12 VERY Easy Ways to Turn Off Your Audience During a Panel Discussion
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We’ve all been there. The panel moderator or a panelist says or does something that turns us off. Instead of leaning into the conversation, we lean out. Check our email. Respond to a text. Daydream. Anything to escape their audacity to be so rude.
Here’s my list of very easy ways to turn off your audience during a panel discussion:
- “So sorry! We’ve run out of time so we’ll just skip the audience Q&A.”
- “It’s like what we talked about during our prep call.”
- Panelists talk but don’t say anything of value.
- “Is the microphone on? Can you hear me?”
- “I’ll echo what she said…”
- Panelists talk about anything BUT the published topic.
- “I’d like to introduce our fifteen panelists.”
- “In addition, I have just one or two more things to say about that.”
- “There is an important study somewhere, I should have looked it up, that says…”
- Ignore the audience.
- “We’re running overtime, but we’ll be done in ten minutes.”
- “You need to buy my book/product/service NOW.”
I am sure there are others…any you would like to add to the list?
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For more information about how to moderate a lively & informative panel discussion, check out our free 7-part video series on how to moderate a panel and other resources to help you organize, moderate, or be a panel member.
Kristin Arnold
KRISTIN ARNOLD, MBA, CSP, CPAE-Speaker Hall of Fame, CPF | Master has been facilitating meaningful conversations between executives and managers to make better decisions and achieve extraordinary results for 30+ years. She's a leading authority on moderating panel discussions and passionate about finding the perfect olive to complement a vodka martini.
