Powerful Panels Blog

August 13, 2015

Why The Republican Presidential Primary Wasn’t a Debate

It rankles me when something is advertised as one thing, and then it turns out to be something else. When a bank says, “free checking” only […]
August 9, 2015

Republican Presidential Primary Debate: How Did the Moderators Do?

Moderating a nationally televised debate is never easy.  Just ask Fox News anchors Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace, the moderators of Thursday’s first Republican Presidential […]
August 4, 2015

Try a “Lightning Round” to Increase Energy in Your Panel Discussions

Here’s another way to kick off the panel, finish it up, or interject some energy into the room – especially when you have a “boatload” of […]
July 29, 2015

Spice Up Your Next Panel Discussion with the Newlywed Game!

I’m always on the look-out for unique ways to spice up a panel discussion – and most of them seemed to be based on TV games […]
July 16, 2015

9 Reasons Why Comic-Con Panels Are So Popular

San Diego Comic-Con, the world’s largest conference celebrating the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture, just ended. Although I can’t prove it, I believe […]
July 9, 2015

How to Score Great Panelists for Your Next Panel Discussion

I was talking with a meeting organizer the other day who was grousing about the usual suspects.  You know… the folks who are ALWAYS called upon […]
June 24, 2015

How and When to Manage Audience Q&A

Questions from the audience can enrich a panel discussion or derail it, so decide ahead of time when and how you will manage questions. You can:
June 17, 2015

Are You Creating “Wizard of Oz” Moments in Your Panel?

Audiences have a love/hate relationship with panels.
June 10, 2015

How Much Research Should the Panel Moderator Do?

How much research should a moderator do in preparation for a panel discussion? For some, not a lot is required because they are a seasoned moderator […]
June 3, 2015

How Ironic: No Women on Comic Con’s Panel on Women in Comics

I see it all the time: A panel that lacks visual diversity.  It’s a bunch of middle-aged white men as panelists and no women or minorities.  In […]
May 27, 2015

Why Stephanopoulos Should Not Moderate 2016 Election Coverage

A recent Rasmussen poll found that 46 percent of Americans want ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos banned from all 2016 campaign coverage following the revelation last week […]
May 27, 2015
DEEP Panelists

How to Find “D.E.E.P.” Panelists

When putting together a powerful panel, round up a handful of interesting people with different experiences and perspectives.  In other words, look for DEEP panelists:
May 20, 2015

Challenging the Statement “Panels Don’t Add Value”

“Oh, we don’t use panels at our conferences,” says the meeting organizer for a well-known conference.
May 15, 2015

Avoid this A/V Perfect Storm at Your Next Panel Discussion

I was facilitating a roundtable discussion at an un-named conference recently and watched an A/V perfect storm – a confluence of events that, individually would have been no […]
May 7, 2015

Asking Your Panelists the Tough Questions: What Makes a Question Powerful?

These are tough questions to ask a high-profile political figure:
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