Finding the Perfect Match: Selecting the Right Moderator for Your Maritime Event

Let's be brutally honest. An event moderator can make or break an event, even if there's a stellar speaker lineup.

For those of us who have attended many maritime industry conferences, be them online or in person, we know that the performance of the moderator is a major factor in the success of an event.

The moderator is the master of ceremonies, the person charged with keeping spirits up and knowledge exchange flowing. They are the timekeeper and the band's charismatic lead singer all rolled into one. Their energy, knowledge and ability to remain neutral greatly impact how a conference or webinar plays out.

In this blog, we look deeper into the role of the moderator to explore what attributes make for a stellar maritime industry moderator and how do we find them?

Firstly, let's explore what a moderator, in basic terms and in a non-maritime specific context, actually is.

Often, the person in charge of chairing conference proceedings is called a moderator. Previously, the term chairperson was used interdependently for a conference chair and a closed-door meeting chair. However, these days, the term 'moderator' is used more frequently to describe the person who chairs a conference. Maritime industry chair people are usually those who chair closed-door meetings, for example, regulatory meetings at the IMO.

Let's take a look at the primary functions of a moderator:

• To manage the progression of a conference agenda from start to finish.
• To facilitate the discussion and interaction between speakers and the audience.
• To introduce speakers, keep them on topic and time, and ask and moderate questions.
• To get people to coffee and lunch breaks on time.
• To ensure that content is appropriate and relevant for the conference.
• To advocate for the audience by ensuring a thought-out discussion.

So, that's the basics for a moderator in any industry or topic field. In other industries, professional moderators may be used. In the maritime industry, we tend to use our own feedstock of industry people where moderating isn't their professional day job, but they are good at it or happy to do it. This means we get a mix of really good moderation and some really not so good moderation, depending on who has been tasked with the job. It is very important to match the right conference with the right moderator! But more on that later…

?For now, imagine adding layers to that initial baseline checklist above. The next list below represents some specific moderation attributes that make for a perfectly moderated maritime conference. Let's call them marvellous maritime moderation layers.

Example marvellous maritime moderation layers:

• Extensive experience in the maritime industry.
• Experience/knowledge on the particular topics/knowledge fields of the conference.
• Ability to introduce speakers and panellists with brief biographies that they summarised (even when provided in the program), highlighting anything unusual or entertaining to lighten the atmosphere.?
• They offer their expertise but in a balanced way, without too much personal opinion.
• They make the expert speakers shine.
• They can formulate their own questions and navigate the topics of discussion during Q&A sessions.
• They can formulate introductions and summarise sessions, such as summarising panellists' remarks or an entire conference with expertise and eloquence.
• They only offer their own opinion if the correct opportunity arises (this is a very delicate balance to master).
• They are a known face brain in the industry for that particular industry area or topic. For example, if it's a maritime decarbonisation conference, a moderator who is well-known for the expertise in maritime decarbonisation.
• They are calm and can maintain their composure even if something changes while on stage. For example, if a presentation doesn't load or, a speaker drops out at the last minute, or the room is silent when they go out for questions. You don't want nervous or chaotic energy radiating from your moderator.

Let us know any that we missed in the comments below!?

While these are the positive attributes that, when layering on top of each other, make for a fantastic moderation experience, many negative aspects can erode away at the conference moderator magic. We explore these below (read at your own peril if you are a conference moderator!)

• ?Aspects that may cause damage to marvellous maritime moderation:
• The moderator loves the sound of their own voice a bit too much.
• The moderator imposes their own opinion too much.
• The moderator doesn’t show expertise or knowledge of the subject matter.
• The moderator doesn’t keep the conference on time. Delegates end up with shortened coffee and lunch breaks (reduced networking opportunities = unhappy delegates!)
• The moderator is not engaging. For example, they have low energy and use a monotone voice when speaking. (we don’t want a Madonna-style performance, but engaging presentation styles are a must!)

Again, let us know of any that we missed!

There are some instances where these marvellous maritime moderation lists can be thrown out the window. This is when you get the rare, professionally trained moderators who can be thrown into any conference and perform like the best moderator for the job despite not being from the industry. An excellent example is the use of sporting heroes for awards ceremonies or BBC journalists for major industry conferences. The example here springs to mind is when Emily Maitlis, broadcaster, journalist, and presenter of the BBC’s Newsnight, moderated the 2017 LISW Conference. She was brilliant, and she had done her research, which showed.

As a final checklist from us, or moderator bingo as we like to call it, on what you can do as a maritime marketing and/or communications professional to find excellent moderators:

• Match the right moderator with the right conference!! This is so important.
• Research your potential moderators, their specialist topics, and other event producers who have used them and what they thought of their performance.
• Seek professional help to find a good moderator. At Wake Media, our clients rely on us to find the best moderators for their conferences and seminars, and we love doing it. Win win!
• Look around on LinkedIn at recent events or posts about recent events and look at who the moderator was – get their contact info and add them to your Rolodex (if anyone still uses them).
• When you attend an event, play marvellous maritime moderator bingo, and if a moderator ticks all of the positive boxes and leaves you feeling impressed, approach them and take their business card – add them to your Rolodex (or digital contacts book).
• Choose your moderator as soon as possible in the conference planning process. Discussions with your potential moderators usually start relatively early, and the really good ones can help you/advise on your agenda development.

When you decide on a moderator to use, here are our top tips for getting the best performance from them on the day of your conference:

• Prepare them, introduce them to the conference agenda and the speaker line up as early as possible. Provide them with speaker bios, presentation topics, and slide decks.
• Brief them on the intended outcomes of the conference. What do you want people to walk away thinking/feeling? Tell your moderator, and they will guide the delegates in that direction.
• Tell them the hot topics that should be encouraged and the not so hot topics that should be available (if that applies to your conference). For example, if you want your moderator to steer discussions away from going down the regulatory rabbit hole or being too politically charged or too much marketing-speak.
• Prepare a running order so they can write their own script and key topics/questions to address, without scripting everything.? Nothing is worse than someone reading from a moderation script they didn’t write themselves. Let them use their expertise/moderation skills to write their own script. Or let them freestyle with no script if they prefer that. If there are key information points for them to get across, put them on a document and send it to them, or brief them during the networking breaks.
• Help them navigate the pronunciation of names, particularly if you have been liaising with speakers – nothing embarrasses a conference moderator like an incorrect pronunciation!
• Get AV support (where possible) so that your moderator doesn’t have to spend time loading presentations on the stage or webinar platform. This allows your moderator to focus on the task at hand – moderating.
• If you want to be nice to your moderator, pay for a time-keeping device – the best ones are the countdown clocks on the floor or on the wall that speakers can see when presenting.

And our final tip, the tip that should sit atop all of these checklists, is – keep your delegates in mind. Most people attending conferences are busy people with a strong interest in the subject matter. They may have paid thousands of pounds, travelled far to attend the event, and lost valuable work time. When they leave, they want to be engaged and feel full to the brim with new knowledge or perspectives. They want to participate in a good Q&A session. Almost all will appreciate a certain amount of charisma and engagement from the moderator, at least enough to keep them awake during long sessions of power points and panel discussions. They deserve a brilliant moderator. Often, it’s the difference between a good and a brilliant conference.

if you’re in need of a great moderator, contact us we can help!

?Finally, try printing these lists out when you attend your next conference to play moderator bingo – it’s really fun!