Tweet

Ten Rules for Being a Good Conference Panelist

Written by: Paul Kedrosky

Article Overview: Having moderated many conference panels, and participated on many more of same -- and suffered through even more as an audience member -- I've decided to share some words of advice, even if it's mostly intended to give me something to point panelists to the next time I'm a moderator.

Ten Rules for Being a Good Conference Panelist

Having moderated many conference panels, and participated on many more of same -- and suffered through even more as an audience member -- I've decided to share some words of advice, even if it's mostly intended to give me something to point panelists to the next time I'm a moderator.

Herewith, my Guy Kawasaki-ish "Ten Rules for Being a Good Conference Panelist":

Be prepared. Know what your panel is about, and be sure you have something to say that matters. But then forget all the prep and go with the flow. Returning repeatedly to pre-planned notes and talking points when the conversation takes a direction you don't like is a no-no, so don't do it.

Be brief. Short answers are better than long ones. Really short ones are better yet. While maintaining the spirit of having a conversation, respond to people without giving the kind of speeches that would get you deemed a boor in everyday life.

Be specific. Lofty answers full of lovely principles are deathly boring. If you are somehow forced to reluctantly give one, apologize then cheerfully provide a brief example to illustrate your lofty point. But keep rule 2) in mind. No five-minute war stories allowed.

Be (appropriately) provocative. Disagree with people without being disagreeable. Do it often. Agreement is boring, disagreement is fun and interesting. That said, don't go contrarian on everything. It is 99% as bad as agreeing on everything.

Be an expert. Be broad in the panel subjects on which you're prepared to comment. Don't hide your light thinking that you shouldn't answer because it's "not my area". You're on a panel, so you're an expert for the next 40 minutes: Act like one. That said, don't pretend to be an expert about something in which you have little idea at all. While no-one may call you out for it, the audience is smart and will know you're a blow-hard anyway.

Smile. Show your teeth often. 'Nuff said.

Talk to someone. Great panels are great conversations, so find someone to talk to. It could be a panelist, the moderator, an audience member, or Harvey the giant invisible rabbit, but talk to someone, At all costs, don't lecture.

Don't wait. Without continually interrupting, jump in early, often, and without waiting for the moderator to call your name. As a general rule, you should give it a few minutes to let the panel conversation find its footing, but then start going after people and treating it like the kind of hallway mixup you'd ordinarily have after the panel is over.

Bury your pride. In a good panel you're going to get interrupted, challenged, and contradicted. Deal with it. You're not always going to get the last word -- that's the moderator's job -- and don't constantly complain to the moderator looking for air-time to respond to the bastard at the other end of the dais.

Have fun. Above all, have fun. Look like you're having the best time you could imagine having right here, right now. Because if you're not having fun then you should not do it: The audience won't have fun, and another boring and unfun conference panel the world does not need.

Related Articles
  More Roundtable Musings: The IPO Problem
  Three Tips for Teaching Audio Conference Training Sessions
  10 Rules for Being a Great Panel Moderator
  Rule 20 Rules are Made to be Broken
  Press Conferences

Article Tags: audience member, boor, conference panels, disagreement, everyday life, guy kawasaki, panel subjects, panelists, speeches, spirit, talking points, teeth, words of advice



Related Forum Posts
Trump and Stewart - I really enjoyed Trump: The Art of the Deal and The Martha Rules. I think the best advice you can get is from people who have made it and not just consultants who haven't been there. Evan's site is great because of all the famous entrepreneurs and their advice directly from them. Donald Trump and Martha Stewart are 2 great examples of successful entrepreneurs and the books are written in their own words which I find extremely valuable and motivational.
Re: Networking - Good work, just remember to continue to plug away and dont stop. Good luck, Matt Belock
Re: SEO for your small business: 4 tips - Good post....thanks for sharing. Good to know. Thanks for a great source.
Google Pagerank update inprogress - Hi All, Good news! Google PR update is in progress & my new blog (3months baby) acquired PR2 yesterday but I am seeing a SERP drop. Lets hope for the best. Good luck to all ! -Mr.Ven
AFL + Soccer Athletes - In Australia one of the most popular sports is Aussie Rules Football, but the principle I'm about to talk about is the same in all sports. The reason athletes get paid so much is because of competition between clubs. For example Club A will offer $1000 a week for an athlete to play for them but then Club B will offer $2000 until one club reaches a figure that they consider to be "reasonable" and obviously higher than the other club is prepared to pay. In saying this if a soccer athlete is worth the $4,000,000 transfer fee and $7,500 a game the management of the team obviously believe they are going to gain more revenue for the club in terms of more wins, supporters, media spotlights and higher morale in the team.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Work at home Opportunities for the Disabled

9 tips to increase ROI in PPC Campaigns

3 Health Insurance Misconceptions

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.