What are the best practices for moderating a panel discussion?

It's important in moderating to understand you are the guide not the feature, I have experienced panels go sideways and waste time with the moderator making the panel about themselves and not utilizing their voice to cut through the fluff and draw out great nuggets, stories, and insights for the audience. As a moderator you are the guide for the panelists and the audience, the intermediary to ensure that both parties are heard and receive information and ideally sparking inspiration from both parties.

Moderators play a key role in panels: they are there to set the tone and keep the conversation lively and engaging between the panelists. It's refreshing to see moderators who know details about the overall event so they can tie that in to their questions to panelists.

In addition to knowing your purpose, it's helpful to put yourself in the audience's shoes. What is it they need to know, think, do, see, or feel that they can't get anywhere else (aka Google, ChatGPT, or YouTube)? They will lean into a spontaneous, unscripted, engaging conversation with talented experts and practitioners, full of actionable takeaways.

It’s also important to follow-up with your panelists to answer any questions prior to the meeting/event . If the panel discussion is virtual, it’s imperative to have them sign a release if you plan to record the meeting/event and use it later or prior to sharing publicly.

It's important not to over prepare your audience or all the golden nuggets will get used during prep instead of the session. I do like the panelists to know each other a little bit but I keep prep convos away from the panel topic so it stays fresh and engaging.

I like to ask the panelists for the top three messages/takeaways they think the audience should walk away with. I then seed these nuggets into the format of the program so they come out organically in the conversation (it doesn't have to be a ping-pong match with the moderator asking all the questions! )

My favorite method is to get all the panelists together in a meeting (or, one on one if scheduling doesn't allow a full meeting). Ask them what THEY want to talk about, and then write the questions that will launch each of them into their zone of genius.

I like to draft my own responses to each question so that I'm knowledgeable about the topic. I am careful NOT to use my responses (when you're a moderator, you're NOT a panelist) but having drafted my thoughts prior helps me focus and listen to help generate "ah-ha" moments for the audience.

I add timestamps to critical questions. This allows me at a glance to ID when I need to move on or when I have some time to expand on current topic (or ask a follow-up question).

Regarding dynamics: prep your panelists before the event about disagreements. YOU WANT THEM TO DISAGREE! If all panelists share only one opinion, why have a panel? Find a few topics beforehand where there are differing opinions, encourage your panelists to prepare to express those topics with clarity and courtesy. This will create a much more interesting discussion.

Consider a lightning round at the close to ask panelists to each answer the same question in 30 seconds or less - their best advice for the audience, predictions, what they'd like to see change in the future, etc.

It's also helpful for YOU to debrief your own performance. This won't be the last time you moderate a panel...so note what went well and what you would have done differently. WRITE IT DOWN so you don't lose your wisdom (we think we remember, but we don't!)

Last nights UCL Inclusion Awards were, as always, a highlight of my year. So much good news from individuals and teams across UCL all working to make this a fabulous place to work or study.

Always always listen. Too many times we see moderators get caught up in remembering their questions and thus just skipping on to the next one. If you truly listen to your panellists responses, your connection will be much deeper and thus the conversation will also.

Always pay attention to the audience and interact with them as well. For example by noticing someone nodding their head and asking this one person to motivate their nodding and/or ask the whole room who agrees on this statement from a panelist/audience member.

As the moderator you should let the panelists answer the question or topic and not talk too much. You should also manage the flow giving each panelist a fair chance to speak.

Getting your panelists to have a conversation is tricky as they have seen sooooo many poor panels. Reinforce the fact that this is a panel discussion (not a panel presentation) and for the panelists to feel free to chime in and discuss like they were at a friend's house having a robust dinner table conversation. As the moderator, you are the host - and in charge of the format to keep it interesting, informative, and lively. The format is your "secret sauce" - it doesn't have to follow the traditional format!