Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Can panel moderators really fact-check on the fly? Tips from presidential debates

For the journalists moderating the presidential debates, the idea of doing fact-checking on the fly--correcting candidates in the moments after they put forward a false statement--is daunting. The New York Times looked at fact-checking on the fly, and offered some tips any panel moderator can use:
The notion of a moderator as a fact-checker “is too simplistic,” said the Rev. John I. Jenkins, the president of the University of Notre Dame and a board member of the Commission on Presidential Debates, the nonpartisan group that oversees the events. “What a good journalist does is ask follow-up questions that challenge the candidate to explain.” 
“The moderator can’t do it all; the onus falls on us a little bit, as the body politic,” to determine if a candidate is plausible, he added. “The moderator can make a mistake by being the voice of God, saying, ‘Here’s the way it is.’”
So what are those questions that will get your panelist to explain what they meant and whether it's really true? Try "How do you know that will happen?" or "Review for us the supporting data for that view" or "Let's go back for a minute and examine what you just said. Is that really the case?" With a panel, you also can turn to another panelist and say, "Jane, do you agree? Is that the truth from where you sit?"

The good news: It matters to the audience. If readers of political coverage are any indication, fact-checking may actually have an impact on the audience, so it's worth doing.

Like everything else in public speaking, it's actually possible to prepare for on-the-fly situations. This post suggests how the journalists moderating the presidential debates can prepare, by anticipating statements based on past statements by the candidates, and thinking through how they will question or respond. You'll find more ideas for prepping your questions in my ebook, below.

(Creative Commons licensed photo by kkirugi)

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.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Moderators must interrupt from time to time. But when is it too much?

Today Show host Matt Lauer's handling of a high-profile interview with Hillary Clinton came under fire recently for all sorts of reasons, but chief among them were his interruptions of Clinton. Lauer was interviewing both Clinton and her presidential election rival Donald Trump separately as part of a televised forum, and he was billed as the moderator. But Clinton got nearly all the interruptions, compared to Lauer's handling of Trump--and viewers objected.

I'm an advocate of moderators who interrupt, because some panel discussion and other moderation tasks require it. Some moderators can be too polite, letting the panel get out of control. Speakers repeat themselves or one another; talk about something other than the answer to the question posed; talk longer than the time allotted. Interruptions help get the discussion back on track in many cases. That's why one reviewer of my ebook on moderating panels noted, "One delightful section presents smart ways to interrupt speakers, primarily so you can shut them up and stay on time, for the win."

But in this recent case, viewers noticed the imbalance right away: Clinton got more "manterruptions," and Trump few. Interruptions from the moderator are not a bad thing per se. But doing so unfairly can be. Research shows that in mixed-gender conversation, men are primarily responsible for the interruptions. So male moderators should absorb that information and work to find other ways to engage panelists who are female. I'm going to add avoiding manterruptions to my list of things moderators can do to manage panels with good gender balance.

This is often difficult to sense in the moment, and can be more noticeable later, when you're reviewing a recording of the proceedings. But moderators can come up with a scorecard for themselves, making simple marks when they interrupt a panelist, pose a question to them, etc. Then you'll have a quick visual reminder of what you're doing.

For more on interruptions the right way, read my 6 smart ways for moderators to interrupt speakers, and pass them on to Mr. Lauer if you run into him.

(Creative Commons licensed photo by Jeff Sims)

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.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

What panel moderators can do to advance conference codes of conduct

Codes of conduct are growing in use at conferences to combat a range of bad behavior from sexual harrassment to racist language. And while not every conference has such a code, conference organizers have an easy tool at their disposal to further that code and compliance with it: Ask every panel moderator to announce the code conduct.

In Moderating my first panel: Ask an Android Developer Yash Prabhu notes that having a code of conduct is one of her musts for a panel, and notes:
As with any event I organize, I always announce our Code of Conduct and always ask permission before recording or photographing anyone.
Smart rules for any moderator, but the responsibility here really lies with the organizers, who should make it a "must" in the moderator's so-called housekeeping duties. If the code is short, read it aloud; if long, summarize the highlights and indicate where participants can find the code in the conference program or on the website.

Moderators can go one further, if they will, and make sure the panelists have seen the code before the panel. After all, a good code includes guidance on language for discussions and content of slides and handouts, so it's only fair for panelists to know about it in advance. Do not make assumptions about who does or does not need to see the code; consistency is the important thing.

Read more about conference codes of conduct in my post Does your conference have a code of conduct? I wish mine did.

(Creative Commons licensed photo by US Mission Geneva)

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.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

5 tips from a focus group moderator to steal for your next panel

Panel moderators can steal good ideas from all sorts of sources--including moderators of other types of sessions.

In How moderating focus groups made me a better manager, Brooke Niemiec points to what managers can learn from focus groups, but panel moderators can take the lessons, too. Here's what she advises:
  1. Don't skip the warm-up: "Good focus groups usually start with an icebreaker to let members learn more about one another. The activities and topics involved are safe, and they're meant to knock down some of the barriers between people," Niemic writes. That might include a humorous intro, a quick activity for the audience or the panelists, or fun instructions for the duration of the panel.
  2. Let them do the talking: "Moderators listen during focus groups a good 90% of the time, asking broad questions to guide the conversation and probing questions to clarify details that are unclear," Niemic notes. The same is absolutely true for panel moderators.
  3. Ask, don't tell: I love this bit of advice for panel moderators: "Good moderators avoid stating ideas directly—'You said that the new call center process was confusing'—or 'leading the witness:' 'I’m going to show you this amazingly awesome new call center process.' Instead, they ask participants to state things in their own words. And when asked a question, moderators often answer, 'What do you think'?" That goes equally well whether the moderator gets a question from the panelists or the audience members.
  4. Hear from everybody: "Moderators always need to make sure to get feedback from everyone in the room, not just the loudest person." That's also a critical skill for panel moderators, relevant to panelists and to audience members. Both groups count on the moderator to keep some balance.
  5. Keep everyone honest: Here's a great piece of advice for how panel moderators can set the tone: "You also need to cultivate an environment that encourages all types of sharing." Announcing that intention and enforcing it in real time will go a long way to enliven the discussion with many viewpoints
(Creative Commons licensed photo by Columbia GSAPP)

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.