Moderating a conference panel - 12 tips

The other day a former colleague of mine messaged me over LinkedIn to share that she was asked to moderate a panel for the first time, and did I by any chance have any tips for her... I have certainly moderated more than my fair share of panels and facilitated keynote interviews over the past many years, but I have never been prompted to write down any tips or best practices. So here goes, with thanks to my friend JM... Note that the pointers below refer to panelists, but the same mutatis mutandis applies to keynote interviewees. Also note that these tips have proven to work for me and for the panels I moderated, but many roads lead to Rome and I don't profess in the slightest to be the oracle on this.

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare: research the panelists' background, research the topic, have a substantive preparatory call collectively or individually with all panelists well ahead of the conference;

2. Ask in the prep call about the key messages that your panelists wish to convey so you can assist them with his, give them a heads-up what questions you will be asking, in what order, and how you as moderator wish to organize the panel and the time available - you are in charge;

3. I tell them I may appear as a tough "journalistic" interviewer with a provocative tone trying to get to the bottom of things, but that my real job is to get the most interesting discussion going and make everyone look good;

4. I always tell my panelists to have fun "up there" and to relax and just have a good time - when they follow the advice, it shows;

5. Make sure all the panelists are present and accounted for, and miked up if needed, lined up and ready to walk onto stage the second the previous panel walks off. Get started right away, and start talking, even as your panelists are still finding their seats. That tactic prevents your audience from walking out for an email check, a coffee or a bathroom visit due to the break between panels.

6. Avoid having panelists spend time introducing themselves. You can spend your time better than that. Also, don't spend much time on introducing yourself - you're just the moderator. Rather, refer the audience to the conference documentation or website for biographies, and introduce people only very briefly, preferably by wrapping into your first question a brief reference to their relevant expertise or accomplishments. This also helps to establish their credibility to the audience;

7. Always ask open questions and go where you feel the energy is. I once moderated a panel on institutionalizing private equity firms with a panel of founders, and we all agreed half-way it would be okay to candidly discuss how to build and maintain a functional partnership. A touchy topic for sure, but that's where we went. The audience was mesmerized.

8. Create as much interaction, debate, even constructive disagreements amongst the panelists as you can - it captivates your audience - a bit of fireworks is good;

9. Nothing beats a bit of humor and levity from time to time; a funny anecdote or joke goes a long way.

10. Make sure everyone gets to talk in a more or less equal amount, but gently cut off tangents, ramblings and long stories;

11. Leave ample time for questions from the audience and facilitate this carefully (microphone; people should identify themselves by name, title and organization), be prepared to repeat questions from the audience so that everybody can hear, and cut off monologues by asking what the question is.

12. Start on time, and end on time (the conference organizers will be thankful). Don't forget to thank all panelists at the end, and if so requested, introduce the next panel and moderator for a smooth hand-off.

And with that, it's a wrap! Please post your comments with more tips, refinements or just your thoughts.

Robert W. van Zwieten is the CEO of The Serendra Group LLC and Private Capital Development LLC. He is the former President & CEO of EMPEA, the global industry association for emerging markets private capital.