Have you ever been asked to moderate a panel discussion? Perhaps in your industry or in an organization you are involved in.
Like me, you probably have your fingers crossed that all of the speakers will be prepared and fully engaged for the panel you will be moderating, and that there will be a few good questions once the formal presentation is over.
What if there was a way to almost guarantee 100% success? I’d like to share some tips from one of the best moderators I have heard, Carolyn Carter, former CEO of Grey Advertising EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Asia).
Carolyn is a great believer in prep. And she has a wealth of experience, whether it is when she interviewed one of the leaders from Pfizer’s COVID vaccine development team during the pandemic, or a breakthrough fashion designer – she has an uncanny way of uncovering the inspirational stories of people she interviews. And her secret? It’s all about the rapport she builds with them prior to the actual interview. In her own words, here is her “secret” process:
“The process I usually follow has at least two pre-zoom meetings – the first for us to meet and for the person to tell me “their story”- what they did, why they did it, and their most important “shareable” life lessons and inspirations. Then I prepare an interview guide for their approval – usually we can agree on that by email. Finally, we will do a rough interview by phone at least 3 days before the event. So, by the time we do the actual program – we’re old friends.
It’s important to me that it feels like a conversation, and I can interject at the right points to manage the flow and retrieve any overlooked points. The end product time target is usually 30-45 minutes for the interview plus Q & A. Sometimes it runs a bit longer but never more than an hour”.
And another secret to her success as a moderator – she prepares a few starter questions for the Q & A, and keeps one question for herself, and then assigns the other questions to people who she knows will be in the audience. There is nothing worse than asking for questions after a presentation, and there is complete silence.
Carolyn’s techniques work well whether the interview/panel is in person or a virtual event.
I remember last year I was asked to moderate a panel on the Future of Food in Helsinki, Finland. I had two panelists (1 from Finland and 1 from the USA), plus a third panelist (from Australia) who had to cancel at the last minute. I did not know any of them. Because I invested some time in having Zoom calls with each of them a few weeks before the in-person panel, I got to know them individually and we agreed on the format, the questions they wanted me to ask them and how the 45 minute presentation would flow. I felt fairly good about how the panel would go.
But, I knew the real success of the panel would be the dynamic rapport between us, when we were on stage. So, on the advice of another professional presenter, I asked the panelists to meet me in the green room an hour before the event, and I facilitated them getting to know each other. And then I left them alone. This gave them time to build a personal comfort level and more rapport.
And it sure showed on stage. It was as if we were old friends! The conversation flowed, we laughed, cajoled and even had a bit of friendly conflict.
So, the next time you have the opportunity to moderate or participate in a panel, I recommend you invest some time ahead of the event to get to know each other. This “secret” technique will definitely make you look like a pro!
Onward and Upward,
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