Make Sure You’re Remembered as a Great Panellist

Ten actionable differentiators from a seasoned panellist, moderator and chair

By Bee Wilson?

When you are invited to take part in a panel, it’s a chance to build your profile, share your knowledge and expertise and nurture new relationships. You have an interested audience, waiting to hear your insights.??

You’ll see if you look around, that often the most successful among us are great storytellers and engaging speakers. This doesn’t have to be something that everyone is born with, in fact, some of the most well-regarded TED talks, for example, were practised for months to get the beat just right. We do, however, recommend a little preparation beforehand to make sure you do your best for you and your audience.??

Our founder, Dr Lucy Green is a seasoned speaker and will be chairing one of the theatres at Channel Live in March.? We asked her what she has learned over the past 20 years of hosting and participating in panels and this is our take on what she said.???

Demonstrate clear value:??

Great events give the audience a lot to think about so you want to make sure that your data is as helpful and memorable as possible. You know why your insight is relevant, but don’t assume your audience does. Think of the likely global driving factors for your audience's attendance:??

• ?They want to increase revenues.??
• They want to cut costs.??
• They want to increase efficiency.??
• They are looking for partners and suppliers.??
• They want to make more sales.?

Why is your contribution valuable? What can they/should they do to make the most of it? Why should they remember you??????

Make friends and influence people:??

If you are a great charismatic speaker with opposing views to everyone else and should really have been a barrister in a different life, throw the other panellists a bone and save it for keynotes. You can have an opposing view, of course, but think of the panel as a pub lunch conversation, rather than a solo sport. You don’t ‘win’ a panel. You should leave with plans to catch up with the people you’ve chatted with and the other panel members thinking you are a stellar person to be on stage with. Also, feel free to ask a panellist’s opinion on your insights and nod away when you agree.???

Identify your takeaways:??

If your audience only remembers one thing you said, what should it be? If you can make it a memorable one-liner or a Twitter-friendly soundbite more’s the better.? At Larato, one of our taglines is ‘data not dogma’. Memorable and tweetable.??

Broadcast your involvement:??

Let your audience, LinkedIn followers and team members know that you are taking part and why. Don’t forget that audience members and other panellists will likely connect with you on the day so check LinkedIn if you aren't a regular user and share your insights again on your chosen social platform after the event.??

Catch the news:??

We’re all in a rush to get to the event but make sure you read the news at some point before the panel.? If you are there, for example, to talk about security and you aren't aware of the latest ransomware attack then you may get caught off-guard. It’s also great to back up your points with a timely piece of information.??

Hang around:???

Stay around after the panel if you can, say hello, answer questions, and hear audience views. You’ll be surprised by what you learn and gain from the decision to head towards the audience as you come off the stage.???

Support your moderator:??

Arrive early so that your moderator knows that the microphone and any other audio-visual equipment being used in the session are working properly. Ask your moderator where they would like you to sit and how you should offer to respond to a point made by another panellist or your audience. Normally, it’s just raising your hand.???

Do your prep work:??

Check with the organisers: do they have a particular perspective they would like from you? If you have the opportunity to meet the other panel members before the event, get their take on the subject. If you can't do that, a quick look on LinkedIn should tell you what they likely have to say on the day. This way, you can make sure your comments complement or are relevant to what they might deliver.??

Fess up:??

If you don’t know the answer, confidently say so. Ask people to check in with you on LinkedIn or later at the event because you think it’s a really interesting question and you want to ensure that what you have to say is the most accurate and up-to-date answer you can give. You aren't human Google. You don’t need to know all the facts immediately.??

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Lastly - Relax and have fun??

?If you haven't yet registered to attend Channel Live the UK's number one ICT conference, exhibition and networking event, you can register here.