Help with Moderating a Panel

I'm going to be moderating a panel of three experts on the topic of blackjack side bets at G2E. My question is what exactly is the moderator supposed to do? I've been on a panel once, and attended several with a moderator, but don't recall very well specifically the moderator did. Do I introduce the panel myself or let them do it? Do I write my own questions or take them from the audience? If I write them myself, for a one-hour session, how many should I write? How much time should I let one person talk before trying to indicate he is being a microphone hog? How should I do that, clear my throat?

The one time I was on a very large panel, of about eight, the moderator asked each person to address the first question for about one or two minutes. Between Anthony Curtis and Max Rubin, half an hour was consumed before it was the third person's turn. What should the moderator have done to politely indicate to the long-winded panelists, "Hey, let somebody else talk."

I'm open to questions too, but please keep in mind this is a show for people in the industry. So think about it from the casino's point of view.

The moderator should do the initial introductions, control the time, and possibly have a couple of questions to keep things rolling. They keep the conversation flowing (so if two participants are banging on about their bete noires and arguing) the moderator should politely step in and move things along. The moderator needs to gauge the audience response, as some topics may be worthy of longer sections.

The moderator should also wrap things up and bring it to a close.

I think of the moderator as the same role Jonathon Dimbleby has on 'Any questions?', the BBC Four political panel show. Neutral, polite and the chair of the discussion.

I would say you should ask whoever invited you for a little direction. They may have questions, they may want you to make them all, or they may want some mix of the two.

Is it a debate or a discussion? If it is a debate I would say re-watch a POTUS debate from the primaries but watch the moderator and not the candidates.

If it is a discussion I would say your job is to keep the flow going and make sure one or two people do not dominate with others being shut out. To shut people off I would start by saying, "can you tell us briefly why x......." State when you start that they need to keep it to such and such a limit. When you set expectations people will work better with them. Maybe even say that if you signal a certain way they need to wrap it up.

I would say do NOT take them from the audience unless you know what they will ask.

Remember the words I use when I train dealers, "Control your table." This does not mean be a jerk, but set the rules and keep the flow to the rules. If someone starts filibustering, even unintentionally, it ruins things for others. Some people will just ramble on a subject they like (see my reply on gas rights here a few months back.) You need to steer the ship.

Quote: Wizard

I'm going to be moderating a panel of three experts on the topic of blackjack side bets at G2E. My question is what exactly is the moderator supposed to do? I've been on a panel once, and attended several with a moderator, but don't recall very well specifically the moderator did. Do I introduce the panel myself or let them do it? Do I write my own questions or take them from the audience? If I write them myself, for a one-hour session, how many should I write? How much time should I let one person talk before trying to indicate he is being a microphone hog? How should I do that, clear my throat?

The one time I was on a very large panel, of about eight, the moderator asked each person to address the first question for about one or two minutes. Between Anthony Curtis and Max Rubin, half an hour was consumed before it was the third person's turn. What should the moderator have done to politely indicate to the long-winded panelists, "Hey, let somebody else talk."

I'm open to questions too, but please keep in mind this is a show for people in the industry. So think about it from the casino's point of view.

I have had to do this a couple of times, but do not claim to be an expert. You have a pretty good idea of what you need to do already.
The objectives for a moderator are:
1. To introduce the topic parameters and give a general idea of the panel format: ie "For the next hour, we will be discussing the proliferation, use of, and protections of side bets added to a basic blackjack game. Each of our 3 panelists will make a 5 minute set of opening remarks, then we will open the forum to questions and answers on the subject. I am Mike Shackleford, your moderator....(.your bona fides in a couple of sentences.) I will be (calling on individuals lined up at the mics/calling on those who raise their hand/whatever method) in order, so that we can all hear both the questions and the answers and comments the panelists make in response. Brief remarks from the audience without a question are also welcome."
2. to introduce the panelists briefly with a list of their bona fides that are pertinent to the topic, so the panelists don't have to sound like braggarts and the audience has a general idea of their perspective and level of expertise. 3-5 sentences per panelist should be sufficient.
3. After their opening remarks, I suggest you give the panelists one more opportunity to add to their own or other remarks, then open the floor for questions and discussion. The moderator is generally expected and allowed to start with a question or two of their own to get the audience going.
4. to keep both the panelists and questioners from straying from the subject at hand, making long-winded speeches in the guise of asking or answering a question. You are the only person who is allowed to interrupt or curtail a speaker, including a panelist, by bringing things back on point, adding context, or asking them (politely, of course) to get to the point.
5. have a set of on-point questions ready to help spur discussion if it lags. "Could you each talk about (some aspect that hasn't yet been discussed)".
6. if available, have a wifi connection, where a question that could be answered with a brief search or reference can be checked and answered within the time slot. You might have a knowledgable assistant with a non-speaking role on hand to do this. (Someone in the industry with the specific knowledge where to go online and has access to industry resources).
7. Before the panel starts, make sure the panelists have individual pads and pens available, also that ice water and glasses are in easy reach. If using microphones, give a quick check, and if there's an on/off switch involved, make sure your panelists know where they are on the equipment and how to tell if it's on or off. You might delegate these things, but someone should ensure it happens. If the session is being recorded in any way, make sure they know that also; you might include that in your introductory remarks.

Speaking of rambling, see my post above...lol. When I started typing, there were no responses. In the mean time, you got 2 good responses that had the virtue of being brief.

Quote: beachbumbabs

Speaking of rambling, see my post above...lol. When I started typing, there were no responses. In the mean time, you got 2 good responses that had the virtue of being brief.

HA! The same thing but I only had one ahead of me.

Wizard Of Vegas: Ask our members what time it is and learn how a clock works!

1.) You should be the one to introduce both yourself and the panel.

2.) I would write most of your own questions, you know the side bets as well as the experts do and better than most (if not all) of the attendees to the conference, so your questions are going to be more topical, interesting and relevant than those that would come from the audience. If the total time for this session is to be one hour, then you might reserve the last six minutes (10%) for audience questions, requesting two questions for each panelist and giving them one minute to answer.

3.) If you account for overages, introductions, and the time it will take you to actually ask the questions...then discluding the audience questions...you probably have about 45 minutes of them answering questions. The attendees to this interview should have a general idea of what is being discussed, and if they don't, too bad for them. In this case, I would prepare five, "Must-ask," questions and five, "Back-up," questions in case they don't take their full three minutes. However, I'd give each subject three minutes to answer each question.

-You want to give them three minutes so that they have adequate time to get into specifics. Like I said, this really shouldn't be a general information sort of thing. If you want to open up with one or two general questions, such as, "What type of Blackjack Side Bets do a good job of tying into the main game?" That's probably fine, but the rest of the questions should be fairly specific.

4.) If I were you, I would bring some sort of timer that might make a small sound once the speaker has reached three minutes on any particular question, or use your cell phone. When the timer goes off, firmly announce, "Fifteen seconds," and then move to the next person to answer the question...or to the next question if it was the third panelist speaking.

TIPS

1.) Be firm.

-The reason that the first question between Anthony Curtis and Max Rubin went so long is because the Moderator allowed it to go that long, which is completely unacceptable. Whoever was the Moderator was for that panel, his assertiveness and organizational abilities sucked, within the context of that interview.

-I think that you're an...interesting...choice for a Moderator. I mean no offense, but you're very soft-spoken and don't come off as particularly verbally assertive. Please don't interpret those as insults, we're all different, and those qualities make you an ideal person with whom to have a one-on-one conversation. However, to assertively take charge and control the actions of other people? No, I'm afraid you would not be my ideal candidate.

-Anyway, this is a chance to reach outside your normal, soft-spoken personality. Aside from asking the questions and opening it up to the audience at the end, the only three things you should say are: "Fifteen seconds," "We must move on to the next speaker," and, "We must move on to the next question, now." Do not apologize, do not offer an explanation, just say those phrases flatly and matter-of-factly and move on. You're in control.

2.) Be organized.

-You're already very organized in many regards, perhaps in all of them. You could not do the type of math and simulations you do if it were otherwise, so you should already be set there. Just come up with your schedule for this, and do not deviate from it.

3.) Be Flexible with Your Questions

Perhaps something will be interesting enough as a follow-up question to replace one of your pre-planned questions, so take constant notes and don't hesitate to replace one of your questions on the fly with something you think will be better.

Mission makes some very good points about timekeeping and providing strong control of the forum. I don't know if it's up to you or if you've been told how long the opening remarks will be, but he and I are advocating two slightly different approaches. He is looking at more of a presentation-heavy format, and I'm looking at more of an emphasis on audience participation and freewheeling discussion. They're both valid, and you'll have to make a decision beforehand on which way to lean. If your audience is highly knowledgable already and you find more value in experts exchanging information from both the audience and the panelists, you might go with a less presentation-heavy schedule. If your panelists' information is collectively worth more to your audience than the expected exchange, go with longer remarks from them and less q and a time. If you are not confident of your ability to shut people down, the more structured presentation-heavy is probably your best move, as well. I think you have the spine to do it; "sorry, Joe Blowhard; our time is limited and we're moving on" etc., based on your firmness in enforcing bans here, but it's not an easy thing to do, for sure.

Quote:

Wizard Of Vegas: Ask our members what time it is and learn how a clock works! that time is a construct of man that is both infinite and, at the same time, doesn't actually exist.

;)

Be sure to meet with the panelists, either individually or as a group, beforehand, to let them know the rules.

Face,

You're so existential! Gotta love it. Do you live in a tesseract?

Wiz,

You might, days ahead of time, ask your panelists they would like you to ask a particular question or two for which they have a prepared, researched, concise answer. This might allow them to give a good response to an obvious question without having to think through it on stage, but not try to cover soup-to-nuts in their opening remarks.

My first thought is everybody on the panel is there
to toot his own horn, to sell himself and boost his
ego. This has to be quashed or you'll have
the long winded blowhards you mentioned to deal
with.