I just participated in a panel discussion at a national conference. Four authors were on the panel. One was a New York Times best-selling author. Another was self-published. The third had a book out with a children's publisher and was working on another. I represented traditional and self-publishing, or print on demand.
Though I'm not a best-selling author, I'm a durable one, and have been writing for decades. When I agreed to participate in the panel I knew my comments had to be focused.
The discussion started at 3:15 in the afternoon and ended at 4:30. As the moderator introduced the panelists I scanned my notes. Would I be able to include all of the points or would I have to delete some? I would have to play it "by ear."
When my turn came I adjusted the microphone and scanned the audience quickly. Speaking right after lunch or mid-afternoon is always dicey because people are sleepy. In fact, a woman in the second row was already asleep. Several others were trying to keep their eyes open. I decided to ignore my notes and speak extemporaneously.
Some audience members perked up, but most didn't, and they needed to hear a story, something they could relate to and visualize. So I told them about my latest book, which isn't about a conference topic. When I gave the title the audience burst into laughter. I added two more sentences and the audience laughed harder. Suddenly, everyone was awake and energized.
It's hard to figure out how much to say when you're on a panel. You don't want to dominate the discussion, yet you want to share key points. These tips may help you the next time you say, "Yes, I'd love to be part of that panel."
1. Confirm session arrangements. When does the session start? When does it end? Has the location been changed? Is the session in the program? Does the moderator have enough information to introduce you?
2. Learn about other panelists. The moderator should be able to give you this information. If he or she doesn't have the information, you'll have to search for it yourself.
3. Make notes. I was fortunate enough to have an experienced moderator and she gave me an outline. Her outline helped me determine my key points and put them in writing.
4. Assess the audience. I changed my talk after I realized that audience attention was lagging. To be honest, I don't know how my remarks were received. However, I do know that I was myself and spoke from the heart.
5. Add a dash of humor. During my decades as an independent journalist, I've come to appreciate humor more and more. Humor helps people to remember information and remember you.
6. Have handouts. To save time, I created a handout about print-on-demand publishing. It's a good thing I did, for we ran out of time, and I was unable to speak on this topic. Fortunately, my handouts spoke for me.
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