Every month on our site, Jo Miller, CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc., will answer your career and leadership questions. Please send your question to advice@anitaborg.org, and it may be answered in an upcoming column.
Question: I have been asked to speak on a panel at an industry event. Would you give me some advice on how to be effective?
Jo Miller Answers:
If you are established in your career and looking for ways to build your “brand” and raise your profile both inside your company and in your industry, then participating on panels is an ideal step to take. The benefits are numerous: you will expand your network to include audience members and other panelists, build your presence a role model or expert, and it’s a much, much easier step to take than taking the podium as a solo speaker.
On the other hand, I am sure you have witnessed a panel take a turn for the worse. You have probably seen a panel derail when someone spoke at such length that they sucked the energy out of the room, or checked your watch as someone droned on with no apparent preparation, never making a valuable point.
The good news is that with a few tips and a little preparation (and it need not take a whole lot of prep time) you can rock the panel and wow the audience, avoid some common pitfalls, and leave feeling energized and ready to take on your next panel.
Nehal Mehta is Senior Leader, Quality Assurance with NetApp, and she has participated on panels for numerous events such as ABI’s TechLeaders, Savvy Geek Chix, and FountainBlue’s When She Speaks. “I participate on panels because it helps grow me as a person”, Mehta said. It reinforces her brand as a mentor to others, and she enjoys the opportunity to contribute to others and their careers. “Panels are a great way to learn”, she added. “You get the face-to-face contact with others and benefit from their joint knowledge at a focused event”.
Jerri Barrett, Vice President of Marketing with Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology recommends participating on panels such as those at the Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing (GHC). “It offers tremendous visibility for speakers both within their field and inside their own organizations. The conference is growing each year, with 2800 technical women and men expected this year, so the opportunities for visibility also continue to grow.”
So throw your hat in the ring to participate on panels at GHC, at other industry and professional events, and inside your company. Or consider moderating a panel, where you will introduce panelists and direct questions to them. It’s easier than you think. You don’t need to be a subject-matter expert to be a competent facilitator.
When I am facilitating a panel, here’s a list of seven tips I send to panelists ahead of time to help them get comfortable and be prepared.
7 TIPS FOR BEING AN EFFECTIVE PANELIST:
1) Keep it real. Speak from the heart, and don’t be afraid to offer strong opinions or discuss controversial topics, as long as it is something you believe with conviction.
2) Don’t over-prepare. This is one way to achieve tip #1, “keep it real”. By all means have some key points prepared on paper, but don’t read off your notes or memorize your lines. Instead, wing it just a bit, and you will come across as more approachable and knowledgeable.
3) Don’t be afraid to talk about your failures. Your audience will find you easier to relate to if you express similar concerns, fears and experiences to those that they are familiar with.
4) Give specific, not general answers. Give your audience something tangible. Offer concrete examples, tips, principles or steps rather than broad generalizations.
5) Tell personal stories. Try to include a personal experience or anecdote in your answer to every question, as these will make you more memorable for your audience. People remember stories, not abstractions.
6) Build upon, but don’t repeat, comments from other panelists. For extra credit, refer to other panelists by name and acknowledge a specific point they just made, as you go on to build upon what they just said. ie “I fully support with what Joan just said about a/b/c. In my experience… x/y/z”. This shows you are listening to and appreciating the other panelists — participating fully, not just ‘speaking’. It’s classy.
7) Keep your answers to approximately two minutes. Just like you might do for a job interview, practice ahead of time to train yourself to give a concise, meaningful answer with approximately three key points, in under 3 minutes. By keeping it succinct, you will be all the more memorable, and leave people eager to hear more from you.
Above all, enjoy the experience and have fun!
As CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc. Jo Miller helps women create their roadmap into leadership positions in business. Learn more at www.womensleadershipcoaching.com
To read more of her career advice, visit the Ask Jo archives.