Professional Panel Moderator Kristin Arnold asks Mark Sanborn, Leadership Keynote Speaker, panel moderator, and member of the US Speaker Hall of Fame to share his ideas on how to handle a panelist who is dominating the conversation during a panel discussion at a meeting, conference or convention.
Video Transcript
Kristin: Mark, what do you do when you’ve got somebody who’s just dominating the conversation?
Mark: You use civility, and let’s say that person’s name is Mark – I’ll use my own name – I would simply say, “You know what Mark? Great point. I want to hear what Kristin and Joe have to say about that.” And so it makes it incumbent on me to shift that attention over to another panelist, rather than the other panelist to get aggravated or irritated and try to wrestle control away from the dominant panelist.
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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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