Top Tips to Moderate Panels On-Line
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-tips-moderate-panels-on-line-roberta-sydney/
“Meeting Format
- Especially for virtual, avoid one person talking at length: create a fireside chat rather than a monologue if you have only one presenter.
- Use slides sparingly (if at all), as it risks disengagement, and can disrupt natural discussion flow.
Advance Prep
- Seat a diverse panel of 3 people based on race, gender, geography, and/or industry.
- Schedule separate panelist prep sessions to learn about their relevant experiences/views (easier to schedule, 1-1 networking).
- Use those interviews to reverse-engineer the best questions to ask each speaker.
- Write up and circulate your moderator guide to all speakers for final design input.
- Do not repeat the same question: tell speakers that they are welcome to add on to another panelist’s response but that you won’t be re-asking the same question.
- Set expectations, ground rules (i.e., please provide brief answers so that you can field many audience-generated questions).
Logistics
• Start (and end) on time.
• Know where your camera is and position yourself to look directly at the camera—preferably a camera angle a few inches above eye level.
• You might stand up and step back if that feels and looks best on camera.
• Make sure that lighting is behind device, never behind you or beside you which puts you in shadow. TIP: Do not face the window.
• Check your Background –ensure nothing is figuratively “sticking out of your head”. Background should be neat, uncluttered, appropriate.
• If needed, put animals in another room to avoid inopportune animal noise/visuals.
• Put your moderator guide/questions next to your device at camera/eye level—make the font size LARGE if that helps.
• Set clear ground rules up-front (the outline/plan for the session, call for questions, other general announcements).
Invite audience to submit questions using Chat or Q&A vs. unmuting to allow them to ask directly (unmuting is slower, risks grand-standing)
• When possible, have a “green room” to have last-minute prep conversation with panelists to reinforce key points; format; etc.
• When possible, enlist someone to help with logistics, monitoring the chat, providing you private notes (text by phone or private chat).
• Silence your phone so that if you do receive a text, it makes no noise.
The Event
• Conserve precious time: provide bios in advance and keep introductions brief.
• Have prepared questions to fill one hour (~8-15) but revert to audience questions when you see the queue building (e.g., look for questions at 10-15 min mark); use an audience plant to start questions, if needed.
• Direct audience questions to a specific panelist by name or clearly ask “who would like to address…”
• Generate engagement by giving credit to audience members by name when you pose their questions to a specific panelist.
• Look for opportunities to combine similar questions to maximize coverage of all audience questions.
• Listen closely to speakers’ responses and ask follow-up questions that you think might be on the audience’s mind.
• Don’t be afraid to show your own expertise in summarizing/ clarifying. BUT, keep it short. You are the moderator, not a panelist.
Post- Event
• Thank panelists and the audience for participating.
• Check key success metrics: (1) did the audience stay until the end? (2) Did you address all/most of their questions?
• Circulate quick post-call survey to get feedback.
• Write an article after the session and post it on LinkedIn, for example, to share the wisdom of your panelists.
• Use the opportunity for further networking– Share your article with someone (“I thought you would be interested in this article I wrote on X. . . .)”
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