Larry King’s Total Flub as Panel Moderator

I was kinda surprised when I stumbled up on Jared Lindzon’s blog about Larry King and a panel he moderated at the Blockchain Futurist Conference in Toronto.  I would have thought, “Hey!  Larry King is a seasoned interviewer and panel moderator.  This should be great!”  Instead, the headline screamed: “Larry King was On Stage at this Blockchain Conference and It Was Awkward.”

Ouch.  That IS awkward.  Larry King?  Are we talking about the same Larry King, American television and radio host, for fifteen years interviewed countless celebrities and business icons on Larry King Live, whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and 10 Cable ACE Awards?

Yep.  That would be the one.  Resting on his laurels, King “seemingly [knew] nothing about Blockchain.”  The list of rookie mistakes is beyond the pale. He reportedly:

• Was confused as to which chair he was supposed to sit on
• Didn’t know which microphone he was supposed to use
• Introduced a video clip that had been played moments before he walked on stage
• Regularly confused the names of all three prominent panelists
• Admitted to having little understanding of what he was there to discuss
• Read off of a prepared script (presumably because he didn’t understand the topic?)
• Asked relatively simplistic questions for an audience of Blockchain fanatics and technologists

WTF?  I just don’t get it.  How can such an icon show up so unprepared?

Lindzon speculates: “Though King fessed up to not knowing much about the technology he was discussing, his presence was clearly welcomed by the community he was there to support. After all, Blockchain is still something of an obscurity in the technology industry, and the endorsement of a celebrity—any celebrity—could be considered validation.”

Wish I could bumble my way through moderating a lively and informative panel discussion, but that’s not what I get paid to do.  Nor am I a celebrity where I can simply show up and the audience goes wild!

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Kristin Arnold, professional panel moderator, and high-stakes meeting facilitator, shares her best practices for interactive, interesting, and engaging panel presentations. For more resources like this, or to have Kristin moderate your next panel visit the Powerful Panels official website.

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