If you have been working in your field for a long time, you represent a successful organization or you regularly attend professional events, you are very likely to be asked to speak at a conference one day. You can be invited directly as a keynote speaker, but more often you will be invited as an expert panelist.
Being one of the members of an expert panel looks easy. You sit on the stage with three or four other people from the same field and answer questions about your work for about an hour. Most people do not prepare for panel discussions very much, and that is a mistake. As a panelist, you have much less control over the content of what you say than if you were speaking alone.
So how should you prepare properly? Read the following summary of recommendations by Guy Kawasaki, successful venture investor and author of popular motivational books who often speaks at conferences. In one of his articles on the LinkedIn social network, he explained how you can be the person everyone comes up to talk to after a panel.
1. Clarify the topic of the panel
Do not accept invitations without knowing in advance what you are going to be talking about. It is better to refuse politely than to attend a panel and show you do not understand the issue being discussed.
2. Prepare your introduction
Do not assume the moderator will introduce you in the right way. Write a short biography of two or three sentences and then hand the text over to the moderator personally and ask him to read it exactly as you wrote it.
3. Speak up and be funny
If you want to be heard properly, keep your mouth no farther than one inch from the microphone. Regarding the content of your words and the format of your speech, remember that your main goal is not to inform, but to entertain.
4. Do not lie
This is important, especially when everyone knows the truth. Count on the fact that the moderator will ask you tricky questions. Take it as an opportunity to be funny, but not at the expense of the truth.
5. Do not limit your answers to the moderator's questions
Answer the moderator's questions as quickly as possible and then do not be afraid to say something you want to speak about. You can bring up an important topic yourself.
6. Be concise and understandable
Your goal is not to make the other panelists and the moderator understand. You should speak so that the audience understands. Try to present even complex issues in a simple, short and clear way.
7. Don't show you are bored
Even if what your colleague is talking about bores you, try to look as if you are interested. Avoid slouching in your chair and definitely do not play with your phone or something else. You are very likely to be caught by a photographer or a cameraman projecting the entire panel on the giant screen just at such a moment of boredom.
8. Do not look at the moderator
A good moderator will avoid looking in your eyes in order not to force you look in his eyes, but don't count on it. When you speak, speak to the audience. The audience doesn't want to only see half of your face or the back of your head.
9. Do not say you agree with your colleagues
The moderator will certainly ask you the same questions as the other panelists. However, even if you agree with their answers, you should always say something of your own. If you don't have anything else to add, you may tend to say that you agree with what was said, and then there will be an awkward silence. You should say, "I think the question has already been answered. Let's move to another topic."
-kk-