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What Is A Panel Discussion?

These days, there are a number of different ways in which we can discuss and ponder over questions and queries. Quite often if a question is relatively straight forward and there is only one correct answer then one person will be able to provide you with the answer. However, if the question is a little bit more complex and there could well be numerous different answers or opinions of what the answer could be then you may need a panel discussion. A panel discussion is when a group of people are brought together to discuss one or more subjects that will generally have completely different viewpoints on what the answer is. The idea is to glean as many different sides of the same question as possible by getting four or five people together on the panel that have completely different ideas. Normally this will be set out with a crowd or a number of spectators in front of them that will be asking the various questions and then each member of the panel will be given the opportunity to offer their point of view on the question. It is an extremely effective method of finding out various answers and viewpoints on the same question. You will quite often see this method used on the television when political affairs or news items are being discussed, it can be rather entertaining to hear the various arguments that panel members have to offer. Panel discussion for example, if an issue is too complex for one person to handle, a panel may be covered so a group of specialists can speak. Or perhaps the audience need to introduced or exposed to various people or viewpoints at the same session. Panel discussions, however, differ from team presentations. Their purpose is different. In a team presentation, the group presents agreed-upon views; in a panel discussion, the purpose is to present different views. Also in a team presentations, usually speakers stand as they speak; in panel discussions, usually speakers sit the whole time. In panel discussion each speaker prepares separately, the other speakers here one another for the time at the session itself.

Technically, a panel discussion consists of questions and answers only, and a symposium consists of a series of prepared speeches, followed by questions and answers. The compare must monitor time and manage questions. If each participant is making a speech for a set period of time, he should signal the speakers at the one minute to go mark and at the stop mark. If a speakers goes more than one or two minute he can stop them to gave the equal rights to each speakers. The compare must be a biased person; he is neither in nor against the topic. At the end the compare should summarize the discussion and thank the panel members. A panel discussion is where a group of members get together and discuss about a given topic so that al the members put out their opinions, therefore many ideas are discussed and then a conclusion can be taken. http://www.blurtit.com/q562672.html Panel Discussion A panel consists of a small group of six or eight persons, who carry on a guided and informal discussion before an audience as if the panel were meeting alone. The proceedings of the panel should be the same as those described for informal discussion: volunteering of facts, asking questions, stating opinions-all expressed with geniality, with respect for the contributions of other members, without speech making, and without making invidious personal references. This primary function should occupy approximately two-thirds of the allotted time-say forty minutes of an hours meeting. The secondary function of the panel is to answer questions from the audience. This discussion method is suitable for use when a relatively large audience is anticipated. The disadvantage of the method is that it confines most of the discussion to the panel itself. The audience listens and is given a chance to ask questions, but for the most part is passive and receptive. Panel discussions, if well conducted, are usually more interesting to the audience than is the singlespeaker forum. They provide sufficiently varied clash of opinion and presentation of facts to give even the

quiet members of the audience a feeling of vicarious participation. Quality and tasks of leadership in panel discussion are similar to those described for informal discussion. The leader must in addition take special care to select panel members who can think and speak effectively. He must also be sure that they prepare themselves to discuss the subject. During the discussion by the panel the leader has substantially the same duties as in informal discussion except that he should keep himself more in the background as chairman of the panel. He can do so because each member of the panel is in reality an assistant to the leader and is responsible for specific contributions to the proceedings. When the subject is thrown open to the house, it is the leaders job to recognize appropriate questions and to reject those not bearing on the subject or involving personalities. Some questions he may answer himself, but usually he should repeat the question and call upon one of the panel to answer it. By preliminary announcement the leader may also tell the audience that they may direct questions at particular members of the panel if they choose. In any case, during the question period the leader needs to maintain strict control. On many occasions this may be the toughest part of his assignment to carry off efficiently and with good humor. While it is customary to confine audience questions to a specific period, some leaders permit questions from the floor at any time. Unless very carefully limited by the leader, this practice may interfere with effective discussion by the panel. Arranging the panel properly will lend effectiveness to this form of discussion. The members should face the audience. One possible arrangement is illustrated on page 22. It is important that each panel member adjust his chair so that he can see every other member without effort the chairman will also find that the best places for his readiest speakers are at the extreme ends of the table. He should keep the more reticent members close to, him so that he can readily draw them out with direct questions. If the quieter ones sit on the fringes of the panel, the more voluble members are quite likely to monopolize the discussion.

http://www.historians.org/Projects/GIroundtable/Disc ussion/Discussion4_2.htm A panel is a group of experts or people who have some special knowledge of the chosen topic. They exchange views on the topic, usually in front of an audience who may have a chance to ask questions at some point. Most panels have a chair or other leader. A good example of TV panel discussion format is the BBC's Question Time (Thursday evenings.) http://www.blurtit.com/q891167.html What Is Seminar, And How Is It Different From Panel Discussion? Seminar is a kind of academic instruction in a university or at a commercial or professional organization. It brings together small groups for recurring meetings, and at a seminar the focus is given to a particular subject. This is the major difference between a panel discussion and seminar because in a panel discussion, more than one issue can be discussed. In a seminar the participants can participate at the end of the seminar and presenters are the speakers but in panel discussion, all of the panel members actively participate. http://www.blurtit.com/q636222.html What is the role of the panelist in a panel discussion? Their role is to give their opinions or opinions of the people they represent. http://www.blurtit.com/q9731835.html The Panel Discussion Study By: Kenneth O. Gangel The panel is another approach to discussion teaching. Differing from general discussion, question and answer, and buzz groups, the panel is almost always used with a large group, and generally utilizes panel members who have either differing points of view on the subject or special training and experience which equip them to speak authoritatively about the matter. Properly planned, the panel is a small discussion group performing its discussion before an audience with the objective of giving that audience a better understanding of the matter at issue.

Usually there are no prepared speeches and, in the best panels, interaction between the panel members will make up at least half of the time allotted to the panels presentation. During that interaction there may be agreement, disagreement, qualification of points, and defense of various positions. Although the immediate goal is to gain information from a group of experts, if time allows the audience should be encouraged to interact with the panel members. In this way the panel itself becomes more than just a purveyor of information and acts also as a catalyst to get the group to thinking about the issues. In a one-hour class period you would probably have to allot 10 minutes for introduction of the subject and panel members and 30 minutes for the presentation and discussion by the panel. The remaining 20 minutes can be given to audience reaction. Most of the time a panel discussion is a carefully programmed event built around the expertise of the panel members. Sometimes, however, it is effective to use an impromptu panel. In this situation panelists chosen from the class speak off the cuff on the subject presented to them. This type of panel can draw out certain opinions and ideas on the subject under consideration rather than offering authoritative information. In any kind of panel the room should be properly arranged so that the panel participants can look at one another while they interact and yet can easily be seen and heard by all members of the audience. Three or four panelists is probably an ideal number. Any more than five would tend to make interaction an elusive goal. Several variations to the planned panel lend flexibility to its use. Here are three different approaches: 1. The Guided Panel. The moderator addresses previously prepared questions to the panel. Obviously this is a very structured approach, but it may be desirable when the panel members do not know each other or if their points of view are so diverse as to cause open hostility if free interaction were allowed. 2. The Expanding Panel. In this arrangement a preliminary and explanatory discussion of a topic is given by a restricted panel. Then the entire group forms a circle to continue the discussion. In this open discussion time, questions may be addressed to the

panel, but discussion might take place also among the group members with panel members serving primarily as resources. 3. The Reaction Panel. In this setting the first thing on the program is a speech, a film, or some other presentation of a point of view. Preselected panel members then offer a critique of the presentation either by speaking briefly to the issue, interacting with the speaker, or both. Sometimes it is helpful if the panel members have the manuscript of the speech in advance or have had opportunity to preview the film. This. way their carefully prepared reactions will give birth to some audience thinking which might not have occurred without airing of the issues by the panel. Reaction panels of newsmen often discuss presidential speeches, for example. A reaction panel can become an expanding panel if time allows. These classifications are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but rather represent an attempt to clarify different approaches to the use of the panel for education. Values of Panel Discussions A good panel discussion can focus attention of the class on what certain experts have to say about the subject at hand. It is considerably more personal then reading books about the subject and contains that important educational ingredientinterest. If the topic is well selected, it is relevant, problematic, controversial, and therefore attracts attention immediately. Wise selection of the panel members will offer the audience more than one viewpoint and thereby heighten interest. Because of the multiplicity of input, the panel discussion offers a breadth and depth of information which usually exceeds research presented by one speaker. The class can realize that well-informed people may hold different points of view and yet maintain respect for one another. The freedom and informality of the panel discussion removes the pressure of having to prepare a structured speech. Panel members literally think aloud in front of the class and collectively move toward a solving of the problem placed before them. The input of the panel at the beginning of the period gives the audience some foundational information

upon which their discussion can proceed. Without the panel, or at least some kind of formal presentation of material, the discussion might degenerate into a pooling of ignorance. With the presence of the panel, however, the discussion period becomes a forum for new ideas and experiences in the lives of the group. Problems in the Panel Method Perhaps the biggest weakness in the use of panel discussions is securing competent panelists who will do the job well. Even if a man is an expert in his field, when placed on a panel he may have the tendency to monopolize the time, ramble from the subject, or ride his hobbyhorse. He might ignore the audience and speak in technical jargon to the other panel members or even lose his cool in the interaction time, displaying antagonism toward those who disagree with him. Unless he knows his panel members well, the teacher takes some risks in setting up a panel discussion. Another problem is that panel members may not always do justice to a particular point of view. What happens then is that the class tends to think that position A is better than position B simply because A was defended more competently. They will invariably gravitate toward the effective presentation rather than the position that makes the most sense logically or biblically. Closely connected with this problem is the possibility of disorganization in the panel. Since ideas and viewpoints are flowing informally, the information often lacks logical sequence and arguments are hard to follow. Sometimes students find it more difficult to listen to a panel than to an individual speaker because of this collage of ideas thrown at them in a short period of time. Principles for the Effective Use of Panels Obviously the values of panel discussion as a teaching technique are going to be dependent upon several critical factors. If those factors are not handled positively, the difficulties of the panel may outweigh the benefits. This of course does not have to be the case. The following items are crucial in making the system work. If they can be controlled

and positively utilized, the panel discussion will be a very useful teaching method. The moderator must be a highly qualified and competent individual. Without doubt the moderator is more strategic in the effective use of the panel discussion than the panel members themselves. He sets the stage with the initial remarks and keeps the discussion on target during the interaction time. He has the difficult responsibility of calling time on the panel members if a brief period of presentation is afforded each of them. During the open discussion time, he clarifies questions given by the audience and may also find it necessary to explain answers offered in return by the panel members. If necessary, he may have to break up verbal conflicts before they actually get underway. He prods panel members for reactions to something which another has said, structures questions to keep the flow of information moving, and summarizes the conclusions at the end. All of this is a very difficult task and can mean the success or failure of the panel experience. The subject for discussion should be of importance to the group and worded in the form of a specific question. It is futile, for example, to get a group of experts together for 30 minutes to discuss sex education. One might talk about sex education in the school, another in the home, still another may pull out some biblical aspects of sex. The end result would be a hodgepodge of nothingness because no specific direction was indicated for the panel. The question should rather construct something like this: Should formal sex education be taught here at First Church? Even then it will be necessary to define words such as formal and sex education. The more specific the question, the closer the panel will get toward the goal of problem-solving on the issue. Try to load the panel with different points of view. It will be of no value to the group if every panel member says the same thing, and the time is spent watching them pat each other on their ideological backs. One of the major purposes of a panel is to air different positions. For this reason, it is necessary to bring together persons of similar competence so that those positions will have fair and equal hearings.

Always allow time for a summary of the discussion. The summary might take place at two points: immediately after the panel finishes, to pull together ideas which they have presented; and at the end of the expanded session, to crystalize any conclusions which have emerged from the total experience. Remember that the panel has a much wider use than in the Sunday School class itself. A Sunday evening service, for example, could be very profitably scheduled around a panel of three or four guests who discuss such issues as Is there a biblical position on abortion? What is the distinctive role of the church in the 1970s? How can our congregation reach this community for Christ? A creative Christian leader will use the panel discussion whenever basic information is needed to expose and discuss varying points of view on a contemporary issue. http://bible.org/seriespage/panel-discussion 12 Guidelines for Great Panel Discussions Advice for Event Organizers and Moderators Some panels crackle with energy, elicit fresh ideas, and bring the audience into the discussion. Others plod along, and by the fifteen-minute mark the audience is checking Blackberries and thumbing through the program. I've had the chance to moderate dozens of panel discussions, at places as diverse as the Harvard Business School, the South by Southwest Film Festival, Las Vegas' humongous Consumer Electronics Show, and a convention of agricultural marketers in St. Louis. I've also planned conferences, assembled panels, and recruited other moderators. This article is a compilation of some of the things I've learned. While it's of course important for every panel to have a tight focus or value proposition (what is the audience going to get out of it?), and for the moderator to have a sense of how to structure his questions and juggle the different points of view, I'm going to leave those issues for another day. Instead, I want to talk about how a panel's success can hinge upon some subtle, under-appreciated factors -- all of which need to be considered well before the day of the event arrives. Some of the factors may seem insignificant, but I've found that each one has a big

impact on how much your audience will get out of your panel. 1. Length and panel size. The ideal length for a panel discussion is 45 minutes to one hour. The ideal number of participants is 4-5, plus moderator. I tend to book five guests for many panels, on the assumption that one of them sometimes drop outs at the last minute, leaving me with four. Panels with six people can work, but once you get to seven, everyone on the panel starts to get anxious about getting enough airtime. In cases where some of your panelists plan to show slides (more on that later), you may need to extend a panel to 90 minutes, but my rule is that there should be no more than one 90-minute session per day at a seminar or conference - that's a long time to ask the audience to sit and pay attention. And ninety-minute sessions are best scheduled for the morning, rather than the end of the day. 2. Choosing a moderator. Every panel needs a strong moderator, and the role of the moderator is very different from the role of a panelist. I don't recommend having one of your panelists try to fill both roles. It's like trying to conduct an orchestra while playing a solo. The best moderator is someone who has moderated panels in the past, understands the subject matter, knows a bit about the panelists, and realizes that she is there to guide the conversation - not to impress the audience with her brilliance. The moderator is there to make the speakers look good and make sure that they connect with the audience. Moderators also need an innate sense of pacing (how long each panelist should talk, and how long she should dedicate to each topic before moving on) and a smooth approach to weaving in questions from the audience. There is a very delicate balance between a moderator who talks too much and one who doesn't talk enough. The moderator who talks too much typically believes that she should contribute as much to the panel as the panelists, and is as much of an expert as they are, and wants to convey that to the audience. The moderator who doesn't talk enough lets the inmates run the asylum: some panelists will go on long jags,

discoursing on topics that are not related to the panel at all. Journalists, analysts, industry "gurus," and consultants can all make good moderators, since they're accustomed to asking probing questions. (I tend to think that people without something to sell to your audience work best as moderators, which sometimes excludes consultants and industry gurus, who may be inclined to shill for their services.) Be clear with your moderator that you are entrusting her to run the show, but that you'd like her to spend a fixed amount of time (usually no more than five minutes) introducing the speakers and teeing up the discussion before bringing in the perspectives of the panelists. It's also a good idea to let your moderator know that she has the authority to politely cut off or redirect speakers if they stray. But an experienced moderator will already know that. I often tell moderators that they are "all-powerful" but I expect them to know that that doesn't mean they're the star of the panel. I often tell speakers that the moderator will "guide the conversation," so that they know what to expect, and aren't surprised if the moderator reins them in or redirects them. 3. Panelist guidelines and advance preparation. I think it's a good idea to communicate with panelists at least twice before the event -- and yes, it is possible to over-communicate, annoying your panelists and causing them to pay less attention to the materials you send them. Once a panelist has signed on, I send a confirmation via e-mail thanking them for agreeing to be part of the event. Contained in this e-mail are the date/time/location of the event; anything the speakers need to do in advance of the event (such as send in a short bio for your program book or reserve a hotel room or indicate their meal preferences); and a mention that they'll be hearing more from you or the moderator about the specifics of their session in advance of the event. The second communication, which can come from the event organizer or the moderator, should again list the date, time, and place. It's a good idea to send this at least two weeks before the event itself. The focus of this communication is to let the panelists

know who'll be moderating, and get into more detail about the topics/themes of the session, and what you hope to achieve. Explain how the session will proceed, and what each panelist should be prepared to do. (Often, I find myself saying, "Don't bring a prepared speech or a PowerPoint presentation, just your anecdotes, recent experiences, and data points about this topic.") The moderator may want to include some sample questions. You might also want to send the panelists a copy of the full agenda (or point them to it online), and the bios of their fellow panelists. Another good idea is to send them a cell phone number for the person who'll be coordinating event, in case a panelist is having trouble finding (or getting to) the venue on the day of their panel. Finally, it never hurts to call the panelists and the moderator the week before an event to make sure they've received all your materials and check if they have any questions. I don't tend to organize conference calls among panelists before panel discussions, as I've found this can be more trouble than it is worth. Scheduling is difficult, and if even one panelist misses the call, someone needs to fill him in on what happened. I think it's sufficient to get the panelists together in the hallway fifteen minutes before a session, or have them sit together at breakfast or lunch. Spontaneity is preferable to having all of your panelists preface their statements by saying, "As we discussed on the conference call..." But once your panelists are on-site, make sure they get connected to their fellow panelists and the moderator as quickly as possible. A CEO once told me that he'd been on a live TV show where the only instruction he got beforehand was this: "No dead air." I think that's a good instruction to give panelists, too. I also usually tell them that I'm not necessarily going to go straight down the line and have each of them answer every question. Instead, I ask them to jump in whenever they have something to say. I also frequently mention that it's not a bad idea to accentuate conflicts and differences of opinion (not in an aggressive way, of course), rather than highlighting areas where the panelists agree ("I agree

with what the other four panelists said.") That makes for an action-packed and enlightening panel. 4. Slides. Since a panel discussion is usually part of a larger agenda that includes plenty of slide presentations by keynote speakers and others, I usually ask panelists not to bring slides to show as part of the panel. Audience members will enjoy hearing the panelists' perspectives sans slides, and seeing the interaction between the panelists. No one has ever left a conference or seminar saying, "I just wish there was more PowerPoint." That said, there are some topics that can benefit from slides. When slides are involved, I try to avoid having all of the panelists bring slides. It's not unfair to ask one or two panelists to bring a short slide presentation if you make sure that other panelists who haven't brought slides will get an equivalent amount of airtime. If that's what you choose to do, or if you allow all of your panelists to bring slides, you should give them a limit: ask them to bring the three or five slides that they absolutely must show to get their argument across. (If you give them a time limit instead of a firm number of slides, some people will imagine they can somehow squeeze twenty slides into five minutes.) You should avoid having your speakers connect and disconnect their own laptops to the projector during the session; either an audio-visual person should do this, or you should have all of the slides on a single laptop and someone designated (again, not a panelist) to switch from one presentation to the next. Even better than slides is asking speakers to bring objects for "show-and-tell"; this only works in some circumstances - for instance when your panelists represent manufacturing companies, or they're doctors implanting a new kind of medical device, or they're designers. If a panelist brings a couple of cell phones that his firm helped to design, the audience can pass them around while he's talking. 5. Setting the stage. The worst kind of set-up for a panel discussion, unfortunately, is the one you encounter most often in hotel ballrooms and convention centers. There is a

long table on a raised stage, usually draped with a red tablecloth, with chairs behind it. The moderator stands at a podium apart from the speakers. There is a gap of about twenty feet between the stage and the first row of seats. It's much better not to hide your panelists behind a table. The audience will appreciate seeing them better: body language is a very subtle thing, and it's often part of panel discussions, especially when people joke with one another or disagree about something. Give your panelists tall stools, or regular chairs, to sit on. (If you have a few side tables that can go between some of the chairs, or a low coffee table that can go in front of them, those can be handy for placing pitchers of water or notes that your speakers may carry onstage with them.) The chairs should be arranged in a slight semi-circle, since putting them in a straight line makes it hard for panelists to see one another. This is important: remove any extra chairs that may have been left onstage from previous panels. Otherwise, there will be vast oceans of space between your panelists, and the audience will wonder who didn't show up. The moderator should sit with the panelists so that he or she can guide the conversation, not at a podium; I usually like to sit in the middle. Your objective should be to get the first row of seats as close to the stage as possible, and to encourage people to sit in them. This raises the energy level in the room. It makes your speakers feel more accountable to the audience, and it helps your audience feel like they're part of the conversation. If you have some freebies or prizes that you can give away, the moderator or conference host shouldn't hesitate to use them to bribe people to move from the back to the front row, just as you're beginning the session. Make sure that when your entire audience is seated and the panelists are in their chairs, the audience will be able to see the panelists. Otherwise, their attention will quickly drift. Sometimes this entails bringing in a riser/stage, or using the aforementioned stools or tall chairs. 6. Everyone needs a microphone. It can be a clip-on lavalier mic, or a handheld, or a

mic perched on an adjustable stand, but forcing everyone to share a single mic means that there will be long stretches of dead air as your panelists hand the mic back and forth. This slows down the pace of the discussion, and often it prevents panelists who have something to say from jumping in, because someone else will hijack the mic while it is traveling down the line. A second-best option to having mics for everyone is to have mics for half of your panelists - but one microphone dedicated to the moderator, who needs to control the flow of the discussion. Panelists can then share a mic with their immediate neighbor, reducing the amount of mic-passing that has to take place. 7. Lighting. Lighting is an easy thing to overlook, but too often panel discussions take place in the shadows of a fluorescent-lit room. If you can get supplemental lighting, focus it on the stage - the audience wants to see panelists' facial expressions, and good lighting will guide their attention to the stage, rather than to their Blackberries or the copy of USA Today that arrived on their hotel room doorstep. If you can't get supplemental lighting at your venue, at least make sure that your stage and your panelists are positioned in the brightest part of the room. 8. Identifying your panelists. You want to help your audience understand which speaker is which - even if an audience member missed the beginning of the session, when each speaker was introduced. There are a number of different ways to help your audience understand who's onstage, and who's speaking. I think the best scenario is to have a list of their names and titles in your printed conference agenda, and ask them to sit in that order from left to right on the stage. (You can facilitate this by placing a piece of paper with each speaker's name on the chairs before the session. Again, you probably will want to put the moderator in the middle.) Instead of (or in addition to) that, you may want to list your speakers on a slide that's projected on the screen throughout the session. At some point, the event's host or the moderator - or both - should let the

audience know that panelists will sit from left to right as they're listed in the agenda or on the slide. I'm not a fan of putting the speakers' names on folded name tents, since these are usually hard to read from the back of the room. But if you have a coffee table onstage, you could certainly place name tents on the front of that, or on the front edge of the stage. Having each panelist's bio printed as part of the conference agenda or program is also wise. That will free up your moderator to simply give a one- or twosentence introduction to each panelist, rather than reading their complete bio to the audience. With four or five panelists, the recitation of the bios can get tedious, and it cuts into the time you have for the actual discussion. 9. Question and answer period. For an hour-long panel discussion, you should allocate at least fifteen minutes at the end for questions. Twenty or thirty minutes is better, if you think the audience will have lots of questions and if the panel is more educational in nature. I can't emphasize enough how important a Q&A period is; without one (or with an abbreviated one), it sends the message that the audience is there to be passive listeners, rather than active participants. The moderator might also choose to let the audience know that he or she will take questions throughout the panel discussion, if audience members raise their hands. The key with doing that is not to allow an offtopic or obscure question to derail the panel and bore the other audience members. If you get a superdetailed question that seems like it is only of interest to the questioner, the moderator can easily ask one panelists to address it, and then move on. During the main question-and-answer period, the moderator should try to avoid calling on the same person twice until everyone has gotten a chance to ask a question. In the event that there are no questions immediately, it's good for the moderator to either have someone in the audience (perhaps one of the organizers) primed to ask a question, or for the moderator to have an extra question or two in reserve. Not everyone on the panel needs to weigh in on every question; my goal as a moderator is usually to try to

get as many audience questions into the Q&A period as possible. 10. Watching the clock. It's the moderator's job to make sure no panelist drags on for too long, and that there's plenty of time for questions at the end. To help the moderator and panelists, you may want to have a digital countdown clock that all of the speakers can see positioned at the edge of the stage. But the lower-tech approach is to have a person in the back of the room holding up signs (with BIG LETTERS) that say "10 Minutes," "5 Minutes," and "1 Minute." Introduce your moderator to this timekeeper before the session starts, so that he or she will know whom to look for. A good timekeeper will wave the signs like a checkered flag at a NASCAR race until the moderator sees them; a good moderator will nod at the timekeeper to let him or her know that the moderator has gotten the message. Why is time-keeping important? You may have a panelist who has booked a flight or made an appointment assuming that her panel will be done at 1 p.m., and there's nothing worse than someone leaving the stage before the panel is over. (I've seen it happen.) 11. Thank your panelists. You really can't thank your panelists and your moderator enough for helping out with your event. Some people give them a small gift at the event, or send a nice handwritten note afterwards, or both. If you got positive feedback from your audience about the panel - either on feedback forms or just informally after the session - you should also convey that in your note. 12. The panel ain't over when it's over. Many audience members will want a chance to chat informally with the panelists and moderator. Ask your speakers in advance to stick around at the event for at least 15 or 20 minutes after their session, so that attendees will have a chance to buttonhole them in the hallway after their session. Even better is to encourage them to stay for lunch, dinner, the cocktail hour - or whatever else you've got planned.

http://www.scottkirsner.com/panels.htm Facilitating Panel Discussions By Diane DiResta A client recently called to say she was going to facilitate a panel for the next business meeting. She had never done so before and asked if I could coach her. After the session, she realized that there are some basic skills needed when facilitating a panel of speaker. To create a seamless and smooth panel discussion here are some tips every facilitator must know: Meet the panelists in advance: The meeting can be a phone call. Get a sense of their styles and message points. Decide how long each person will speak and in what order. Have them send an introductory paragraph. Consider logistics: Contact the meeting planner and visit the room. Discuss room set-up, lighting, refreshments, microphones and AV equipment. Decide whether the panelists will sit or stand during their presentations. Arrive one hour early: Check the room, test the microphones. Check seating visibility. Be ready to greet the panelists with a smile. You're the host. Make them feel welcome. Prepare a short bio:. Give your bio to the person who will introduce you as the facilitator. Keep it brief-no more than a paragraph. Make your opening remarks: A statement about the topic and the benefits for the audience will prepare the audience to listen. "We expect to have a lively discussion tonight about the state of the economy. Our three speakers have differing view about where to put your money.... Our first speaker...." Set the ground rules: Let the audience know what to expect. "There will be a 30 minute question and answer period after the presentations. Please hold your questions until the end." Introduce the speakers: It works best to introduce the first panelist. After the presentation, introduce the next panelist. If you read all the introductions at once, people will forget the information. Practice saying their names and write them out phonetically if the names are difficult.

Act as time keeper: Sit in front of the panelists and give them a 5 minute time signal. You can write the number 5 on an index card or you can hold up 5 fingers. If the panelist is running over, give the speaker a wrap up signal. Or interject, "You have 30 seconds to summarize." Facilitate questions: It's your job to keep order. Thank the panelists, applaud with the audience and open up the floor for questions. Explain the process. "Please stand, say your first name, and be brief." If somebody is rambling on, jump in and paraphrase or ask them "What is your question?" If nobody asks a question, the facilitator can ask the first question. So have one ready. Or choose somebody in advance to ask the first question. At the five minute mark, let the group know that you'll have time for a couple of more questions. Then announce, "Last question." Summarize and acknowledge: "That was an interesting discussion. You've given us a new way to look at our investments. Please help me thank our panelists. (Applause) Copyright Diane DiResta 2005. All rights reserved. http://ezinearticles.com/?Facilitating-PanelDiscussions&id=25332 The panel discussion is a 1/2 hour session that takes place at the end of the sit-down lunch at Pathways. There are typically four or five panelists (2 from academe, 3 from industry) and a moderator. During lunch, the students discuss career-related topics with the scientists/engineers at their tables. Then they write questions for the panel on slips of paper available at their tables. The moderator poses these questions to the panel.

It is important to keep this portion of the panel session brief so you can pose many student questions to the panel. About 10 min. before the panel is due to start, the questions the students have written down will be brought to you. Sort through them and decide how to pose them to the panel. Often they divide naturally among a few topics and you read several similar ones aloud before asking panelists to respond. Each panelist need not answer every question -- scanning the panelists' bios in advance will help you direct the questions. There will probably be time for about 5-6 topics to be addressed.

A few days before the event, think about how you might briefly answer the following questions: how did you chose your career ? what did you study to prepare ? what do you actually do at work on a typical day ? how much does someone in your field earn ? have you ever felt discriminated against (e.g. due to gender, race, ethnicity...) and how did you respond ? do you have a life outside your work ? a family ? hobbies ? what advice would you give someone wanting to enter your field ? At the event, speak clearly and into the microphone. Feel free to show emotion and enthusiasm -- it helps the student connect with you when you're way up on that platform.

have some who are in a long-term relationship or have kids (the family/career balancing act is often asked about). Also, try to find women who represent different fields and/or disciplines. Aim for people who haven't been on the Pathways panel before (in the `highlights' section of the web site), since students sometimes come to Pathways more than once. But people who have been speakers or led tours or given demos before are fair game! 3. As each panelist signs up, get her to fill out the standard Pathways participant registration sheet and to provide a brief bio that you can send to the moderator. Share the "tips for panelists'' with her (those above or your own version). 4. A week before the event, check that the panelists and moderator: have received directions to the GSU have parking passes (if needed), know what time they are expected to arrive, understand the format of the panel session. 5. On the day of the event, be on hand to greet the panelists when they arrive and help them get settled for lunch. Seats will be reserved for them at tables near the platform so they will be served early relatively early. 6. Towards the end of lunch, collect the students' question slips and help the moderator sort them. 7. After the event, work with Cynthia and Liz to draft thank you letters to panelists http://www.bu.edu/lernet/pathways/organizers/panel. html

You can start the session by either saying a few words about each panelist or asking to say a couple sentences about herself. Subjects the students like to hear about from each panelist: how a panelist chose her career/ what she studied what a panelist does on a typical day at work

1. Find a panel moderator. It can be one of you, or another woman scientist/engineer. Please have the moderator fill out the standard Pathways participant registration form (available on the web site or from Cynthia). Share the "tips for moderators'' with her (those above or your own version). 2. Invite four - five panelists. It's preferable to have two from academe and three from industry, and to

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