Make Sure Your Panel Discussion Includes Some DISCUSSION

When running a panel discussion, it's usually a good idea to have some DISCUSSION. If you are a moderator, you need to constantly be looking for ways to keep the audience interested. Try to listen to your speakers with the ears of an uninitiated audience member: What context does the audience need? What about the topic is most interesting to the audience?

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Call-outs

Instead of thinking of your adult audience members in your presentation as “students”, you should think of them as “participants”. Instead of thinking of yourself as a “teacher”, think of yourself as a “facilitator”. Your job is to draw out your participants' expertise and interest by establishing an environment that invites their ideas, opinions, and experiences.

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Keeping On Point

A speaker begins a presentation. He doesn't do a great job on the introduction, so you don't get his name, but whutevs. This meeting is supposed to be about new timekeeping rules, right? Now, there's a slide of a dog on the screen. Now he's telling some story about his grandfather in the Army. What was the topic? What are we doing here? 

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