How Can YOU Shine as Panelist?

By Jill Mack, Principal, Internal Communications, Discover Financial Services

When we focus on developing our personal brand, evolving our speaking skills, and increasing our visibility, we rely mostly on ourselves for the advancements we make (or don’t make). Luck, timing, and personal motivation can contribute to how we move forward in those areas of our careers but knowing who we are and the perspectives we offer are important factors to consider when deciding how we can position ourselves to participate in a group or panel conversation. Because panelists are guided by a moderator and interact with other subject matter experts, panels are a great speaking forum to explore since they are a low-risk way to build confidence, share expertise, raise our profile and develop public speaking skills.

The July 20 PayTechWomenLead event, presented by Michele Weber, MSC, Executive Communications at Discover Financial Services, gave us insight into How to Shine as a Panelist. Attendees received tips and advice from Michele, contributed to a Q&A session and participated in virtual breakout conversations.

Below are highlights from Michele’s presentation, including how to find panel opportunities, the essential information you need to know once you’ve secured an invite, and the “Dos” that will help you succeed as a panelist.

I want to speak on a panel but where do I start?
Once you decide you want to share your knowledge as a panelist, begin looking for opportunities. To help focus your search, think about the current trends, hot topics and challenges in your industry or field and what expertise and unique points of view you can share on those topics. The more naturally aligned your experiences and insights are to a topic, the more value you can offer. Below are some ways to find panels.

• Leverage your external networks: Start posting more on your LinkedIn page, share or repost articles of interest to you and comment on others’ posts. Show your network you are out there and active. Take note of any industry conferences soliciting requests for speakers and send them an idea. Private message an industry contact you trust and ask them if they know of any panelist speaking opportunities. Build relationships with event planners, conference producers or even past panelists.
• Spread the word in your internal networks: Let your boss know you want to share your expertise more broadly and connect with the communicators in your organization. Companies often have multiple layers of communicators (corporate level, regional level, business unit level) and they are always looking for news and information to share. Circulating ideas like this can take time so be both persistent and patient; what could start as a small blurb about a project you are working on in a business unit newsletter could evolve into a companywide intranet news article, which could be picked up for a companywide town hall meeting that might later be delivered in the form of a panel.

I just got invited to speak on a panel! What do I need to know?
Congratulations! There are several things you need to know ahead of time; preplanning is key to ensure you show up prepared and confident. Don’t be afraid to ask any of these questions.

Event/Meeting Details

• Is there an agenda for the meeting or conference?
• What is the focus or topic of the panel?
• What is the panel length and format?

People

• Who is the audience, what level are they at in their careers and how much do they know about the topic?
• Who are the other panelists, what organizations or business units are they from and what level are they at in their careers?
• Who will be moderating the panel and what is their background and moderating style?

Content

• What perspective do they want you to offer in the conversation?
• What are the questions being asked and when will I receive them? Will there be additional questions from the audience?
• Will there be a rehearsal?
  • Rehearsals give you an opportunity to connect with the other panelists and moderator before the day of the event so the conversation feels more natural when you are on stage, virtually or in person. If there isn’t a formal rehearsal planned by the event producers, ask the panelists and moderator if they want to connect via email or phone for an informal rehearsal to talk through the questions.

Logistics

• Is the session in-person or virtual?
  • If in person, what is the stage setting (high top chairs, fireside chat, desk level conversation)? Are there COVID restrictions that I need to follow?
  • If virtual, what is the meeting platform? Will there be a tech test (internet, audio, video, lighting)? What features in the meeting platform will be enabled (can I see people, is Q&A visible to the panel)?

Miscellaneous

• Who are my contacts (tech contact, event producer and moderator)? If possible, get phone numbers.
• How and where will this event be promoted? Can I share this information with my network on my personal social media channels?
• How will I be introduced? Make sure you provide a bio because this is part of your personal branding.

Today is the day I will be speaking on my panel – any last tips?

Remember, panels are all about sharing your expertise and raising your visibility  ̶  in your company and in your field. But don’t fool yourself into thinking you can wing it. If you prepare, panels will help you build your confidence and hone your public speaking skills so you can set yourself up for future panels or a presentation, inside or outside of your organization.

About Michele Weber
Michele Weber is Senior Principal, Executive Communications at Discover, responsible for planning and managing communications strategy and execution for the Chief Executive Officer and other C-suite leaders to help translate the business strategy, objectives and results, while also driving and reinforcing company culture with employees. In addition to writing, editing and planning company-wide meetings, she has spent a good deal of time coaching leaders on how to prepare and present to all types of audiences.

PayTechWomenLead is a three-part virtual series designed to help you gain insights and develop foundational leadership skills to move into the C-Suite and chart your own career path.  

Our stellar lineup of speakers will share their personal journeys to top executive roles while sharing actionable tips to help you rise to the next level in your career.