel and highlight the key takeaways from the discussion. I also keep additional notes throughout the previous sessions and ongoing panel discussions. The art is to select a few key points on-the-go that the audience will remember and the following sessions can build on. An important part of rounding up your panel discussion is to thank the organizer and the speakers, but you typically have little time left. Hence, take time after the panel to thank each panelist, acknowledging a unique and strong aspect of their contribution. Thank them also for allowing you to get to know them and for sharing their experience and expertise. If possible, find a way for a joint celebration (e.g., taking a group picture together with the organizer).

I hope these steps and points outlined will be helpful in your preparations for a future moderation role. Remember, your key role is to bring out the best in your panelists. Their personal stories are the most engaging for the audience. Do not hesitate to use your role as moderator to dig for those stories with good questions, while ensuring the speakers feel safe and supported in sharing them.