by Claire Doole | Apr 1, 2024 | Blog, Moderating
One of the key roles of a conference moderator is making sure that everything goes smoothly. Whatever happens, the show must go on, and the only person who can ensure this is the moderator who has the microphone.
Nothing as dramatic has happened to me as the famous incident back in the 1980’s when BBC newsreader Sue Lawley carried on reading the news when activists stormed the studio – one handcuffing herself to a camera and the other crouching below the newsreader’s desk!
However, here are a few conference shockers that I had to deal with and ensure the show went on…
The rollercoaster of technical chaos: At one event, we were eagerly awaiting the keynote speaker’s wisdom, only to be met with the dreaded “failed to connect” message not once, not twice, but three times on day one. The organisers refused to ask her to pre-record her remarks for day two and, predictably, day two didn’t fare any better! Again, we twice tried to connect, but our speaker remained elusive, leaving us hanging without a single word of her anticipated keynote.
But wait, there’s more! As we attempted to patch in speakers from every corner of the globe, it seemed like the universe conspired against us. Five consecutive no-shows! It was like a virtual game of hide-and-seek, and we were losing spectacularly.
Thankfully, amidst the chaos, the Secretary-General saved the day in the studio. With the lines in limbo, I seized the opportunity to pepper him with questions, keeping the show afloat amidst the technical tempest. Lesson learned: Always have a trusty sidekick in the studio, or risk being left high and dry, counting down the minutes— a lifeline we gratefully clung to later that day.
Although not before a high-level speaker who was moderating a panel failed to get her microphone working and with a few minutes notice, I had to moderate a discussion I knew little about while she apparently looked on highly frustrated.
Comedy of errors: A client decided to skimp on tech support, only allocating a measly half-hour for a two-day extravaganza. Cue chaos. As fate would have it, I found myself in a heated exchange with an online speaker who seemed convinced I was playing a game of mute-and-seek. “Unmute yourself!” she demanded, blissfully unaware that I was at the mercy of Zoom’s audio settings. The back-and-forth, or should I say, the dialogue of the deaf, dragged on endlessly, with no technician in sight to untangle the mess.
Lesson learned: When it comes to technical support, you can’t afford to skimp. Ideally, the moderator should be equipped with an earpiece, ready to receive guidance from the producer or director lurking behind the scenes. But when that fails, it’s time to whip out plan B: enter the WhatsApp group, a lifeline of communication when all else goes haywire.
Shocking panelists
Professional moderators know how to keep calm and carry on during the event. Unfortunately, though we have little influence over who is on stage with us.
Here are my top three shockers:
1) 10 people on a panel about putting beneficiaries at the heart of humanitarian response with only one beneficiary on the panel.
2) 8 male ambassadors – a manel – in which the organisers insisted I scripted the questions. Not one I have on my showreel.
3) 3 heads of international organisations talking about high-level humanitarian policy with 1 woman from a small local foundation, who had nothing to contribute apart from saying that she was listening and learning. She had been invited by the organisers who wanted to have a partnership with her foundation.
You will notice I published this blog on the 1 April – so how many of these do you think were April Fools?!
by Claire Doole | Jan 21, 2024 | Blog, Moderating
The sense of smell, as I realised while preparing to moderate the Global Fragrance Summit last month, is one of the most powerful of the senses. It not only evokes memories and shapes emotion but also lowers stress. However, it is also one of the most under-appreciated.
Preparing to moderate this event, as well as many recent engagements made me reflect that there is another sense that is also powerful but underused – the editorial sense.
It is a sense that is particularly useful when designing an event and vital when briefing a professional moderator. A professional moderator brings many skills to the table from stage/screen presence to an ability to engage with the audience and keep an event to time.
But if you want a professional panel moderator to steer the discussion, bring out insights from the speakers and to ensure the success of your event, you need to give them an in-depth editorial briefing as they are not subject experts.
Briefing a professional panel moderator
Before you have a briefing call with the panel moderator, send them a briefing document to read beforehand so they can ask informed questions. Often, all I am given is the draft agenda which has the title of the panel and sometimes if online a couple of explanatory lines.
Furthermore, the title is often too broad and lacks focus, such as the triple planetary crisis or the just energy transition. It should ideally include a question such as how do we ensure that the energy transition is fair and equitable for the rural poor?
A well-structured briefing document should include:
• Event purpose: Why are we holding this event? What do we want to achieve?
• Panel discussion objective: Define the objective of the panel discussion. Is it to share best practices, introduce new tools and techniques, find solutions to a pressing problem, build relationships, or hear different perspectives on a common challenge.
• Topic, premise and title: Identify a topic that is top of mind for the audience, for example Artificial intelligence and a premise – a proposition or assertion such as AI the unintended consequences. Then you have to find an intriguing title – AI – the case for a global system of governance or who should regulate AI?
• Key discussion questions: Clearly outline the key questions the panel will address.
• Speaker overview: Identify speakers, explain why they were selected and outline their views on the theme.
• Narrative structure: Define the planned and organised flow of the conversation that the panelists will have during the event. As detailed in a previous blog, the narrative structure involves creating a coherent and engaging flow of topics that guides the discussion from the beginning to the end. This structure is designed to ensure that the panel covers key points, addresses the main objectives of the discussion, and maintains the interest of the audience.
• Content of keynote speeches: Clarify what keynote speakers or presenters will cover before the panel discussion. This is important so that the panel doesn’t repeat what has already been said but builds on it.
Role of guiding questions
Guiding questions for each speaker are always useful. However, these should not be written, as is often the case, in policy or corporate speak, as the moderator has to make them their own. Keep in mind that the panel is a conversation, not a lecture.
Similarly, these questions are often written as If the moderator will ask a series of questions to one speaker before moving on to the next speaker. This is not a panel discussion but an interview. The moderator’s responsibility is to structure the discussion so it has editorial coherence bringing in the right speaker at the right time.
And keep in mind that once you have drafted the briefing document and shared with the moderator, the next step is to facilitate communication between the professional moderator and speakers. Their editorial sense will come into play, constructing a dynamic panel discussion that aligns with objectives and captivates the audience with both insight and entertainment.
If you would like to book Claire to moderate at your event, learn how to moderate yourself, or hone your public speaking, speechwriting, storytelling or media interview skills, contact me here or link in with me!
by Claire Doole | Sep 5, 2023 | Blog, Moderating
After the summer break, we are now back in the world of webinars, hybrid and in-person events.
I am being asked to moderate panel discussions – sometimes four or five consecutively on the same day – each with far too many people to have a real discussion. And if they are discussions and not “panel presentations”, they are far too scripted, predictable, and tell the audience little if anything they didn’t already know.
Audiences tell me that most panels are pointless. I would agree unless they are well-moderated, audience-centric, and have the right speakers for the subject.
It was therefore a joy in June to see a wonderfully moderated panel discussion at the Better Cotton Conference in Amsterdam where I was the Master of Ceremonies.
Hats off to Antonie Fountain from the Voice Network and Ashlee Tuttleman from the Sustainable Trade Initiative for leading a dynamic and innovative session on sustainable livelihoods. Here is what they did so well:
• Antonie showed that you can take a serious subject and make it engaging. Through great use of simple visuals (slides for example with one word on them) plus video clips from Monty Python and Indiana Jones, he gave us a captivating keynote about the lessons learned from the cocoa industry in building more sustainable livelihoods.
© Dennis Bouman – Contact before commercial use
• He and Ashlee then kept up the pace and energy by running a 20-minute quiz on Mentimeter for the online and in-person audience in which they debunked five myths about sustainable livelihoods.
© Dennis Bouman – Contact before commercial use
© Dennis Bouman – Contact before commercial use
• And then the “piece de resistance”. They asked the three winners of the quiz to come on stage for an impromptu panel discussion.
© Dennis Bouman – Contact before commercial use
• The panelists were great, proving that often the real knowledge lies with the audience!
In fact, the 2-day conference was packed with variety and different formats to keep the audience engaged, and most importantly entertained. As you can read here, they also elevated their event by engaging a graphic artist.
If you are running an event or panel discussion, I would be delighted to advise on how to make it something that the audience will always remember. I can also train your teams to moderate and MC, in case you don’t want to employ a professional moderator!
