Tuesday, January 31, 2017

What panel moderators can do to advance gender equity at conferences

Conference organizers looking to avoid issues related to gender equity at their gatherings need look no further than your best back-pocket tool, the panel moderators.

That's because moderators--deployed as they are across the program and empowered with the mic--have the power to make gender equity a reality in several key ways. Organizers can make this more of a certainty by discussing the following options with all of your moderators, in advance:

  1. Women moderators can refuse to serve as window-dressing for all-male panels, and all moderators, male and female, can turn down moderating all-male panels. Of course, organizers can make this easier by not permitting all-male panels in the first place. But if they do not act, moderators worth their salt should turn down the gig, and make it clear why.
  2. Panel moderators can announce the conference code of conduct at the start of the panel--not just noting that one exists, but what it means for speakers and participants. In addition to making it clear, announcing the code puts participants at ease and violators on notice, making it easier for people to report infractions. (Moderators, ask about codes of conduct when you are called for moderation gigs.)
  3. Alternate calling on men and women during Q&A to counteract the implicit bias, honed in the classroom, of calling on men more than women. Believe me, the women in your audience notice. Bonus points if you announce at the start of the panel or Q&A that you will alternate calling on men and women, to encourage more women to put their hands up.
  4. Make sure you are engaging female panelists equitably and not interrupting them more than you do male panelists. Managing panelists also can fall victim to implicit biases, and research shows that men interrupt women more in mixed-gender conversations. So moderators have a double duty: Don't interrupt the women more frequently when you are in charge, and don't let the men on the panel do so, either.

(Creative Commons licensed photo by the Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan)

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, January 24, 2017

3 things conference organizers wish moderators knew about better panels

I've shared 3 things moderators wish conference organizers knew about better panels. Now the shoe's on the other foot. Here are 3 things your conference's organizer is hoping you'll realize before the panel moderation begins:
  1. Enforced start and end times matter:  Starting and ending on time, so often fudged by speakers and moderators, is a must to the conference organizer. She knows that a late-starting or -ending panel results in grumpy attendees--made late, or made to wait--and bad reviews. Be sure your eye is on the clock. I find it helps if the moderator announces a commitment to starting and ending on time right at the beginning, and asks the audience and the speakers--out loud--to help her keep that schedule.
  2. They need you to clear the room at the end: Hand in hand with a panel that ends on time is a set of ground rules, announced at the start by the moderator, that help attendees and panelists leave the room promptly. Moderators can help conference organizers keep things moving by agreeing with panelists on a meetup spot *outside* the meeting room--the coffee break area, for example--then directing attendees to follow-up with speakers there. "If you have more to say to one of our speakers, they all will be in the coffee area right after this panel, so meet them there," is all it takes.
  3. They want you to allow plenty of time for questions: Nothing gets the audience more angry (and likely to take it out on the conference) than a lack of time for its questions. My own rule of thumb is 50 percent time for the panel, and 50 percent time for questions. Don't give the audience five or 10 minutes at the end of an hour and expect loving reviews.
(Creative Commons licensed photo by Simon James)

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, January 17, 2017

BBC Woman's Hour top tip on moderating the long-winded answer

What are moderators for, if not to rein in the long-winded among us? We've looked before at how the moderator can best handle the long-winded questioner. But what about the long-winded answer?

On a panel, that might come from either a panelist-speaker, or an audience member. But recently, in this episode of the BBC's Woman's Hour radio program, presenter Jane Garvey did a masterful job of reining in one Member of Parliament Philip Davies, newly appointed to a committee and seemingly intent on describing his views at a longer length than one might recommend.

Garvey gently attempted an interruption, saying simply, "Mr. Davies..." when he cut back in and chided her.

"I wish you'd let me make my point!" he said crossly.

"Please, do," said Garvey. The pause at the comma is critical to the meaning of this sentence, and signals to the audience that the moderator's well aware the speaker has been going on too long, without having to say so. This was on radio, but in a live event, do resist the urge to add an eyeroll.

Garvey is a master of restraint, well worth your emulation. It's worth having a couple of gentle retorts in your back pocket so you are ready to use them when the opportunity presents itself. Bravo, Jane Garvey! We'll have to add this to our list of ways moderators can interrupt speakers.

(BBC photo of Garvey)

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, January 10, 2017

Why moderators' pronunciation of panelist names matters

Knowing how to pronounce the names of your host and your panelists sounds like a no-brainer. It's common advice for panel moderators. But not every tipster understands the real importance in a name.

Who wins in the name game shares some insights that moderators might want to keep in mind, particularly about pronouncing your panel speakers' names correctly and fluently. From the article:
[T]he ability to pronounce someone’s name is directly related to how close you feel to that person. Our brains tend to believe that if something is difficult to understand, it must also be high-risk.
So practicing pronunciation--with guidance from the person being introduced--is not wasted time. It will connect the audience to the speaker, and make easy that early moment when we don't know enough about her.

For truly complex names, try actor Brad Pitt's method of making the foreign familiar to an audience. He introduced actor David Oyelowo, whose name is difficult for some to pronounce, using a sing-song method and audience participation, at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Notice that he begins by breaking down the syllables backwards, and uses the singing to pronounce it starting at the beginning. As for Oyelowo? He said, "You know you've broken through after Brad Pitt sings your name." If you want to emulate this approach, do coordinate in advance with the speaker in question. Here's the video:


(Creative Commons licensed photo by Dean Shareski)

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, January 3, 2017

What kind of panel moderator will you be in 2017?

Whether you can't count all the panels you've moderated, or are just starting out on this challenging public speaking role, the new year is a good time to set some intentions for how you are going to approach panel moderation in 2017. I think panel moderation can be thought of in three categories that might help you see how you are going to change--or renew--your moderation this year:
  • Control: We appoint moderators with the hope that they will control the clock and the conversation, so how can you improve your controls in the proceedings this year? That might mean more announcing what you want to see happen, coming up with creative limits within your questions to panelists, or more thorough pre-panel discussions with organizers and panelists.
  • Content: Contrary to popular belief, the moderator wields a great deal of influence on a panel's content. Will you lead a panel with no slides and just discussion? Start with the audience's questions? Use more creative lines of questioning? 
  • Conversation: Moderators also can consider many ways to enliven the conversation started by the panel. You can alternate calling on men and women (and announce that you will do so), put creative limits on questions or answers from audience members or panelists, and learn new ways to move along long-winded questioners or answerers.
You also might want to think of a theme for your moderation this year, or adjectives that describe the type of moderator you want to be. 

Finally, I think all moderators should consider in the new year which types of panel moderation gigs they want to accept, and which don't make the cut. That might mean eliminating moderation for poorly organized conferences, or seeking out more high-profile moderation gigs, for example. Then be sure you enforce your choices so that you can look back on 2017 as a satisfying year of moderating panels. 

(Creative Commons licensed photo by the Brookings Institution)

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.