Professional Panel Moderator Kristin Arnold asks Joe Calloway, Business Keynote Speaker, panel moderator, and member of the US Speaker Hall of Fame to share his preferences for standing or sitting when he is moderating a panel discussion at meetings, conferences, and conventions.
Video Transcript
Kristin: Joe, do you prefer to stand or sit when moderating your panel discussions?
Joe: Most of the time it’s them on stools and I’m standing, and I always work with the lectern or podium. I don’t stand behind it and do a presentation but I like having it there. I like having there for notes, I like having it there to rest an elbow on. Like I’m facing the three panelists, the lectern is here and I lean against it a little bit.
I feel more comfortable and somehow a little more on top of things when I’m standing rather than sitting. Now, occasionally, I mean, the production of the event will be so precisely thought out that they’ve already said, “No, no, no. There’s not going to be a lectern. You will be sitting on a stool. That’s the way we want our stage.” And that’s fine. That’s okay.
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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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