Start organizing several weeks in advance if possible, so you can recruit participants and organize the event. To conduct a panel discussion, start by selecting a discussion topic. Next, recruit 3 to 5 well-informed people from a variety of backgrounds to participate and let them know the topic beforehand so they can organize their thoughts. Decide how long the discussion will last, prepare several open-ended questions to get the discussion started, and politely steer the conversation back on track as needed if the panelists veer off-topic!
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Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. Select a topic. Ideally, the topic of discussion should be important to enough people that you can involve people with significantly different interests or backgrounds. However, avoid the trap of making a topic so general or vague that the discussion becomes unfocused. If you are having difficulty balancing these goals, remember the topic does not need to be divisive. Some panels are created to offer advice or information, and these do not always have competing points of view on display.
Recruit varied participants. A panel of three to five people usually creates the most interesting discussion. Look for well-informed people from a variety of backgrounds.
For instance, a member of the public involved in the issue, someone with experience working with the issue in a business or nonprofit, and an academic who has studied the issue. Create a panel with variation in age, gender, and ethnicity as well, as a person's personal background can have a significant effect on his perspective. Inviting at least four people may be safest, in case someone cancels at the last minute.
Invite these people several weeks in advance at a minimum, to allow them adequate time to prepare, and to give yourself time to find alternatives if one of them turns the offer down. Invite a moderator. Select an additional person not participating in the panel discussion, to serve as a moderator. Ideally, she should already have experience moderating panels. Select someone who understands the topic well enough to follow the discussion, and who is skilled in social situations.
The moderator's main purpose is to keep the panelists focused on the audience, keep the discussion running smoothly, and help out the panelists when they stall. Plan the physical setup. Individual chairs will make the participants appear closer to the audience than a solid table, encouraging audience participation. Include small tables or stands for holding notes, and provide a glass of water for each participant.
Unless the room seats thirty people or fewer, provide at least one microphone for each two participants, and a personal microphone for the moderator. Consider seating the moderator in the middle of the panelists to help him address and guide each panelist efficiently.
Keeping the moderator at a podium off to one side may make his job more difficult. Part 2. Figure out the goals of the panel. Make sure all of the participants know why the panel has been assembled well in advance, so they have time to prepare. Your panel may be trying to present practical solutions to a problem, host a complex, abstract discussion, or provide information on a topic. Let the panelists know whether the panel is a basic introduction to the topic, or whether they can expect the audience to be fairly well-informed and looking for more advanced advice or nuanced perspectives.
Decide how long the panel should last. For most panels, especially those taking place at a conference or other larger event, 45—60 minutes is the recommended length of time. If possible, ask participants to stick around for some time after the session, so audience members can talk in person. Consider starting with individual lectures optional.
The main focus of the panel should always be a discussion. Only by knowing your audience can you tailor the content of your panel discussion — and, by extension, your event — to fit their needs. Be sure to research your panellists to ensure they have the right expertise to be contributing to your panel discussion topic. The ideal number of panellists is between 3 to 5. Too few, and the discussion may as well just be an interview. Too many, and to dialogue could become too cumbersome to manage.
In addition to giving panellists the discussion questions beforehand, another key thing you can do as an event planner is to inform them on the audience. Beyond the basic like ages and jobs, panellists would benefit from audience information like:.
Collect this information by crowd-sourcing it before the event itself — use an online question collecting tool like ours!
With more audience information, panellists will be able to use the right use cases or anecdotes to tailor their answers for maximum relatability, impact, and resonance. Moderators play a significant role in the success of a panel discussion. A good moderator can elevate a simple sharing session to an active and fascinating dialogue. A bad moderator can turn an otherwise engaging conversation into a snooze fest. Not that any of these formats are bad; they are simply different than a panel.
Just call it like you see it, be it a panel, presentation, interview, or forum. How to Moderate a Panel Discussion. Formats and Types of Panel Discussions. Check out her free 7-part video series on how to moderate a panel and other resources to help you organize, moderate, or be a panel member. A large part of attending a conference is to make […]. Incredible news, Generally I never remark on online journals yet your article is persuading to the point that I never stop myself to say something concerning it.
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