No one likes a boring panel discussion that can be seen on YouTube from your bed at home. So here are the seven rules that will help you avoid that. And if you have any other ideas, please let me know in the comments section.
🖥 If the information to be shared can be conveyed through Zoom, then avoid doing it at a live event. Seriously, just don't. We need active participation from both speakers and the audience, and every action must forge a sense of belonging. Information alone is insufficient. Therefore, choose your speakers wisely and communicate the panel's goal repeatedly, as sometimes it is forgotten when things get busy.
🎙 The moderator is crucial in setting the tone. Their ability to keep the conversation flowing with ease, flair, and engagement is crucial. Before choosing a moderator, it's best to see them in action or ask others who have seen them how they were. Just because they are more expensive doesn't mean they are better. Once you choose them, have several meetings with them and the rest of the panel to smooth things out and let them get to know each other. They all need to feel securely held by the event planner, and if they have issues, they need to feel secure to address them before the event. So, as an event planner, you need to create a safe, clean environment and open communication channels with you.
🚪 Anyone who is on stage (if there is one) must leave their ego behind and deliver the message without a condescending attitude. The event planner needs tact, patience, and emotional and cultural intelligence for this task. The audience can easily detect when speakers feel superior. If the audience is made to feel inferior, regardless of the message's importance, it won't be easy to absorb. Remember: the audience remembers how they are made to feel.
👩🏫 The event planner needs to know the speakers and how to combine them. This requires research, experience, and intuitive trust. Building relationships and a good network is crucial for an event planner. You will need to rely on them for all sorts of stuff. So keep your eyes peeled, stay curious, attend events and network.
💟 Personal stories always work to create a connection between speakers and the audience. Encourage speakers to share their personal stories as people connect to them more than statistics.
🔗 The audience is part of the experience and needs to be treated like that. Get them involved in any way possible. The space design, facilitated interactions before the event, easy, fun way of asking questions, or small group exercises are a few ways that can help bridge the gap between speakers and the audience. If possible, have the speakers come early, mingle with the audience, introduce themselves, and socialise. If they are more introverted, ask about other ways the audience can contact them. Technology might help.
💔 If things get intense or the opposite: flat or dull, the moderator has to address it. Usually, it is better to be honest than pretend it is not happening. Hence, pick your moderator carefully, clarify the wishes of this panel and discuss all possible scenarios together.
Please remember that these rules are mainly for events with a broader audience and might change for conferences or professionals.
As always, I am looking forward to hearing from you, so please feel free to contact me: info@norasevents.com
Comentários