A few years ago I was at a conference when I ran into some community bloggers. They were all huddled around a whiteboard working on a storage area networking design. As they all discussed the solution, it was clear everyone was simultaneously giving information and learning. Right then and there I knew I wanted to be a part of whatever it was they were doing. I wanted to share myself and my knowledge with the community. I didn’t know how to start, but I threw my hat into the ring and started this blog. I started by sharing scripts and tricks I had developed to make my day to day life as a storage administrator easier. Starting this blog and engaging the community on social media has changed my life.
Part of that growth has given me opportunities to engage with the community and many events. I’ve spoken on storage, backup, virtualization, and plenty of other topics. One thing I had not done was moderate a panel. At the Cincinnati VMware Users Group meeting, I had the chance to moderate a panel on careers. I wanted to share some of my tips and tricks for being on a panel.
First and foremost keep in mind your job as a panelist is not just to educate the audience, but to entertain them as well. You’re not on the panel to sound like the smartest person in the room but to entertain and inform the audience. If you simply drone on with a lot of information in a boring way, the audience will be bored and disconnect from the panel. To entertain, you have to be emotional and stand out. If you’re on a panel you should have a point of view, and hopefully an interesting one. Nothing is more boring on a panel than “I agree
with Sally, but let me add..”. If you don’t have a point of view and you don’t have anything interesting to say, it may not be the panel for you.
While it’s important to be interesting, it’s just as important to get to the point when you speak. A good panel response Isn’t a long drawn out dissertation, but rather a quick hit like snapchat. The goal is to tell your entertain and inform by telling your story briefly. People start to lose attention quickly. It’s the same reason web page load sped matters. If the content doesn’t shot up right away, people move on or check out. I can’t stress this point enough: don’t be boring. Don’t try to be someone you’re not but be your best you. If you’re not funny, don’t try and be funny.
Don’t. Be. Boring.
If you’re on a panel, it’s because your viewpoint is valued. As much as a panel is about educating and informing the audience, it can also be beneficial to you as a panelist. One of the odd things about a panel is it creates a weird Stockholm syndrome, but with less kidnapping. You can actually build a lasting bond over the shared experience. Just because you’re giving to the audience, doesn’t mean you can’t benefit too.
All in all, being on a panel is an excellent way to connect with the audience and share part of yourself. If you keep your answers short, be energetic, and have a point of view, being on a panel can be a rewarding experience.