Loud Thinking

Moderate a Panel Like a Pro

The panel discussion is a go-to format for many conference planners. These forums may be exciting for the panelists but they’re often a bore for audiences and a chore for moderators. Here are some tips for keeping it fresh next time you’re asked to facilitate a few speakers:
Involve the audience in the first five minutes. Ask a few people to introduce themselves to get a sense of who’s in the audience. This keeps your panelists from acting as if they’re in a bubble.
Ban slides. PowerPoint presentations will usually gobble up your time and prevent any kind of interesting interactions from happening.
Don’t go down the line for every question. Two answers are plenty, unless a third person is dying to jump in. Instead, ask a related question, ask for a concrete example, or simply shift gears and ask your other panelists something else.

Adapted by HBR from “How To Moderate a Panel Like a Pro,” by Scott Kirsner.