Our first installment of Speaker Tips, just as the kids are
returning to school.
“I’ve got a few jokes lined up” said one moderator to me as
he was gearing up for the introduction of his session. I thought to myself, “Well, at least he kinda
prepared.”
More and more, conferences are leaning toward lots of panel
discussions. They certainly have the advantage of being potentially more
engaging than a lone speaker flipping through charts on slides. But just like any session—panel or
presentation—the key to engaging the audience is running a solid session. “Duh?!!” you exclaim. “Easier said than done,” I retort.
I’ve actually witnessed some great panels that had no bells
or whistles. It didn’t have talk-show seating or stools or standing or
interpretive dance. The moderator asked the right questions; the panelists had
insightful things to say. No one speaker
dominated. The panelists engaged with
one another. They engaged with the
audience. It ended on time.
So to start off, at the very least be prepared with what
information you want to cover and get acquainted with each other, and other speakers’
viewpoints.
After that, there are varying approaches and I’ve listed
some links here, meant to stimulate some thinking about your panels. Some of the specifics I agree with, some I
disagree with. But I like that each
advocate a migration away from canned slides from each panelists followed by
rehearsed Q&A. Prep is good,
scripted is bad.
Check it out:
Older, but still great post:
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