A panel discussion can bring a range of per- spectives to a topic, and is often preferred by attendees over a solo presentation. Unfortunately, the majority of panel presentations fail to live up to expectations. Rarely will all three, four, or five panelists deliver on what they've promised - and with enough eloquence to keep the audience engaged.

Here's how you can set the stage for a successful panel presentation.

• Choose a moderator with care -- Find someone who will expertly introduce panelists, facilitate questions, and craft powerful "bridges" between each panelist.
• Prepare the panel -- Don't assume the panelists will have spent time together in advance of the session. Someone needs to coordinate the group and make sure that each speaker knows what the others are covering (and how they plan on delivering their messages).
• Promote mini-presentations -- Remind the panelists that, even though they may have only 10 minutes of floor time, they should still treat that as if it's a full presentation, complete with a dynamic opening, illustrative content, and an action-oriented closing statement.
• Manage the time -- Don't allow one panelist to be so oblivious to the time that s/he speaks too long - thereby forcing the panelists who follow to condense their comments.
• Manage the questions -- It's important to plan time for questions from the audience. Rarely will a panel discussion fail to generate some provocative thoughts. (And if that doesn't happen, the panelists have not done their job.) It's the moderator's role to manage the questions very carefully so that all the panelists get a chance to share their expertise on at least one of the questions - and to ensure that no audience members or panelists monopolize the Q&A period.
• Set a confident tone -- Discourage the panelists from saying, "I'm not a professional speaker, but…." When presenters do this, they think they're managing the audience's expectations. But what they're actually doing is informally telling them not to listen. Panelists must have confidence that what they're about to share is of interest - and value - to everyone who is listening.
• Share the passion -- Encourage your panelists to convey their enthusiasm for the topic. As industry experts, they possess a high level of experience and knowledge - which can sometimes cause them to come across as bored with the topic. The way the audience will remain engaged (and therefore learn useful information) is for each panelist to show tremendous passion - for the topic, for the audience, for the organization.

Speaker Savvy Take Away

Set the tone for an enjoyable panel discussion by:

• Reducing stress
  The best way for panelists to quell their fear of speaking in public is for everyone around them to be confident and stress-free. Anything that you can do to erase some of their obvious stressors (AV issues, room setup problems, missing panelists) will benefit not only presenters but also audience members.
• Encouraging levity
  Learning works best when folks are having fun!

These tips should be used for informational purposes and should not be considered legal advice.

• Gary Rifkin is a professional speaker and coach

• The National Speakers Association (NSA) is the leading educational organization for professional speakers. NSA's 3,500 members include experts in a variety of industries and disciplines, who reach audiences as trainers, educators, humorists, motivators, consultants, authors, and more. As a service to meeting professionals, NSA provides resources and information on finding and working with speakers. Visit NSA's Web site at www.nsaspeaker.org.