Tips for a first-time panel moderator?
June 18, 2019 3:03 PM Subscribe
I’ve been asked to moderate a panel at an upcoming conference on environmental policymaking. I’ve attended many of these conferences as an audience member, but I’ve never been a presenter or a moderator. Any advice from people who’ve done this job in the past?
I know the subject matter pretty well (and will be studying up beforehand), so that side of things shouldn't be a problem. I'm also not looking to get too creative with the format; the usual shape of these things is for the moderator to introduce the topic and the panelists, followed by 10-ish minutes per speaker for a presentation, and then discussion/Q&A for the remaining half-hour or so. Moderator asks at least the first question before going to the audience, and steps in with more if the crowd runs out.
Off the top of my head, three things I need to prepare for are the public-speaking aspect of the task; asking questions that facilitate discussion (I’m a reporter so I’m no stranger to interviews, but I’m used to them being one-on-one rather than with a group, and for my own benefit rather than an audience’s); and ways to sidestep/cut off any argument or diatribe that might derail things (unlikely, I hope, but that's what a moderator's for). But I also don't know what I don't know, so other advice is more than welcome.
I know the subject matter pretty well (and will be studying up beforehand), so that side of things shouldn't be a problem. I'm also not looking to get too creative with the format; the usual shape of these things is for the moderator to introduce the topic and the panelists, followed by 10-ish minutes per speaker for a presentation, and then discussion/Q&A for the remaining half-hour or so. Moderator asks at least the first question before going to the audience, and steps in with more if the crowd runs out.
Off the top of my head, three things I need to prepare for are the public-speaking aspect of the task; asking questions that facilitate discussion (I’m a reporter so I’m no stranger to interviews, but I’m used to them being one-on-one rather than with a group, and for my own benefit rather than an audience’s); and ways to sidestep/cut off any argument or diatribe that might derail things (unlikely, I hope, but that's what a moderator's for). But I also don't know what I don't know, so other advice is more than welcome.
The things that worked well for me are
1) Communicating clearly with the participants ahead of time so everyone knows what's happening, when you need bios by, how they should get you slides, and etc
2) Be or appoint a timekeeper so you can signal when each panelist is running out of time
3) Pay attention to the Q&A ... If all of the audience questions are being directed to one panelist, try to even it out by asking some of the others, or asking them to weigh in on questions being asked directly of the others
posted by kbuxton at 4:06 PM on June 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
1) Communicating clearly with the participants ahead of time so everyone knows what's happening, when you need bios by, how they should get you slides, and etc
2) Be or appoint a timekeeper so you can signal when each panelist is running out of time
3) Pay attention to the Q&A ... If all of the audience questions are being directed to one panelist, try to even it out by asking some of the others, or asking them to weigh in on questions being asked directly of the others
posted by kbuxton at 4:06 PM on June 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
Make sure you are current and fantastic on the panelists' preferred pronunciation of their names, pronoun usage, and institution/titles. I've heard way too many cases of Ann Smith at Uni-A becoming AH-na Symthe at Uni-B to think colleagues are commonly changing names and positions without my knowing.
posted by beaning at 4:20 PM on June 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by beaning at 4:20 PM on June 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
Your job is to inform and entertain the audience. To that end, I would recommend doing a prep call with your panelists and discuss the general topics/questions you intend to ask. It isn't a quiz show or investigative reporting; even with this prep, the panelists will still come off as spontaneous and you'll get unplanned interactions between your panelists.
I would also try to shape at least one question for each panelist that plays to that panelist's strength/expertise that can be addressed directly to them. One problem that can come up, especially with three or more panelists, is that the first person gives a good/complete answer and then the next two people are basically agreeing but struggling to do it in a unique way. Being able to target one panelist gives you a tool to break up that bobble-head effect.
Audience members seldom ask great questions that keep the presentation flowing; in my experience, the questions are usually narrow or specific and end up being conversational dead ends that you have to back out of. I would put them off until the end and only reserve ten minutes or so for audience Q&A. One of the other commenters suggested a "plant" in the audience. You can just reserve a question or two for yourself and if you don't get audience members jumping up to the microphone, just say something to the effect of, "while we are getting organized with the audience, let me ask a question..."
Finally, I'm not personally a fan of the "10-ish minutes per speaker for a presentation." The problem I find with this is that the presentations never match up- wildly different levels of details or the sub-topics come off as disjointed without a unifying theme. It is more prep work for the moderator to go straight into discussion and Q&A, but I believe it creates a better overall experience for the audience.
Good luck!
posted by kovacs at 7:19 PM on June 18, 2019 [3 favorites]
I would also try to shape at least one question for each panelist that plays to that panelist's strength/expertise that can be addressed directly to them. One problem that can come up, especially with three or more panelists, is that the first person gives a good/complete answer and then the next two people are basically agreeing but struggling to do it in a unique way. Being able to target one panelist gives you a tool to break up that bobble-head effect.
Audience members seldom ask great questions that keep the presentation flowing; in my experience, the questions are usually narrow or specific and end up being conversational dead ends that you have to back out of. I would put them off until the end and only reserve ten minutes or so for audience Q&A. One of the other commenters suggested a "plant" in the audience. You can just reserve a question or two for yourself and if you don't get audience members jumping up to the microphone, just say something to the effect of, "while we are getting organized with the audience, let me ask a question..."
Finally, I'm not personally a fan of the "10-ish minutes per speaker for a presentation." The problem I find with this is that the presentations never match up- wildly different levels of details or the sub-topics come off as disjointed without a unifying theme. It is more prep work for the moderator to go straight into discussion and Q&A, but I believe it creates a better overall experience for the audience.
Good luck!
posted by kovacs at 7:19 PM on June 18, 2019 [3 favorites]
Check the pronunciation of each panelist’s name in advance and practice saying it with the proper title for the context.
Pre-make nice looking cards for 5 and 1 minute remaining, and one that says “wrap it up.”
There’s a ton of advice out there these days on running a more inclusive and equitable panel. Gender (along with seniority and whiteness) is the especially important thing here — men can tend to monopolize the floor in many disciplinary contexts. When hands go up, pre-select the next two or three (so someone is waiting to go, and has time to craft a brief question) and always alternate genders or prefer women if all else is equal. And if some blowhard starts in with “this is really more a comment than a question” or “as you may know, in MY work...” be willing and ready to interrupt and say “we have limited time and a lot of hands, so would you be kind enough to frame your comment as a brief question?” Being willing to use a friendly but firm tone and insist on moving things along for the good of the whole event is an art but it is the essential human MC skill in academic settings (what I know) where holding the floor is a sign of dominance and often abused in panel/audience discussions by those privileged enough to warrant (in their own minds) five minutes for an esoteric question that describes their own last book in detail.
(It’s been interesting to see that edifice start to fall in the fields I know.)
posted by spitbull at 4:20 AM on June 19, 2019 [3 favorites]
Pre-make nice looking cards for 5 and 1 minute remaining, and one that says “wrap it up.”
There’s a ton of advice out there these days on running a more inclusive and equitable panel. Gender (along with seniority and whiteness) is the especially important thing here — men can tend to monopolize the floor in many disciplinary contexts. When hands go up, pre-select the next two or three (so someone is waiting to go, and has time to craft a brief question) and always alternate genders or prefer women if all else is equal. And if some blowhard starts in with “this is really more a comment than a question” or “as you may know, in MY work...” be willing and ready to interrupt and say “we have limited time and a lot of hands, so would you be kind enough to frame your comment as a brief question?” Being willing to use a friendly but firm tone and insist on moving things along for the good of the whole event is an art but it is the essential human MC skill in academic settings (what I know) where holding the floor is a sign of dominance and often abused in panel/audience discussions by those privileged enough to warrant (in their own minds) five minutes for an esoteric question that describes their own last book in detail.
(It’s been interesting to see that edifice start to fall in the fields I know.)
posted by spitbull at 4:20 AM on June 19, 2019 [3 favorites]
I've only done smallish local/regional conferences so this might not apply to your situation, but get to get to the room early to check on all the av, wifi, powerpoints or whatever, mics etc. and make sure everything is working.
posted by CheeseLouise at 4:21 AM on June 19, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by CheeseLouise at 4:21 AM on June 19, 2019 [2 favorites]
Agree with all of the above. Also:
1. If you need to keep time for the presenters: wear a wristwatch with a vibrating timer, or use the timer on your phone, but set it to vibrate. Then you can really actually pay attention to the presentations without worrying about time or timer going off disruptively.
2. Give some thought as to how you'd like to call on people if twelve hands go up with questions simultaneously. I personally prefer to have the people who seem timid talk first (and there's a gender, race, and seniority pattern with that), but there are also times when you can't afford to irritate someone who expects their voice heard first.
posted by redwaterman at 7:42 AM on June 19, 2019
1. If you need to keep time for the presenters: wear a wristwatch with a vibrating timer, or use the timer on your phone, but set it to vibrate. Then you can really actually pay attention to the presentations without worrying about time or timer going off disruptively.
2. Give some thought as to how you'd like to call on people if twelve hands go up with questions simultaneously. I personally prefer to have the people who seem timid talk first (and there's a gender, race, and seniority pattern with that), but there are also times when you can't afford to irritate someone who expects their voice heard first.
posted by redwaterman at 7:42 AM on June 19, 2019
Kovacs hit the nail on the head. The one thing I'd emphasize is that you're there on behalf of the audience, not the speakers. If someone is droning on or dominating the conversation, it's your job to (politely) cut them off. If the Q&A is dragging, it's on you to end it early and respect everyone's time.
The panelists may be excellent, highly-respected people in their field, but your job is to host an interesting panel and then make sure the audience has time to get to their next thing.
posted by matrixclown at 8:23 AM on June 19, 2019
The panelists may be excellent, highly-respected people in their field, but your job is to host an interesting panel and then make sure the audience has time to get to their next thing.
posted by matrixclown at 8:23 AM on June 19, 2019
If there are indeed time limits for the speakers, be clear and firm about enforcing them; you need to establish your authority in this regard at the outset. When you introduce the panel, state that in the interest of fairness and ensuring adequate time for Q&A, you (or a delegate) will hold speakers to a ten-minute time limit. Make and use 5-minute, 1-minute and time's up warning cards. Do not be afraid to step in and say that you need to cut someone off.
posted by googly at 10:10 AM on June 19, 2019
posted by googly at 10:10 AM on June 19, 2019
Response by poster: This is great advice. Thanks to everyone who’s weighed in.
One thing on the format, though – the opening presentations are actually an important part of the event, because the panel is mostly government officials and they use their time to run the audience through their agencies’ agendas for the subject. That’s a big part of what the attendees are there to hear (maybe the majority of it, to be honest) and also ensures everyone on the panel and in the audience has at least a broad-strokes idea of what's already happening when they start discussion. We're also in the midst of scheduling a preparation call right now, so that's definitely going to happen.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:47 AM on June 19, 2019
One thing on the format, though – the opening presentations are actually an important part of the event, because the panel is mostly government officials and they use their time to run the audience through their agencies’ agendas for the subject. That’s a big part of what the attendees are there to hear (maybe the majority of it, to be honest) and also ensures everyone on the panel and in the audience has at least a broad-strokes idea of what's already happening when they start discussion. We're also in the midst of scheduling a preparation call right now, so that's definitely going to happen.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:47 AM on June 19, 2019
I hosted a panel last week where there were NO audience questions, and I found myself scrambling to fill the time.
To avoid that scramble, I would suggest writing question in advance, and arranging them based on topic.
I had questions in advance, but they were all over the place and kind of random.
posted by rebent at 11:59 AM on June 19, 2019
To avoid that scramble, I would suggest writing question in advance, and arranging them based on topic.
I had questions in advance, but they were all over the place and kind of random.
posted by rebent at 11:59 AM on June 19, 2019
If you are going to introduce the format, make sure you make it clear that you're going to ask for questions ahead of time. Often times, it can take some time for audience members to come up with a good question, so a good strategy I've seen and used myself is to ask for questions, and then ask a question myself, buying the audience some time (5~10 minutes) to come up with questions: "We'll be taking audience questions and have a mic roving around. While you're all thinking of one, I have a question to start us off ...."
A good strategy I've seen is to have one or two helpers roving in the audience handing out index cards and pencils on which people can write a question on during the talks. This helps if you a) really want to make sure the quality of questions are good, b) want to make it more inclusive so that it's not just men speaking questions, or c) want to make the questions a bit anonymous, and d) want to stop statements-disguised-as-questions. The helpers gather the index cards and pass it to you (the moderator), and you can quickly scan through the index cards and find questions that are common or frequent. This works great in specific events, but may not be appropriate for others.
spitbull: be willing and ready to interrupt and say “we have limited time and a lot of hands, so would you be kind enough to frame your comment as a brief question?”
Seconding this so hard. This is a really nice / gentle wording, also. If you feel like being brusque, in my practice, people/moderators will just interrupt and say "I'm sorry, what is your question?" since 95% of the time, the person doing this is a cis man.
Depending on how smoothly you want this to go, I've also been part of conferences where the moderator will email everyone some draft questions or overall ideas, so that panelists can prepare ahead of time. I don't think this is necessary, especially if people have presentations.
And lastly, many people have said this, but usually there's one panelist that attracts all the attention, and one panelist that gets a little forgotten. The moderator's job is also to distribute that attention around, to remind people of what the talks were an hour ago, and to start an even dialogue between everyone. Having one question per panelist, targeted mostly to each person's talk (that you write down during their talk) can help, since you can always pull that out if you feel like someone isn't receiving a lot of focus.
posted by suedehead at 12:25 PM on June 19, 2019
A good strategy I've seen is to have one or two helpers roving in the audience handing out index cards and pencils on which people can write a question on during the talks. This helps if you a) really want to make sure the quality of questions are good, b) want to make it more inclusive so that it's not just men speaking questions, or c) want to make the questions a bit anonymous, and d) want to stop statements-disguised-as-questions. The helpers gather the index cards and pass it to you (the moderator), and you can quickly scan through the index cards and find questions that are common or frequent. This works great in specific events, but may not be appropriate for others.
spitbull: be willing and ready to interrupt and say “we have limited time and a lot of hands, so would you be kind enough to frame your comment as a brief question?”
Seconding this so hard. This is a really nice / gentle wording, also. If you feel like being brusque, in my practice, people/moderators will just interrupt and say "I'm sorry, what is your question?" since 95% of the time, the person doing this is a cis man.
Depending on how smoothly you want this to go, I've also been part of conferences where the moderator will email everyone some draft questions or overall ideas, so that panelists can prepare ahead of time. I don't think this is necessary, especially if people have presentations.
And lastly, many people have said this, but usually there's one panelist that attracts all the attention, and one panelist that gets a little forgotten. The moderator's job is also to distribute that attention around, to remind people of what the talks were an hour ago, and to start an even dialogue between everyone. Having one question per panelist, targeted mostly to each person's talk (that you write down during their talk) can help, since you can always pull that out if you feel like someone isn't receiving a lot of focus.
posted by suedehead at 12:25 PM on June 19, 2019
Oh, and one more thing -- be okay with silence!
It always takes a bit of time after "does anyone have any questions" for people to raise their hand. Sometimes it takes 10 seconds... but 10 seconds of silence can feel like forever in a crowded room, and moderators will often rush on to their own questions after LITERALLY 3 seconds.
I guarantee that there ARE questions, it's just that people are nervous about asking it in public / not sure if their question is good enough / getting up the nerve to ask a question. Sometimes I will even explicitly say something to ward off any awkwardness, like: "Let's get some questions from the audience! We'll also take this moment to wait and sit in silence for a bit to catch a collective breather, while we all think about a question to ask."
And lastly, please keep on asking for questions from the audience -- often times, the Q&A itself gets people thinking about interesting questions. I've often been at talks like this: The moderator asks for questions up front, but nobody raises their hand. After a few seconds, the moderator decides that nobody has questions, then asks their own questions, and the discussion ensues; at the very end, with a minute or so left to spare, the moderator asks for questions, and then there are five to ten hands in the air, but only time to listen to one.
posted by suedehead at 12:35 PM on June 19, 2019
It always takes a bit of time after "does anyone have any questions" for people to raise their hand. Sometimes it takes 10 seconds... but 10 seconds of silence can feel like forever in a crowded room, and moderators will often rush on to their own questions after LITERALLY 3 seconds.
I guarantee that there ARE questions, it's just that people are nervous about asking it in public / not sure if their question is good enough / getting up the nerve to ask a question. Sometimes I will even explicitly say something to ward off any awkwardness, like: "Let's get some questions from the audience! We'll also take this moment to wait and sit in silence for a bit to catch a collective breather, while we all think about a question to ask."
And lastly, please keep on asking for questions from the audience -- often times, the Q&A itself gets people thinking about interesting questions. I've often been at talks like this: The moderator asks for questions up front, but nobody raises their hand. After a few seconds, the moderator decides that nobody has questions, then asks their own questions, and the discussion ensues; at the very end, with a minute or so left to spare, the moderator asks for questions, and then there are five to ten hands in the air, but only time to listen to one.
posted by suedehead at 12:35 PM on June 19, 2019
I recently moderated a panel for the first time in a long time and I googled for advice - amusingly, the first hit was written by the guy who asked me to moderate so I figured it was good advice! I followed it pretty closely (he did the panel recruiting and the conference did all the physical setup so I was only responsible for content) and it went very well, so I figured it's worth passing his advice along.
posted by olinerd at 6:29 AM on June 20, 2019
posted by olinerd at 6:29 AM on June 20, 2019
Eve Tuck just tweeted a thread on how she moderates Q&A (not the panel itself): "People don’t always bring their best selves to the Q & A—people can act out their own discomfort about the approach or the topic of the talk. We need to do better. I believe in heavily mediated Q & A sessions."
posted by ahundredjarsofsky at 12:50 AM on June 21, 2019
posted by ahundredjarsofsky at 12:50 AM on June 21, 2019
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