Questions about moderating a panel

The interview will be short, probably about 15-20 minutes.

It will be recorded, it won’t be live. The recording will be audio-only, so don’t worry about your clothes or hair.

Use headphones or earbuds if you can, since without them, we can often hear an echo (sound comes out of your computer’s speakers, and then goes right back into your microphone).

It’ll just be you and one or two of us (Alper and/or Matt) on the phone. We’re doing it because some of our clients moderate panels, and we like to have some tips we can share with them.

The questions are pretty general, but if we ask one that’s too confidential, just say, “That includes confidential information, I don’t want to talk about it in public.” Don’t worry, you won’t hurt our feelings.

The questions we’ll ask you:

  1. In just a few sentences, tell us some basic information about yourself (your name, your professional background, etc).
  2. What 3 or 4 tips would you give to someone moderating a panel?
  3. What are some of the main benefits you think a moderator gets from the experience?
  4. What skills do you think a good moderator needs?
  5. What role is the moderator playing up there on stage?
  6. Do you think a moderator needs to know more about the subject than the speakers/panelists?
  7. What do you like to see from your speakers/panelists?
  8. What do you do if one of your speakers/panelists talks too long?
  9. Before we go, is there any other advice or words of wisdom you would like to share with our listeners?

Thank you very much for your time, we (and our moderator clients) appreciate it greatly!