"How to Chair or Moderate a Convention Panel"

by Rich Staats

Copyrighted by Rich Staats 1996

     One day you're wading through a swarm of orcs, defending the homeland, and 
life seems oh so jolly. A few years later you find yourself sitting in front of 
a room of them on a panel populated with ogres!  Worse yet, you're in charge!  
What do you do?

     The worse thing to do is nothing at all.  While the well run panel makes 
the moderator's work nearly transparent to the audience, a poorly run panel has 
the potential to be both offensive and a waste of time to panelists and audience
members.  It is the moderator's responsibility to ensure the panel is a positive
and informative experience for all concerned.

     This article offers a bit of practical advice to the would be panel chair 
or convention moderator.  This is not the only way to moderate a panel, but it 
is a tested and successful method.  The advice is broken into four segments: 
preparation, 
arrival at the panel location, what to do during actual conduct of the panel, 
and follow-up actions.

     Preparation prior to the convention is the most important part of being a 
successful moderator.  Do your research!  Find out what the panel's intended 
topic is and how that fits into the overall schema of the convention.  Ascertain
who the other panelists are, their backgrounds and any quirks which could impact
on the panel (e.g. two of them hate each other).  Get a feel for the dress code 
of the convention; so, you can pack accordingly.  (As a moderator, you want
to dress comfortably, but on the up scale end of the dress code range.)  
Determine what type of audio-visual aids you will have access to and prepare 
appropriate props.  Research your topic and prepare a few notes with some 
interesting questions, likely to spark discussion.  If possible, make your
travel arrangements to allow for a good night's rest prior to your panel.  Bring
along some "just in case" items such as: wide tips markers, a few name tag sized
pieces of cardstock, some masking tape, extra pens and pencils, some throat 
lozenges, a reliable timer or watch, and some Kleenex.  If it is possible to see
the site of the panel at least 24 hours in advance, do so.  Ensure all 
equipment you need is available and in good condition.  Always prepare some type
of "take away" item (e.g. handout) for your audience if practical.

     Plan on arriving at the site of the panel at least twenty minutes prior to 
your session.  If there are no provided name tags, make your own for the 
panelists.  Make sure there is something for you and the other panelists to 
drink and glasses; your throats will tend to get dry.  Make sure any 
audio-visual equipment is operational, and you need to personally either
understand how it works or ensure that there is a technician on hand to run the 
equipment.  Greet your fellow panelists as they enter.  Ensure the panel members
are in location when the panel is supposed to start.  All these preparations 
will help the panel to go smoothly when it begins.

     Establish your position as the moderator immediately and firmly, but not 
obnoxiously.  Introduce each of your guests and allow them to make opening 
remarks.  The opening remarks should not take more than one-third to one-half of
the time for the panel; leave the rest open for question and answer.  The 
opening remarks should be uninterrupted if possible.  Do your own opening 
comments last; this will allow you to keep an eye on the timing and do a smooth
transition into the question and answer portion.  Ask the audience to address 
specific questions to specific panelists, and the remainder of the panel will 
jump in after the initial response.  Speaking of jumping in, try to ensure 
panelists allow each other to finish before butting in.  Compliment the audience
on its questions and find something positive to say about each panelist's
remarks (if appropriate).  Steer discussion to the topic at hand when it strays 
too far.  Unless you are a professional comedian, IGNORE hecklers.  If it gets 
physical, call security!  NEVER put down an audience member or another panelist.
 However, if a panelist gets "out of control," don't be afraid to cut him or her
off and phrase a question for another panelist.  Likewise, don't allow one 
audience member to dominate the discussion; it is a panel, not a dialogue.  Keep
track of the questions.  If things slow down, use one of your prepared questions
to keep the discussion lively.

     Allow ten minutes or so at the end for closing remarks.  Each of the 
panelists should be allowed to present their statements without interruption.  
Thank each of the panelists and lead the audience in a round of applause at the 
end.

     Make sure the room is in some type of order before you depart and address 
any requests the audience members may have for additional information (e.g. 
copies of hand outs or papers).  Send thank you notes to panelists if you 
personally invited them.