How do I prepare to speak on a conference panel?

December 5, 2005 2:05 PM

I'm speaking on a panel at a tech conference tomorrow for the first time. I'm nervous. Any last-minute suggestions or advice for preparing for a 1.5 hour moderated discussion in front of a big crowd?

Here's one guide that I found.

posted by waxpancake to technology (19 comments total)

Having done this kind of thing I don't have anything earth-shattering to say, but I've found that good sleep, comfortable clothes, light meals, and some coffee are the perfect prelude to handling a roomful of people.
posted by rolypolyman at 2:11 PM on December 5, 2005

Mostly agree with RPM, but I would skip the coffee; the adrenalin will suffice.

I've done a few of these now and my advice is to be very well prepared. Rehearse your material and be prepared to position it credibly against others' on the panel, i.e. anticipate their positions.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 2:16 PM on December 5, 2005

Panels are the most memorable to me when there's stuff you can take away from them. Panels are the worst when everyone there seems to just be talking about themselves and their ideas and there is very little synthesis. They're even worse when people take questions and then answer some other question, one that they're more qualified to answer or more comfortable with.

Keep in mind that you were invited for a reason, and rid yourself of the "I'm not worthy" concerns if you have them. Wear something professional-ish and comfortable and make sure you pee and have something to eat beforehand. Be ready if the room is too hot or too cold and keep some water nearby, even if it's just good for fidgeting with. Introduce yourself to the panelists beforehand if there is time. If there's wifi and you have a laptop, try to minimize back channel discussion while you're ON the panel unless it's really that kind of setting. Take notes on what other people say so that you can refer back to them if you say something that relates to what they say. Don't be afraid to say that you don't know the answer to something, or that you're still figuring out an answer to a question professionally.

You should have a moderator whose job will be to keep things running smoothly and keep any one person or topic from hogging all the time. If they are asleep at the wheel, try to mind your own time limits and not let any one questioner buttonhole you or the panel into their own pet topic. If necessary, you can offer to talk to that person after the panel, or hand out your contact information. Try to keep responses brief so that there is time for more discussion but if you really are an expert on something, take some time to explain yourself. Also, be cordial. Panels usually try to represent a range of views so if you find yourself having to discuss something that you and another panelist disagree strongly on, find ways to talk about the differences without seeming like a jerk or a braggart. Chances are high that some audience members will agree with them as well and it's good to try not to alienate them. That said, if audience members are being belligerent (I've only rarely seen this happen) it's okay to keep their participation down -- the moderators will usually do this -- because at some level the panel is about the panelists sharing information and expertise, it's much less of a "where do you get your ideas?" author reading or guest lecture.

Unlike talks, panels usually don't have as much time or focus for a string of visual aids, so if you do decide to show something on the big screen make sure you do it with a purpose in mind as in "see how del.icio.us makes use of AJAX in a way that is functional but not too distracting?" as opposed to "this is del.icio.us" Chances are if you find a topic really interesting, your audience will too. Don't be afraid to be a bit informal and tell anecdotal stories but also be aware that people will be recording and/or liveblogging most of it, so don't say anything that you don't want to appear on the web.

In short, panels are a good way to get used to being in front of an audience without all the spotlight being on you and let a lot of people meet you all at once. Good luck.
posted by jessamyn at 2:27 PM on December 5, 2005

1) Prepare. Spend a few minutes guessing what sorts of questions you will be asked, and how you will answer them. Know what you want to say ahead of time. Figure out what your main messages are and prepare a few sound bites that you can haul out at opportune moments.

2) Simplify. Effective public speakers tend to be forceful and concise. Better to keep yourself to those sound bites that you have prepared than to ramble on endlessly trying to get to the point.

3) Stick to what you know. figure out your strengths and weaknesses ahead of time. Its better to respond "I don't know" or "I'm not familiar with that area" to a question on a topic that you don't know, than to ramble incoherently about it.

4) Be confident. You were probably invited to participate in this panel because the organizers think that you have something important to say. there may be other people in the world - or on the panel! - who know more or are better known than you do, but for that 1.5 hours you are the expert on what you know. Keep this in mind when you start getting nervous.

And I agree with RPM that a good night's sleep and healthy, light meal beforehand are essential. Caffeine is up to you - I don't like it because of its diuretic properties.
posted by googly at 2:29 PM on December 5, 2005

Remind yourself occasionally to speak slowly. Sometimes when doing public speaking I find that I've been talking like that micro machines guy, and I have to remind myself to slow it down a bit....

Odd thing is, I don't really feel nervous.. I just get going at turbo speed for some reason...
posted by twiggy at 3:14 PM on December 5, 2005

Offer examples. Audiences hate cliches and high-level pontification. Brief stories (you don't have enough time for long ones), and specifics are great: mistakes, unexpected successes, tips, traps, strengths and weaknesses of existing solutions, predictions of what is likely to happen with things of interest to the audience -- all of these are good.

If you think of this as a one-to-one conversation you're having with someone in a hallway, what you say is more likely to be appreciated by the bunch of people who just happen to be listening in.
posted by WestCoaster at 3:31 PM on December 5, 2005

Congratulations! Yes, a panel is a lot easier than speaking by yourself. However panels are deadly dull, particularly if half the panelists are keeping quiet. I suggest you work hard ahead of time on finding a key message or two you want to get across, the more controversial the better. Then emphasize that. If you know the other panelists, plan ahead of time and tell them what you're doing and see if you can get one of them to take a counterpoint to argue with you. Don't go all Jerry Springer, but controversy is the only thing that can make a panel interesting.

As for mechanics, everyone finds a way for public speaking to work for them. I do it by preparing my notes and thoughts ahead of time in outline form, but I never rehearse or practice my talk. That works for me, but others find different systems that work for them.
posted by Nelson at 3:50 PM on December 5, 2005

I'd nix the coffee, suggested above, btw. You'll have all the shakes you need without the added caffeine jitters or the need to pee.

I'd substitute about ten minutes of relaxing deep breaths a half-hour beforehand in a quiet setting. Rather than let your mind race, try to think about something else for a little while.

And remember to smile. In addition to the rest of all the great advice above.
posted by hermitosis at 4:01 PM on December 5, 2005

Don't go out the night before. I was at one panel discussion and as the introductions were taking place, one of the participants was looking more and more uncomfortable. It got to be his turn to speak and he stood up and began, haltingly. About 30 seconds in he just said, "Er... sorry..." and bolted from the room. Reappeared about 15 minutes later and sheepishly returned to the stage, saying, "I went out for a curry last night. Sorry..."

Get a good night's sleep and don't succumb to your colleagues' demands that you get a skinfull of booze followed by a spicy and... er... likely-to-repeat-on-you meal...
posted by littleme at 4:13 PM on December 5, 2005

Know your shit. Enjoy your shit. Communicate your enthusiasm, and explain how your audience will benefit by sharing your enthusiasm. And know your shit.

Smile. Relax. You know your shit. You're the master of it, and you want to share it.
posted by orthogonality at 4:14 PM on December 5, 2005

Before you go in yawn a few times - it stretches and relaxes the face and the throat. Skip the coffee if you're nervous - caffeine can help make your mouth go dry.

Also, when answering a question from the floor, talk to the questioner first, but make sure you then move eye contact to the whole room.

And enjoy it! You've been asked to the panel for a reason. I hope it all goes well.
posted by simcd at 4:38 PM on December 5, 2005

Yeah, on second thought coffee and good sleep in this context should be mutually exclusive. I typically go for the coffee because being on the road tends to tire me out.
posted by rolypolyman at 5:00 PM on December 5, 2005

don't worry. Try to act relaxed. all these people want to hear you and value every word you utter. ask for a glass of water, and drink when you feel flushed or that you might be talking too fast.
posted by Izzmeister at 6:54 PM on December 5, 2005

I just got done speaking at a conference about 4 days ago, and have to agree with orthogonality here - communicate your enthusiasm. That was the thing that people came up to me and commented on afterwards - a lot of "You really must enjoy what you do", and "It was so fun to listen to you." Oh, and watch the speed-talking too, that always kills me. Also, in a panel, deft hand-offs are always nice when you know another panelist might have a good response or riff on yours. And, some of the stories or anecdotes you might feel like saying tomorrow? If you've never said them aloud, try it first - some things seem a whole lot better on paper or in your head than they do coming out of your mouth.

And good luck!
posted by kokogiak at 6:55 PM on December 5, 2005

I jotted these down earlier but MeFi was unavailable when I hit preview. So I may be repeating some things. Anyhow.

I don't speak well in public. I do, however, listen well and often and these are my recs.

-do not speak in a monotone voice.
-do not try and get the crowd to participate or respond (unless it is Q+A time)
-do not drift away from the mic as you speak
-do not begin speaking before your head/mouth gets near the mic
-do not mumble
-do not try to cram too much information into a short time period.
-do not clear your throat into the mic
-do not get too close to the mic. (your lips should not touch it!)
-do not speak at an unusually fast pace
-do not read from your notes verbatim (see also monotone)
-do not make bad jokes, puns or tell any sort of planned jokes

-Breathe. Pace yourself. Relax. Feel free to pause before
responding to collect your thoughts in lieu of using lots of filler or rambling.

-Don't ramble, BS, etc. State your point/opinion and back it up if necessary. Keep the anecdotes relevant and in check.

-watch the acronym use, webslang, and technical jargon (unless it is a technical panel)

-Don't interrupt other speakers (unless they are clearly drowning in their own mess in which case it is really the moderator's responsibility to save them).

-Pretend you're just talking amongst your friends

That link mentions "entertaining" the audience. I think if you're saying interesting things and posing interesting questions then you are entertaining. It isn't stand-up comedy.

Be engaging and when you sense that you aren't being engaging, STFU. Seriously if you're digging a hole don't keep digging. Bow out gracefully or move on.

I second Orthogonality's advice: "Communicate your enthusiasm"

Best of luck, waxy!
posted by shoepal at 8:08 PM on December 5, 2005

Don't be afraid of a long silence. Deep stomache breaths.
posted by craniac at 8:45 PM on December 5, 2005

Another vote for breathing. Particularly 3-4 deeeeep breaths just before you're being introduced. Also, coffee's getting a bit of a bad rap in this discussion; I find it very useful for mornings especially. Just keep in mind the adrenaline boost, too, and don't overdo it.
posted by mediareport at 9:51 PM on December 5, 2005

Prepare. Write out some of the questions you hope you will be asked on index cards with bullet points. As long you believe what you are talking about you will do great.
posted by xammerboy at 10:51 PM on December 5, 2005

This was all excellent advice... Any one of these could be the "best answer."

The panel went well, but my nervousness ended up translating to some unfocused rambling. Now that I know what to expect, I think I'll be in a much better position to do that later.

Thanks so much to everyone here. Ask Mefi is the best.
posted by waxpancake at 11:42 PM on December 6, 2005