#BestPanelEver. It was, literally, one of the best virtual/hybrid panels I’ve seen all year. And I wasn’t the only one who was thinking that – the chatbox blew up with all the accolades:
It was the last day of the National Speakers Association Winter Conference. 9amET/6amPT (who picked those hours? OMG, I felt so sorry for my West Coast peeps!). And what was on the program? An hour-long panel. The topic? “Concepts to Cash: How to Implement Your Best Ideas Immediately!”
Initially, the Chair of the NSA board, Barry Banther was supposed to moderate the panel of four illustrious members of the association. However, during the prep call, EmCees Jon Petz and Pam Leinmiller quickly ascertained that Barry, the font of much knowledge on the topic would best be served as a panelist. So a fourth panelist was born and Pam and Jon became the moderators!
And then the creative juices started to flow…
Starting with the objective, they wanted to share different aspects of the speaking business – the pros and cons – and to provide meaningful, meaty takeaways for the audience. And yet, they were going to serve two different audiences (in-person and virtual) AND one of the panelists was going to be remote! They quickly realized, the traditional panel format wasn’t going to work.
Jon said, “Why don’t we create three sets in the corners of the room, so we can all see each other, and have the remote panelist on the large screen in the front of the room, so the panelists can all see each other with the in-person audience in the middle of this dynamic. We can create this energy vibe and call it a ‘Battle!’ where the panelists, in a playful way, go at each other.”
Pam, who is a huge sports fan, added “Why don’t we have some football flags or cards for penalities for talking too long, getting off topic, not getting to the cash! I’ll get a whistle, some cards and a referee shirt!”
Next came the format: They agreed to have initial introductory remarks, giving each panelist 30 seconds.
They identified several controversial questions to ask the panelists and covered the logistics.
They all met up again the day before the presentation and reviewed the process, emphasizing the need to bring the game on! So when the panel started, Pam described the setup with the panelists so the virtual audience could understand how the room was set. And then Jon noticed that Barry had put a sign up behind him saying “Roll-Tide!” – which is a reference to Alabama football. Panelist Mike Staver quipped, “Barry should just write the check to the ref like they do in Alabama.” Oh my! This is NOT going to be your traditional panel!
The moderators clarified the process and ground rules (opening statements, closing statements, audience participation/questions from live and virtual audience):
It was a pretty straightforward process, but the conversation was anything BUT straightforward! It was quick, full of ideas, fun, and entertaining.
A few days later, I asked Pam and Jon, “What made this panel so extraordinary?” They responded:
Pam noted, “It was really fun for the live audience to watch Jon run around…they could see the activity and wondering what the heck he was doing! They could also look on the big screen and see what the virtual audience was seeing too!”
I’m sure there are other reasons why this panel was so amazing (if you were there and have ideas, feel free to write in the comments below), but as a virtual participant, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, took lots of notes, and attribute much of this success to the mindset that was created in the planning of the panel discussion. Well done, my friends!
For more resources on moderating panel discussions, visit the Knowledge Vault. To have Kristin moderate your next panel, visit the Powerful Panels official website.
Related Articles:
How to Moderate a Virtual Panel Discussion
How to Create GREAT Questions for Your Panelists to Answer during Your Panel Discussion
Panel Discussion Tip #185 with Jeffrey Hayzlett: Finishing Panel Discussions