205. 5 tips for moderating panels
This episode is all in the title - 5 tips for moderating panels.
1. Research pronunciations.
2. Meet the panellists beforehand.
3. Memorise and practise your opening.
4. Run the time formula.
5. Know your final question.
Tune in for the full explanation.
Transcript
Hello welcome to our That Voice Podcast panel.
A panel about panelling.
I’d like to introduce our fabulous panellists – we have Sally, Sally and Sally.
There is no panel, just me today with 5 tips for moderating a panel.
A lot of people freach out to me about this “Oh my gosh I’ve been asked to host a panel, what do I do..?’
Do you like the word freach? It’s what I say when people reach out freaking out, it’s a freach out.
And of course if you’re looking for specific coaching on your specific panel, then we can so that in a private session.
Today I’m sharing 5 top tips.
So the gig comes in. You say yes, I’d love to moderate a panel.
Tip 1 – Research how to pronounce everyone’s names and titles. Don’t guess. A glaring sign of an amateur speaker is someone who trips over names and says oh I’m sorry about the pronunciation. Don’t be sorry, just research ahead of time how to pronounce it. Because as the host you are there to help the audience and the panellists feel comfortable, and if you get introduced with mispronounced name, it’s kind of like a typo on an important email. And you might have to ask them. I presented the Coach of the Year award at the Beam in Business awards on the Gold Coast a few weeks ago, and there were a couple of curly names so I just Instagram voice noted them before hand checking and they were so grateful, it also opened up the relationship, which leads into tip 2.
Connect with the panellists beforehand. This could be a quick zoom meeting, a quick phone call, at the very least a LinkedIn message. This is your chance to meet them, ask how they’re feeling, ask if there’s anything they’d like asked or avoided. It means the whole panel comes across smoother on the day and also shows your professionalism and leadership. Remember the panellists are probably more nervous than you, so you reaching out is a win-win – everyone feels more comfortable. If you’d like tips on how to BE on a panel – join Soul Speakers, there’s a whole bunch of tips inside the Resource Hub.
Ok tip 3 – Memorise your opening. Honestly practise what you’ll say at the start word for word, so you can engage the audience. As a moderator you are the first person to speak, and you don’t want to have your head in clipboard stumbling over what’s to come. It doesn’t have to be a fancy opening, but it does need to be confident and clear and free of ums and ah because it sets the tone for the whole panel.
You ready for tip 4 - Run the time formula. The formula is the number of minutes you had allocated – minus 5 mins at the start and all the time for questions and then divide that number between the number of panellists – and that will give you an idea of how many questions you’ll get through.
For example, you have 45 mins for the panel. Minus 5 for getting ready, equals 40. The organiser wants questions, minus 10 for questions, leaves 30, you have 3 panellists, so that equals 10 mins. And you want to allow on average 2 mins per answer, so that’s no more than 5 questions.
Leading into tip number 5 – know your final question, and make it a brisk, rapid fire question. So you’ll be keeping an eye on the time and you’ll know when it’s the last question. You want something like ‘What’s one word you’d like people to takeaway?” “In one sentence …” “In one quote” you really want to guide it to a quick answer. I’ve seen panellists ask for final thoughts … and next thing you know it’s 30 mins later and they’re still waffling. So be direct and strict on the conciseness of the final question.
So they are my top 5 tips for moderating panels – 1. Research the pronunciation of names and titles, 2. Connect with the panellists beforehand. 3. Memorise and practice your opening. 4. Run the time formula and 5. Know your rapid fire final question.
Now there is more to it, like how to be neutral, how to mix in audience questions, how to cut panellists off if they talk too long – and do it politely, what logistics questions to ask the organisers, and all of that is inside Soul Speakers. It’s my group program, with live coaching calls each month and that comprehensive resource library where I have books on so many topics … including panels.
That’s all for this episode, have an awesome day.
Remember to use your voice, love your voice and be grateful for your beautiful voice.