Have you ever said, “No, I don’t want to facilitate or moderate a panel discussion?” Professional Panel Moderator Kristin Arnold asked this question of Joe Calloway, Business Keynote Speaker, panel moderator, and member of the US Speaker Hall of Fame.
Video Transcript
Kristin: Have you ever said “No, I don’t want to facilitate or moderate that panel”?
Joe: I haven’t said no yet, and I say “yet” simply because somebody might…. I don’t know what the circumstances would be, but listen, the older I get, the longer I’m in this business, the more I say no to something that I could do but it’s really not what I, as you said, in my wheelhouse. You know, I could kind of make it work or fake it or something. Well, wait a minute. Let me take that back, Kristin. There are times when, say, a board of directors has been working on a challenging issue and they say, “We’d like you to facilitate that session.” And I say, “No, you need someone that is an actual skilled facilitator.” I can facilitate a panel, but if you’re talking about a group- and this is different than a panel- but it’s a pure facilitation where, you know, there could be some tough issues being addressed, and that’s a whole different skill set that I don’t have.
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Kristin Arnold, professional panel moderator, and high stakes meeting facilitator is on a crusade to make all panel discussions informative, interactive, and interesting. Specifically, she wants to help YOU become a better panel moderator. Why? Because 95% of annual meetings have panel discussions – and according to the 2014 Panel Report, it’s a fifty-fifty proposition they are any good at all! Expectations decrease dramatically when your attendees walk in and see the traditional draped head-table with microphones on short stands. There are sooooo many other ways to have a stimulating conversation! So let’s increase the probability of success for your next panel discussion with these resources.
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