Three Ways to Make Panel Discussions More Engaging, Authentic & Honest
A group of experts are having a spirited, energetic discussion about a topic of extreme interest to the audience. People lean forward, listening to every word and reacting. This is what a panel discussion is supposed to be like. Do yours fall short? Panels can be highlights of an event and not a boring waste of time. Here are three ways to make panel discussions more engaging, authentic & honest.
Dump the Bad Math
Don’t fall prey to simple math:
If 1 speaker = Interest level of 30
Then 5 panel members = Interest level 150
Some people think that the more speakers on stage at the same time, the better the content and the more the audience enjoys it. Sounds great – doesn’t work.
Panel discussions are scary. It’s like that scene in an action movie where the hero has to cut one of a dozen colored wires to disarm the nuclear bomb that’s seconds away from exploding. Make the wrong choice and everything blows up in your face. I said the same thing in a blog article called Q&A Sessions are Like Juggling Chainsaws. Besides being mind-numbingly boring for the audience, all it takes is one unprepared person to transform a panel discussion into an awkward, uncomfortable and deadly disaster.
A Q&D Solution
Most people planning a conference can’t resist adding at least one. Hey, it’s a quick-and-dirty solution to a hole in the agenda, right? In fact, many events are ending up with more panels than workshops.
Executives and producers love panel discussions because:
• They don’t require much planning or preparation.
• They don’t need scripts or speaker support.
• They don’t need rehearsal.
• They fill time.
• They’re cheap.
Audiences hate panel discussions because:
• All of the above!
Three Ways You Can Make Them Great
The fact is, your audience wants the same things from a panel of experts that they expect from company leadership. They want them to be genuine, real, honest, courageous, informed and humble. You can organize panel discussions that audiences love and executives don’t hate if you follow a simple formula.
The Right People + The Right Subject + The Right Reasons
The Right People
The right people are like life support for a panel. Great people breath life into your session and the wrong people suck the life out of it. Think of your session as a movie, and you are hiring the actors. You need someone for every role. Who will make it a success from the audience’s perspective?
– Well-spoken experts who relate directly to the audience
– Panel members with different backgrounds
– Panel members who don’t share the same opinions and positions
– Panel members who don’t just state and repeat the company position and policies by rote
The last thing you want is five people who agree on everything. That doesn’t mean they should hate each other, but you want a little friendly conflict. The idea is to spark some spontaneous energy and excitement and to challenge the audience. The authentic interaction and genuine discussion are what make it effective. Oh, one more thing. A boring speaker (however elite) doesn’t make a great panel member. All you’re doing is letting him talk while sitting down!
The Right Subject
The agenda shows a 60-minute panel discussion on WAN Optimization. I’ll pause here while a near-electric jolt of excitement rips through you. Yes, that’s the title. This broad topic is actually pretty important in wide area data networks, but it’s too vague to be the best subject for discussion.
The right subject is not a general topic that leaves the panel at a loss to fill the time-slot, stating the obvious and droning on and on. It is one that is of specific, immediate, relevant interest to the audience. It’s a compelling subject that engages them before they even get to their seats. It can’t just be what you want to talk about – make it what they want to hear and learn.
Pick a subject that has different aspects and sides. Controversy is your friend. The right subject is one where the panelists can volunteer facts, add stories and examples and take positions that represent groups in the audience. Just like all effective content, the subject of the panel should be all about the audience.
The Right Reasons
Now put the right subject to this acid test: If the panel doesn’t fill a real audience need – don’t do it. You fool no one with a convenient time-filler. You have a communication opportunity, so use it well by having a panel only for solid, concrete reasons.
The last thing you want is for the panel to become a slow-motion speech. In the worst-case scenario, the panel members have been assigned a question to answer and are just waiting for their time to talk. Each answer is a mini-presentation. I’ve even seen panel discussions where the panelists have PowerPoint slides. There’s no discussion, no energy or interaction. It’s canned, stale, uninspired and really, really boring. At a recent conference, I watched about 25% of the audience simply get up and leave.
So get tough. If your panel discussion has no reason to exist, eliminate it.
Put The Three Together
The absolute best panel discussion I ever saw was titled: Why XYZ Company has a Glass Ceiling. (I changed the company name here for obvious reasons.) Pretty gutsy subject, right there. They didn’t make it vague and safe – does the company have a glass ceiling? They owned it, and the panel focused on a subject that was of vital interest to every employee and executive. It was The Right Subject.
It didn’t begin that way. The original panel consisted of five, middle-aged white men. Not the right people. We talked to leadership, HR and other parts of the organization and invited a six-person panel. Four employees and executives from various company departments, the Senior Vice President and the CEO. I was the moderator, and I wasn’t there to just dispense questions – I represented the audience. It was an honest, real and very courageous session where people owned their opinions and decisions. It was The Right People.
The company leadership team had identified a problem attracting and holding on to the best employees. Instead of looking for excuses, they focused on correction. They asked the employees themselves to explain the sources of the problem. The panel discussion was part of that initiative. The panelists explored the current situation, why it happened and what needed to happen to fix it. They didn’t reach any instant solutions or quick fixes – but they clarified the situation and how different people viewed it. This wasn’t damage control; it was intelligent leadership and fantastic event content. The discussion was held for The Right Reasons.
Make Panel Discussions More Engaging, Authentic & Honest
Combine the right people, subject and reasons and the audience will appreciate having executives and experts address the important topics. The panel discussions will become the highlights of the event and not a boring waste of time. Do them well and panels will out-draw any single speaker. They’ll be memorable. Talked about. Engaging, fun and even exciting.
You can’t ask for better content than that.
