Professional panel moderator, Kristin Arnold asked a question of Diane Hamilton, nationally syndicated radio host, master interviewer, Speaker, and Author about how to extract great information from panelists during a panel discussion at meetings, conferences, and events.
Video Transcript
Kristin: Diane, what are some methods of extracting really good information from your panelists?
Diane: You got to wait for them to answer. A lot of times it’s very tempting to jump in and not let them answer the question. Sometimes if you just stop and let it be a dead silence for a minute, they’ll have to finish their thought and they’ll go deeper than what they were going to say. Then if you just jump into the next question too fast. And I find that a lot of people, it’s really tempting to want to go to the next thing. So I tend to be writing notes. If you could watch me, my eyes are down here as I’m doing this, because sometimes they’ll say something.
Oh, and I’ll write down “emotional intelligence” and when I asked them about that or I’ll, you know, I’ll write down something, um, as I’m listening and I think if you follow up on something that they’ve said and not just jump into your next question that you had in mind and you keep really good notes while they’re there talking, you can go much more deep into topics and get better answers.
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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.
And, you can always go back to the playlist for more Powerful Panel Discussion Tips!
