This year, I’ve attended some excellent events featuring panels and have had the opportunity to facilitate a few panel discussions at conferences. Each experience offered an excellent opportunity to hear from various perspectives on insightful topics. In turn, I reflected on the impact of hosting a panel vs. hosting a single presenter and when to lean into those very options, posing an important question:
How do you know using a panel is the right fit for the meeting?
Sometimes we choose to have panels at a meeting rather than use a single-topic speaker or keynote speaker. There are no hard and fast rules about when a panel is appropriate. Panels can be used for a variety of reasons, from introducing a topic to going more in-depth on a topic or just varying breakout formats at a meeting.
Having a panel isn’t an excuse for having a less professional session. Whether you are the organizer or the facilitator of a panel, doing the important pre-work, choosing the right panelists and preparing them is critical.
Organizing a Panel
- Do your research. Who will be in the audience? How does this panel fit into the broader objective of the meeting, and how does it complement or vary from other panels?
- Define objectives; what does the audience want? What do you want them to walk away with?
- Give strategic thought to who will be on the panel. Shoot for diversity in all areas – gender, subject matter expertise, issue perspective, age, etc.
- Draft the panel questions well in advance, and have at least one meeting with the panelists before the meeting to review the questions and get their feedback.
- Get a brief bio from each panelist. Focus on making sure you can pronounce their name correctly and that you understand their title.
Facilitating a Panel
- Develop and practice a brief, impactful introduction that will focus the audience’s attention on the panel’s subject matter.
- Practice your intro. When you deliver it, don’t start with a monotone script that you read from. Catch the audience’s interest and make it impactful.
- Skip long bios of panelists and get to the point.
- Take your role as the facilitator seriously. Keep things moving and on time. Allow for questions. Then, make a powerful closing statement after the question-and-answer part of the session.
Do you need help coaching your future event speakers? Contact me to inquire about my services.