If like many people you are anxious about public speaking and when you are faced with an audience your palms break out in a sweat and your heart rate quickens, then this four-minute read is for you.
I have spoken at conferences and away days, been on many a panel and moderated a whole lot more as well as having attended numerous events as a delegate and experiencing others as they speak. If may be that you are new to it or with the pandemic meaning we all went online, your in person speaking skills may be a little rusty. And so here I distil all that I have learned through experience, participation, and observation – the Art of Being a Panellist:
Top 20 tips to help maximise your impact when taking part in an in-person panel event:
- Be sure you understand what the topic is and do your homework
- Practice and then practice some more – work on your opening remarks describing who you are and why you are there
- Be assertive about the line-up – find out who your co-panellists are and insist on diversity and inclusivity of speakers and the moderator too
- Check out the set up – for example having to perch on a bar stool doesn’t help you to feel at ease – ask for normal chairs and a place for your glass of water. Ask for a lapel mic if possible.
- Ask what the hashtag is for the event and spell it out at the outset – or ask the MC/interviewer to do so
- Your branding needs to be clearly visible on the screen behind you ideally with your name, headshot and title with company name and the correct logo
- Before you start take some deep breaths and visualise success with people clapping, asking quality questions you can handle and coming up to thank you personally at the end
- Know that your co-panellists are most probably nervous too – nerves and sweaty palms mean you care about the experience the audience are going to have and ultimately if you can keep them in check, enhance your ‘performance’.
- Admitting vulnerability is good and so fine to say, if it is the case, that you are out of your comfort zone doing a panel event – be you!
- Think about three key messages you want your audience to take away about you, your organisation, and the work you do
- LISTEN hard. Listen to the questions you are being asked and what your co-panellists are saying so that you can build on their comments if you have something to say
- Project your voice and look up and out at the audience making eye contact – get close to the mic (if handheld) – audiences don’t want to have to strain to hear your golden nuggets. Consider improving your confidence with a professional vocal coach; I can highly recommend Brighton based Stefan Holmstrom
- Don’t be afraid of a moment or two of silence – it allows the audience to process what has just been said and adds power to what you then go on to say.
- State that if you haven’t covered what the audience was hoping to hear, you are very happy to have a post panel chat.
- Invite people to look you up on LinkedIn and connect to keep the conversation going.
- Ask to see the feedback from the event organiser to hone your skills and learn from each event you take part in.
- Develop your skills by running panel events within your organisation inviting junior members to be part of the panel – become a mentor to them – teaching someone else what you want to learn is the fastest way to embed techniques and habits
- Watch TED talks on overcoming fear – there are many out there. For example, watch: https://www.ted.com/talks/danish_dhamani_how_i_overcame_my_fear_of_public_speaking
- Do some holiday reading on the subject. See a great list of titles here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rhettpower/2020/01/23/7-books-that-will-help-you-conquer-the-fear-of-public-speaking/?sh=6f914d7f10e7
- And finally, consider training via organisations like Toastmasters International; a not- for-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Some more top tips can be found on their website here.
Wishing you the very best if you are about to take the leap for the first time. I would love to hear your feedback on how it goes or if you have other top tips to add please do comment below.