Professional Panel Moderator Kristin Arnold asks Glenn Thayer, Master of Ceremonies and conference moderator to share his favorite way to introduce the panelists at a panel discussion at meetings, conferences, and conventions.
Video Transcript
Kristin: Glenn, how do you like to introduce the panelists?
Glenn: Well, that’s usually the biggest thing. You’re going to have the right panelists up there. The majority of the audience should know who they are, whether they are industry experts, or whether they’re celebrities. It doesn’t really matter what you have. The people should know them, the audience should know who they are and what the merits are, and why they’re on the panel.
Now I like to introduce them personally. I find that’s a great thing to just go down the line. Let’s say if I got three panelists, I’ll be here, it’s like, “Today, I’m with Dr. John Bender from Marymount Family Medicine and over here, I’ve got Bill Smith, he’s the Chief Medical Officer for Anthem Blue Cross, here we have…” You know you can go down the laundry list of who’s there. Then we can kick it off, and then we can talk about the subject.
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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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