Professional Panel Moderator Kristin Arnold asks Glenn Thayer, Master of Ceremonies and conference moderator to share his perspective on meeting with the panelists prior to the panel discussion at meetings, conferences, and conventions.
Video Transcript
Kristin: Glenn, do you meet with the panelists prior to the panel discussion?
Glenn: Oh you know what, I think it depends. Most of the time I find that people that I have on the panels are usually at a level that they are not able to; I can’t get them onsite before the conversation so typically we’re having these conversations in the green room backstage before we bring everybody on.
If I get them for rehearsal, then I spend fifteen, twenty minutes with them in rehearsal saying here is how it’s going to go. We walk through how the introductions are going to go, we play their videos, if there’s AV. If there’s any presentations we need to do, we are really doing the walk-through there. So if I can get that, awesome. There’s a lot of times it doesn’t happen.
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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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