3-way TRUST!
That’s right. The key to being the best moderator you can be is to earn the trust of both the panelists and the audience. Without trust, there is no relationship and without a relationship, it’s hard to keep people’s attention and drive home a point.
Show The Panelists You Care
You all know how much this saying means to me, I have a whole campaign around it! But this slogan is perfect when it comes to moderating.
One of the biggest things that set me apart from other moderators is that I ask each panelist for two points that they want to drive home during the panel. By asking each of the panelists what they are looking to get out of their stage time, I am showing them that I am concerned about their goals.
Then I follow up by telling the panelists that my goal for the session is to make them look good, get their point across and ensure the audience gets what they want/need. Lastly, the day of, I ask if there are any subjects that are off of the table.
Get In Touch With The Audience
Let’s be honest, the panel is for the audience, so it is your job as the moderator to make sure the audience gets what they need. There are a few places you can look for this information:
The Title and Description of the panel (if you didn’t write it)
The “about” section of the conference
The chats happening around the event
Hashtags
Facebook Groups
Reddit Threads
TALK TO THE AUDIENCE
The last one is my favorite, I generally try to connect with the audience one way or another before my session. This allows me to ensure I get the information out of the panelists that the audience is looking to get.
Anytime I got to interact with other conference goers at Social Shake-Up 2019, I was sure to ask them what they thought about influencers, what they would ask an influencer if they got the chance and what they wanted to get out of the conference. I kept all of this information in mind when I moderated a panel with 6 influencers later in the conference.
Use Your Trust For Good
The goal I have as a moderator is to make the organizer feel like they hit a homerun with their panel choices. I also want panelists to tell me that conversation came easily and they got to say what they wanted to.
As a moderator, you are the liaison between the audience and the panel. Once you have the trust of both parties, you can make amazing things happen for both sides.
Knowing the wants and needs of both parties allows you the power to know when a panelist has insight that will blow the audience’s mind or when the audience isn’t getting what they need out of a session. The trust you’ve gained will allow you to direct and redirect conversations that are beneficial to all parties and at the end of the day, that should be what you are working towards.
You can visit my speaker website to learn more about my programs and upcoming events where I'll be speaking or hosting at www.BrianFanzo.com