How to shine during your next panel appearance
Bringing expertise is important, but it’s not everything. Here’s how to prepare for a memorable stint as a revered, yet personable, source of information.
If you’ve been asked to sit on a panel at an industry forum or some other professional event, congratulations!
The mere invitation is testament to your expertise and others’ confidence in your ability to share it. You’re doing something right already.
Don’t be fooled, though, into thinking that expertise alone will carry you through. Many a panelist has bored an audience into oblivion with information overload. Often they’re so focused on providing technically correct answers that an hour later, no one remembers a word they’ve said.
Others have the crowd listening, laughing and hanging on every anecdote. Afterward audience members line up like teenagers at a rock concert to ask questions and keep the conversation going. Best of all, the panelist’s performance casts a favorable glow over his or her organization and own career.
If you want to elevate your panel appearance to rock star status, take some time to prepare. Here are a few tips to get you ready:
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