Professional Panel Moderator Kristin Arnold asks Pam Fox Rollin, Executive coach and frequent Silicon Valley panel moderator on what a panelist should do when asked a poor closing question during a panel discussion at meetings, conferences and conventions.
Video Transcript
Kristin: Pam, what should a panelist do if they are asked a very poor closing question?
Pam: There are no points for completeness. This is not an AP exam with a rubric. I turn it into what I want to say, and it’s like basic media training. Right?
And you get asked a question and you have full choice about how you want to respond to it and I think it’s lovely, especially in the context of a panel to show respect to the moderator who posed the question.
And it not be, you know, they asked about what should you do, and you say the smartest thing that’s happened in the industry over the last 18 months is this right. You want to tie it to what the person said but beyond that, they have complete choice about what to say. I would just remember generosity, audience first, what is it you want them feeling, thinking, doing as they walk out of the room.
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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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