Thought leadership should be fun, fast, and fearless. You tap into excitement about new ideas and advocate for something better. That’s the mindset behind The Idea Sled. Projects glide forward gracefully. It’s the momentum of commitment. This newsletter shows you how.
Industry conferences provide an excellent opportunity for experts to exchange knowledge with other experts and share expertise with a wider audience. There’s also an implied expectation to speak “naturally” when participating on a panel. It’s not a time for flashy thought leadership fireworks.
At the same time, many panelists can also be thought leaders by publishing related insights, contributing to team insights, or expanding their thoughts into a more robust point of view. Panelists should also remember that they are still communicating to an audience. Even without hamming it up, they can get their message across and help make their insights more memorable.
After all, the point of participating is for people to hear and learn. Being unmemorable defeats the purpose. Here are 16 ways panelists can make the most of the opportunity:
- Speak TO the audience. Even when responding to the moderator or another panelist, look out and make eye contact with the room. Note that this rule applies when panelists are facing the room, not each other in a dais format.
- Prepare three key messages and three supporting points for each, in advance. Be sure to deliver them within the context of your remarks and the back-and-forth panel activity.
- Get comfortable acknowledging a question, bridging to your message, and then come back to the specific prompt.
- Put a few of your points into a memorable, quotable format to help people take note of them.
- Modulate the pace of your voice. It might feel slightly artificial initially, but speaking at about 75% of your normal speed allows people to absorb what you’re saying.
- Use volume or intonation to underscore your main takeaways—panels are also an auditory medium.
- Avoid copious amounts of data unless you have a slide to present.
- Watch the audience to maintain a sense of how engaged they are. Use body language cues. Having a few prepared messages gives you a way to recover their attention.
- Be mindful of your time slot. Are you in an early session? Right before lunch? Last in the day? Toward the end of a multi-day agenda?
- Keep your personal introduction brief. You don’t need more than two or three sentences.
- Use your products and services as examples of points you make so they don’t seem like advertising.
- Practice active listening. Be attentive to other panelists’ remarks to build on their points or offer contrasting perspectives, making the discussion more dynamic.
- Incorporate stories and brief anecdotes to illustrate key points—stories are often more engaging and memorable.
- Balance expertise and approachability by presenting insights in a way that showcases your expertise while remaining relatable to the audience.
- Prepare for audience questions by anticipating possible queries and framing responses as an opportunity to reinforce key messages.
- End with a single takeaway. One succinct, actionable insight or call to action will help the audience remember your insights after the panel.
Of course, none of this spares you from having substance to your comments! You are simply adding packaging and delivery techniques to make sure that your substance shines.
