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Tips for moderating a panel discussion?

In our new “how can we help you?” thread, a reader asks:

I’m a graduate student who has been asked to moderate a panel discussion at an upcoming philosophy conference. The organizer has given me guidelines with respect to format and time (brief introductory remarks by each panelist then a moderated discussion then open Q&A), but I am a little unsure about how I should approach my job otherwise. Does anyone who has done this before have any general advice or guidance?

Great question! Do any readers have helpful tips to share?

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4 responses to “Tips for moderating a panel discussion?”

  1. Anonymous

    I love this question. I don’t think we pay enough attention to good chairing and moderating. The APA hosted a live event about this a few months back, and you can find the video here: https://www.apaonline.org/mpage/ChairConferenceSession

    Reply
  2. NonTT

    Some things moderators (or session chairs) have done that I found very helpful: reminding the speaker that they have 5 minutes to wrap up; fielding questions from the audience; politely cutting off people who take really long to make a comment without a question during the Q&A; asking a question if no-one in the audience has one.

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  3. Anonymous

    One thing to say is please do not try to summarize what the speakers say after each conversation. I’ve never seen it done well. It’s useful to prompt speakers to reply especially if you think 1 or 2 of them are dominating the discussion. You can call on the quiet ones to ask “do you have anything to add?” And it’s okay if they don’t. Otherwise, I’d say just keep time. How well it goes mostly depends on the speakers and not the moderator so don’t stress too much.

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  4. Anonymous

    A conference chair is a bit like a conductor or stage manager. Ideally, they move the show along smoothly while drawing little attention to themselves. Do as little as possible to achieve the goal of a well-run session.

    Start with a very quick statement of the ground rules (who speaks when, for how long). I find lengthy introductions of speakers’ qualifications pointless, so I recommend, “First up is Dr X from University Y.” At the beginning of the Q&A briefly state the ground rules.

    Be strict about time limits. It is difficult to stop a senior colleague who says, “just a few more minutes then I’ll wrap up.” Do it anyway: Stealing time from other panelists is terrible.

    Don’t let speakers take their own questions: Keep a list in order of who raised a hand first. (It is risky to use the finger (a point or question on something just said) vs. hand (regular question on a new topic) with groups that are large/don’t know each other). Someone should only get a second question after everyone who wants to has asked their first question. I second the suggestion to have a question or two of your own prepared in case the audience doesn’t jump right in. If the conversation dies, feel free to end the session early–no need to make everyone suffer when all they want to do is escape.

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