How to Moderate a Panel Like a Pro (And Keep the Audience Engaged!)
Let's be honest: panel talks can be so boring.
I say that as someone who makes a living moderating them and has spent hours in the audience watching them, I know all too well how quickly and easily you can lose people's attention.
It's a real shame.
Event planners often put so much time, money and energy into programming panels with excellent speakers and experts, and the moderator will be a bit of an after-thought.
When in fact it's the most important part. Because I don't care how amazing your panelists are; if you have a poor moderator, you're not guaranteed an impactful conversation that leaves audiences going 'wow'. A professional moderator is the best ROI for your event - it's really what makes people (and sponsors) come back.
So, having moderated over 100 panels on everything from generative AI to hormonal health, in-person, virtual, hybrid, here's everything I know about how to moderate a panel like a pro - and keep the audience engaged! Let's dive in:
1. Do Your Research, But Make it Interesting
You're going to see a theme here.
Anyone can read a Wikipedia page. What makes the difference between a professional and an amateur panel moderator is being able to distill information about a panelist in a way that's interesting to the audience and bring contextual clues from their background into the topic. What I look for when I'm researching a panelist is insights from their personal story, their background, their lived experience, that would make an audience connect with them on a deeper level and bring humanity, warmth and humour to the panel.
So I don't just research panelists by reading their websites and bios, I watch interviews they've done on YouTube, listen to podcasts they've been on and read books / articles they've written. I really do my homework (that's what I'm paid for at the end of the day) and I distil some of the most interesting things from their work and career to weave throughout the panel, whether that's introductions, in the questions or teasing out a good story I know is out there.
Go beyond the surface-level research of a panelist - focus less on their achievements, and more on their personal story that's driving their work, purpose and beliefs.
2. Go Beyond Standard Introductions
How you start a panel sets the tone for the whole thing.
I never, ever, start a panel by just reading out the bios of the speakers. For the most part, I don't ask panelists to introduce themselves as it always takes too much time, but once I've introduced them (usually a personalised bio that has a bit of colour and flair to it!), I do an icebreaker opener.
I like to surprise and delight with a panel. So usually I'll ask a question to start the panel with a warm introduction, here's some questions I've used in the past:
"Tell me the last time you were speechless"
"Tell me one new skill you're currently learning"
"What's one thing people don't expect about you?"
I've interviewed celebrities, CEOs, Nobel prize winners and New York Times bestselling authors and I always start a panel by inviting them to get a bit vulnerable with the audience. The quicker a panel is disarmed by warm questions, the quicker you will build intimacy between the speakers and the audience.
3. Stop Asking Questions Down the Line
About 20 minutes into a panel, the audience starts to get bored.
I've seen it so often when I sit in the audience. They start getting restless, itching to pick up their phones and scroll TikTok. One of the ways that I avoid this happening is keeping things lively and unexpected.
I never ask questions going 'down the line' and following the same format. It gets boring real quick - and the last person to answer inevitably says 'I agree with everything that's been said' because it's all been covered already. Instead, I constantly vary the order - I keep the panelist and the audience on their toes, by reversing the order that questions are asked in, directly different questions to different panelists and generally not following a traditional panel format.
You'd be amazed what a difference it makes if you don't follow the same format for the whole 40 minutes, and it allows each panelists to get ample airtime without being the one stuck on the end.
4. Give Your Panelists a Proper Briefing
This bit is crucial.
I always ask to do a prep call with panelists, mainly to build rapport with them. But something I encourage on that prep call is for the panelists to ask each other questions during the panel - I really like things to feel organic and natural in a panel.
In a normal conversation, you wouldn't have one person asking all the questions, so this format on stage can be a bit contrived. I love it when panelists ask other panelists questions and the whole thing feels free-flowing and conversational. Also, you've got a bunch of experts on stage together - they are going to have some pretty darn good insights to inform questions themselves.
Don't feel you have to stick to a script or set questions! It's so much more engaging when you have the confidence to go off-book and allow the conversations to go in interesting, unexpected places.
I've moderated panels where I've barely looked at my pre-planned questions - those are the best conversations!
5. Go Out with a Bang (and Focus on Audience Engagement!)
How you end a panel really matters.
Lots of panels just sort of.... fizzle out.
I like to end strong. It's important that throughout the panel you remind people there will be an opportunity for questions, otherwise it can be awkward when you end and nobody raises their hand. Keep reminding them throughout.
In fact, I like to keep engaging with the audience the whole time. Just because you're on stage doesn't mean their should be an invisible wall between you and the audience. I like to interact with the audience the whole time - ask them to raise hands, ask for interaction, play games - it doesn't have to be static during a panel.
But, anyway, back to the ending. End strong! A question I like to end on is:
"What's one actionable tip our audience can go away and do right now?"
Something that's a call-to-action for the audience leaves the panel on an inspiring, motivational note. I also like to invite the speakers to share their details if people want to follow them on social media and connect with their work more deeply, it's a nice clean wrap-up that moderators often forget to do.
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I hope these tips have been useful! If you're looking for a professional panel moderator in New York for roundtables, panels, conferences, webinars and fireside conversations, I'm your girl! I've moderated over 100 discussion and would love to bring my skills to your next event.
Email: angelica@angelicamalin.com
Refer Me and Earn: https://www.angelicamalin.com/refer-me
Website: angelicamalin.com
