Acronym

Nearly every conference has them: the dreaded panel discussion. And although there are many brave association professionals out there finding new and better ways to educate their members, the fact is that sometimes a panel discussion really is the best approach. If you have five experts who can pull off a lively discussion of a hot topic, why wouldn’t you put them on stage and let the audience learn from their debate?

The problem is that we tend to use the format as a default when we have people who aren’t experts; people who aren’t comfortable enough in front of an audience to be lively and interesting; or a topic that doesn’t lend itself to discussion.

All of that said, if you’re going to have a panel, you might as well have a good one. Several bloggers have written some great tips for speakers, meeting planners, and moderators that could take your next panel discussion from a snooze to a conference highlight:

• 12 Guidelines for Great Panel Discussions (be sure to review the photos down the right side of the page)
• How to Kick Butt on a Panel
• 10 Rules for Being a Great Panel Moderator