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Demonstration Panel Format to Discuss Best Practices
October 20, 2021
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November 17, 2021
promote yourself during a panel discussion

Wondering how the heck you can subtly promote yourself during a panel discussion?  You donโ€™t want to be too pushy or too salesy BUT there is a reason you said โ€œyesโ€ to the request.  Perhaps you are looking for more visibility, awareness of a new product/service, or organization (whatever โ€œitโ€ is!).

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Regardless of the reason you want to shamelessly promote yourself or your company, DONโ€™T do it!  Thereโ€™s a fine line between mentioning that your book was just released and hawking the darn thing โ€“ picking it up and lovingly petting it like your long-lost puppy. Mentioning that they can buy it at any online or local bookseller.  Telling them they would be idiots if they didnโ€™t come up to talk to you about the book etc.  

There are other ways to get the point across without you having to shamelessly promote โ€œit.โ€

How to Appropriately Promote Yourself During a Panel Discussion

Enlist the Moderator.  The panel moderator isnโ€™t stupid.  She knows that there is an inherent reason you agreed to be on the panel โ€“ and it usually includes some kind of visibility or recognition.  So talk to the moderator about how she can effectively and appropriately promote โ€œitโ€ during the panel discussion:

  • The Introduction.  As the moderator introduces you, they casually mention โ€œit.โ€
  • Moderator-Curated Questions.  The moderator asks you a question that references โ€œitโ€ or begs a response that you can weave into your answer.  For example, the moderator can say, โ€œIn your latest book, you mentionedโ€ฆ โ€œ or โ€œAs an expert inโ€ฆโ€ or โ€œHow might we be able toโ€ฆโ€
  • Closing.  At the end of the panel, the moderator can thank you and suggest the audience go to a website, email or meet with you for more information.

Other Panelists can reference โ€œitโ€ during the panel discussion as well.  However, they canโ€™t do that if they donโ€™t know about โ€œit.โ€  So during the coordination call(s), meet up OR a specific call to a panelist that you think is appropriately poised to mention โ€œit,โ€ share your agenda and what you are specifically looking for.  I love it when a panelist shares the glow with another panelist.  โ€œYou mentioned that in your latest bookโ€ฆ.โ€  It actually makes everyone look super-smart and connected!

Visuals.  A less subtle way of promoting your stuff is a visible representation e.g. the use of your company logo on the backdrop or the product on the tabletop.

Prop.  Bring a physical representation of โ€œitโ€ and give it to the moderator to display.  (Beware of you picking it up and lovingly petting it like your long-lost puppyโ€ฆ

URL.  People need a quick way to find you, so create a short URL and/or QR code that can be quickly shared with the audience.

Audience.  The audience is not stupid.  They know who you are and what company you work for.  Provide great value and takeaways for the audience and then you and your company may bask in the afterglow.  If you rocked the house, people will come up to talk to you.

Donโ€™t Brag.  Rhett Kniep of Centurion 7 Business Advisors wisely suggests that โ€œYou must remember the audience is not there to hear about your business acumen. Panelists are often tempted to share their success in a public forum, but self-promotion is poison in that kind of setting. Instead, focus on what you have learned and express it in terms of general advice, versus ‘this is what I have done.’ Share knowledge, not braggadocio.”

In essence, serve the audience and let others brag about โ€œit!โ€

Related Articles:

How to Prepare to Be a Brilliant Panelist

How to Create GREAT Questions for Your Panelists to Answer during Your Panel Discussion

Top Ten Mistakes Panelists Make


For more information about how to moderate a lively & informative leadership panel discussion, check out our free 7-part video series on how to moderate a panel and other resources to help you organize, moderate, or be a panel member.

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Kristin ArnoldKristin Arnold
KRISTIN ARNOLD, MBA, CSP, CPF|Master has been facilitating meaningful conversations between executives and managers to make better decisions and achieve extraordinary results for 25+ years. She's a leading authority on moderating panel discussions and passionate about finding the perfect olive to complement a vodka martini.
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