Scientific conference shares our advice on moderating panels

Starting early on improving your panel moderation is a great way for conferences to achieve a better level of consistency and excellence in your panels. How early? One scientific conference is starting out a year in advance.

For its 2017 annual conference, slated for Boston next February, the American Association for the Advancement of Science has sent panel moderators guidance for moderating scientific sessions at the meeting. The guidance document includes tips from The Eloquent Woman's Guide to Moderating Panels, as well as veteran moderators Guy Kawasaki and Jeremiah Owyang.

The guidance is a one-page guide with tips on:

• the moderator's role, 
• managing time, 
• encouraging dynamic discussions, and 
• managing questions. 

Want to get a head start with your panel moderators? Buy my ebook--many conferences take one for every moderator--and take a look at the AAAS guidance, available here in PDF form.

(Creative Commons licensed photo by NASA HQ)

Need more coaching on how to be a better panel moderator? Order the new ebook The Eloquent Woman's Guide to Moderating Panels. At just $3.99 and available in many formats, it's a great back-pocket coach to take on stage with you in your smartphone or tablet. Find more tips on public speaking on The Eloquent Woman blog.