Episodes

  • Start Your Panel Strong: 19 Creative Ways to Welcome with Impact
    Jul 8 2025

    A well-designed welcome is more than polite intros. It’s a strategic opportunity to spark curiosity, build rapport, and signal that this panel will be different.

    Here are 19 effective ways to start strong, each one rooted in practices from top panel moderators.

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    5 mins
  • Start Smart: 10 Key Decisions to Build a Powerful Panel
    Jul 7 2025

    The biggest mistake panel organizers make? Jumping straight into logistics without a clear foundation. Every effective panel discussion begins with thoughtful, intentional choices—the kind that make everything else easier (and more impactful).

    These “initial decisions” form your panel’s backbone and should be locked in before a single email gets sent or an invite goes out.

    Here are the 10 essential decisions every meeting planner AND panel moderator should make upfront.

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    5 mins
  • Panel Discussion Segment Starters: Launch into Each Panel Phase
    Jun 6 2025

    Segment Starters aren't just gimmicks. When used with purpose and finesse, they act as meaningful catalysts for connection, surprise, and depth. They allow your panel to breathe, reset, and build momentum across its duration. Consider integrating 2–4 of these into your next panel agenda and watch how much more energized, engaged, and excited your audience becomes.

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    6 mins
  • 6 Essential Planning Documents for a Panel Discussion
    Jun 5 2025

    These planning documents aren’t just paperwork—they’re your backstage blueprint to success. Use them strategically, and you’ll transform a good panel into a great one that your audience will talk about long after the session ends.

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    11 mins
  • 8 Ways to Add Visual Variety to Your Panel Discussions
    May 19 2025

    Even the most riveting panel discussion can become monotonous if it’s just talking heads. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to spice things up visually—without turning your panel into a sideshow. Based on ideas from my book 123 to Add Pizazz to Your Panel Discussion, here are eight creative and effective ways to keep your visual learners engaged.

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    7 mins
  • The Five Levels of Panel Moderators
    May 7 2025

    Whether you stumbled into panel moderating by accident or are now getting paid to guide conversations on big stages, one thing’s for sure: moderation is a skill that evolves. It’s part art, part science, and part stagecraft.

    Here’s a deeper look at how you grow as a moderator — and what it takes to climb to the top.

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    8 mins
  • Plan for the Worst to Deliver Your Best: The Power of a Panel Discussion Pre-Mortem
    May 7 2025

    The concept of a “pre-mortem” was popularized by Gary Klein in a 2007 Harvard Business Review article. The idea? Instead of conducting a post-mortem after everything goes sideways, you get ahead of it — and intentionally plan for what could go wrong before it ever does.

    And it’s brilliant for panels.

    How to Run a Pre-Mortem for Your Panel

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    6 mins
  • How Meeting Pros Can Convince Leadership to Invest in Better Panels
    May 2 2025

    When it comes to allocating budget and resources, panel training often gets overlooked. “It’s just a panel,” they say. But you and I both know it’s never just a panel. It’s a performance. It’s a conversation. It’s brand experience, leadership visibility, industry relevance, and audience engagement all wrapped up in 45–60 minutes.

    So how do you convince leadership or your client to invest in making panels better?

    Here are a few persuasive talking points to get your decision-makers on board.

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    7 mins