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June 1, 2006
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.
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Excellent advice, Paul. I wish we had had you on more panels at mesh :-)
Excellent! One more I would add: Actually care about the subject matter at hand. I don't know how many panel discussions I have sat through where there wasn't a person around the table that wouldn't have rather been cleaning lint out of their navel. I understand the ego thing of wanting to serve if you've been asked. But if you don't have something interesting (or God forbid, provocative) to say, by all means stay home!
Amen. I would add - tell quick jokes, especially impomptu ones. I was on a panel recently and a panel member reacting to a call phone in the audience said "when I was at Motorola that used to be music to my ears" and I chimed in "except that was a Nokia ring tone". He gave me a dirty look (actually he had done well himself - and he set me up!) but got knows how many people walked up to me and said they loved it...
on the other hand my nightmare panel which I moderated was with 5 Big 5 partners. None of them would disagree with each other and it was all about this mehodology, that methodology...in spite of fact I had pre-arranged a meeting for all before panel to break the ice ...snore...