What the Heck Does a Moderator Do… Reflection (aka Part 2/2)
First time moderator no more….Done! ✅
Phew… #agent2021 is in the books and my panel is too. It went well!
The night before the panel, I PMed the engaging, Inman Connect moderator, Vanessa Bergmark from Red Oak Realty, for some tips!! Here are her supportive words and wisdom that helped a TON!
“You just being you will rock it....but the only thing I’ve learned is to take control quickly if things are going astray. Pay attention to any new questions you can ask and don’t just stick to the specific questions you had lined up. Be careful if the panelist hogs the mike, and don’t feel bad moving them along faster, asking them the question again and digging deeper. Just make sure to bring some of YOU to the conversation.”
So after going thru the experience on how to be an effective moderator, here are more reflection takeaways. Compare the BEFORE the event tips to the AFTER event tips.
- Preparation. 📚Learn as much about your panelists and what their passions are and what their value add is to the conversation.
Reflection: Man o man…was this key!! Most of the positive feedback I got was because of this. I personally stressed over how I was going to ensure value to the audience. WHILE giving the panelists the opportunity to share all the valuable knowledge they have on this topic.
During the pre-panel call as a group with the VaynerMedia team, I took notes, but got off that call still feeling uneasy about what the key points each attendee hoped to make. I started to do my research on 2 of the 3 panelists — Kala Laos, Owner of JK Realty and Lindsay Blum, VP of VaynerTalent. (the 3rd one, Chris Smith, I know so well, and know him as a presenter, I knew he would bring it and help me the day before to figure out the flow).
I sent Kala a private message asking her for clarity on her few takeaways that she really wanted to share. I also connected with Lindsay on a follow up call the day before the panel to talk with her one on one. I knew she has SO much to teach us all, and I hoped to gain more clarity on the points she wanted to cover.
These chats were game changers for me to prepare. It also helped us build rapport before the panel, so we all could feel more comfortable and ready for an open conversation.
2. Dance. 💃🏻🕺🏼👯 Be prepared to lead and follow. A great flow is essential.
Reflection: Bringing my notes on stage as a moderator worked well. It was a way to stay on track and also jot a note about something I thought about while a panelist was talking, so I wouldn’t forget to go back to it.
3. Navigate. 🔦We must understand what the panelist hopes to share, so we can pull it out of them if we start are getting off track.
Reflection: When a panelist started to go a bit wide, pulling back to say, “but let’s go back to…., and pivot” worked and was appreciated by the panelist and the audience.
4. Be a Host. Make your panelist comfortable ;-) ok, i got that! I will smile 😊and help them relax.
Reflection: Meeting the panelists in person was a big help. Talking a pre-panel selfie and chat loosened us up and built the trust that we both want to make the panel a huge success.
5. Get in the Dirt. Go deep into the trenches of the how, so the audience gets great executable value.
Reflection: SO rewarding when afterwards, many attendees shared how much they enjoyed it and said it was the BEST panel of the day! :-)
6. Have a conversation…Much more interesting to listen to and more real.
Absolutely true. We decided as a panel that we would have conversations about what each was saying, to bring the level deeper with other varied insights since the panelists come from different backgrounds and expertise. It made it fun
7. Listen. Engage. Don’t be fixed on what I, the moderator will say next. Instead, listen and improvise depending on how the conversation swings.
Reflection: This was the trickiest. As the panelist was doing their thing…I was happy and thinking about where I was going next, while still listening so I could react if needed. Our group had great rapport and we all worked off each other and had a real conversation. It felt real…and so did the audience.
8. It’s not about you. It’s about the panelist and making them shine🔆 and the attendees to gain value! 🔥
Reflection: Absolutely true.
But also, GO WITH YOUR GUT. I had read a few articles in advance of the day, about how to be a great moderator. One from Harvard Business Review had a definitive point, NOT to prep your panels and that as a Moderators, you can’t also be panelists. (meaning don’t talk). I disagree with this approach. As a regular conference attendee, I always liked to understand WHY that person is moderating and what experience brings that person to run the panel. So I shared who I was, and that I had been in their shoes 6 years ago when I heard panelists say, go all in on video. And to get started now…don’t overthink. Adding tidbits about my own, in the field experiences as a real estate agent, I believed only helped make the conversation be real, and relatable with the audience.
My reward was feeling like I helped make the panelist shine. I also won, by listening to the many people that were kind enough to say that we were the best panel of the day!
Words of support meant the world to me!
#Curaytorbuds, Tom Ferry Friends, and New friends were very generous in their support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
So meaningful, sharing the event with one of our newest superstar agents at #Weinigergroup, Liz Vaynerchuk Novello. #baskingridgeNJ
Have a friggin BLAST ladies… the 2 of u on stage is an epic thing!! ~ Erika Madsen
Great panel today Judy! ~ Matt Farnham
WED 5:35PM — WOW what a terrific job. You were not only a great moderator but a great speaker and motivator. I have been in this business 40 years and have seen the best of the best and you were there today. Congratulations ~ Connie Parrett
Congratulations!!! You did an amazing job! ~ Billy Wemlinger
I could tell you put in a lot of prep work to make it go so smoothly. You seemed like a vet on stage. Great job! You were the best moderator of the day.~ Amit Bhuta
