tips for a successful panel discussion

8/10/2019 Tips for a Successful Panel Discussion

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Tips for a successful panel discussion

Purpose:

The purpose of this document is to provide tips for persons submitting proposals for 90

minute panel discussions for TOPHC.

Three main areas of consider:

Panel discussions are intended to impart new information to the audience. This can be in

the form of new ideas, different perspective on ideas, or how different groups come

together to improve ideas. Three key features of the successful workshops are:

1. Being very specific about the educational objectives of the panel discussion,

2. Using the principles of adult learning (see below) to enhance interactivity and

learning, and

3.

Being continuously mindful of the learners/participants perspective and

developing the educational materials and agenda accordingly.

Advice related to the 3 areas:

1. Educational objectives.

The more explicit you can be about the outcomes of the session, the better. In

considering the outcomes, ideally you would base it on a needs assessment that

considers the measured and perceived needs of the audience. You can do this by asking

representative members of the audience, key informants, and also look at performance

gap based on experience.

Once you have the needs defined, we recommend that you design the educational

objectives along two main dimensions.

Clearly define the type of outcome you want to achieve. Is it an increase in

knowledge? Is it development or enhancement of a skill? Is it a change in

attitude towards a subject? Is it a combination of them all? For a panel

discussion, the focus is usually on knowledge and/or attitudes. Skill

development is usually done better in a workshop format.

The second dimension is the level of the outcome to be achieved. It starts with

defining where the audience is now (are you aiming it at novices or those with

experience) and then describing where do you want them to be at the end. As

part of this, there is the factual knowledge to be learned but there is also the

ability to weigh pros and cons, evaluate situations and incorporate new

information into practice. For these higher levels of functioning, the choice of

verbs is important.


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A good reference for developing goals and objectives can be found at

http://www.cepd.utoronto.ca/newsletter/2009_fall/Quick_Tips_Writing_Goals_

Objectives.pdf

One final note is to link the activities to the objectives whenever possible. For

example, once you have created the objectives and set the draft agenda, try tomatch each activity one of the objectives. If at the end, you have an objective

with no activities or major activities without a corresponding objective, you may

wish to revisit both the objectives and the agenda to try and align them better.

2. Linking concepts and allowing for interactivity.

Panel discussions usually involve a fair degree of lecturing. Lectures are an efficient

method of delivering a lot of information in a short time frame. When you have

multiple speakers, consider the following points:

A. Linking the concepts. Once you have created the objectives and linked them

to an initial agenda, ask yourself the following questions: how well do these

different lectures hang together? and do the components build on each

other and thereby meet the educational objectives?. For example, if you

want to spark debate, you should have speakers with opposing views follow

each other. However, if you want to show different perspectives, is it

possible to have the two speakers use a common scenario to help audiences

quickly appreciate the effect of these differing perspectives. The bottom line

is to plan the session from the audiences perspective.

Please note that this process can be iterative so if you find yourself going

back and forth from objectives to agenda and so on, this is okay. It takestime and creativity to get it right.

B. Increasing interactivity. Ideally, one should aim for 30% - 40% of the time

being interactive discussion or group work. Reviewing the evaluations of

previous TOPHC sessions, it is amazing how commonly the terms great

discussion and a great chance to talk about the issue appeared in the

highly ranked sessions. These were more frequently seen than great

speaker. In comparison, the terms no chance for discussion are often

listed in the sessions that ranked lower. The bottom line: focus as much on

planning the interactivity component and dont leave it to chance. Some

tricks include:

a. Prepare some key questions in advance and ask them of the

audience.

b.

Ask the audience about their experience. Problem solving of their

issues can be very productive.
http://www.cepd.utoronto.ca/newsletter/2009_fall/Quick_Tips_Writing_Goals_Objectives.pdfhttp://www.cepd.utoronto.ca/newsletter/2009_fall/Quick_Tips_Writing_Goals_Objectives.pdfhttp://www.cepd.utoronto.ca/newsletter/2009_fall/Quick_Tips_Writing_Goals_Objectives.pdfhttp://www.cepd.utoronto.ca/newsletter/2009_fall/Quick_Tips_Writing_Goals_Objectives.pdfhttp://www.cepd.utoronto.ca/newsletter/2009_fall/Quick_Tips_Writing_Goals_Objectives.pdf


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c. Allow structured time for it and let the audience know in advance (in

the printed agenda or when you introduce the session). If the

audience knows that you want discussion, you are giving them

permission to participate.

A good plan is to try all 3 of the above. Usually the combination works well.

3. Being mindful of the learners perspective.

As stated above, making things relevant is central to running a successful session. If the

learner/participant does not see the value of the new knowledge to his/her work, there

is a very low chance of change occurring or for you to get a really high score on the

workshop evaluation. So one option is to make sure you engage representatives of the

target audience in developing the panel discussion.

Another important consideration is the level of expertise among the participants. Many

of them may well have considerable experience in the topic while some may come from

another discipline, thereby adding a valuable new perspective to the discussion. This

respect and inclusion of the expertise from the participants can make the panel

discussion a tremendous success, particularly when there is a synergy between the

presenters and the audience.


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Sample 90 minute panel discussion agenda (just for consideration)

As an example of a mixed methods session, here is a draft 90 minute objective.

Time from

the start

Activity Educational objective

0-5 minutes Introduction, description of the

educational objectives, and

setting the agenda for the

session. In a panel discussion,

you may want to set the

stage too by describing why

this session is being offered.

Orientation and sets the stage.

5-10 minutes Introduction of panelists and

their relevant background

Helps the audience know why each

panelist is presenting and what tolook for in the presentation.

10-20

minutes

Lecture: key information for

the participant. The first

panelist needs to set the stage

and cover the main points.

Often this person gives the

background.

Link to educational objectives related

to gain in knowledge.

20- 30

minutes

Panelist 2 Lecture: key

information for the participant.This panelist should pick up on

the main points from panelist 1

and then move to their

material. Do not re-hash the

introduction.



30-40

minutes

Panelist 3 Lecture: key

information for the participant.

This panelist should pick up on

the main points from panelist 1

and then move to their

material. Do not re-hash the

introduction.



4060

minutes

Questions of clarification

followed by questions and

discussion.

Interactive portion. Allow for

questions of clarification first to make

sure the audience understands the


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points. Then move on to discussion.

You do not want a discussion based

on misunderstandings.

6080

minutes

Interactive portion: this can be

pre-set questions, casepresentations or other

activities. Try to tie the session

to what the audience may be

doing in their jobs.

Interactive portionallows for

application

Link to educational objectives.

80-90

minutes

Wrap up and evaluation Summarize key points for the

audience.

Other references and guides will be posted on TOPHC website so please check them out.

If you have comments or questions, please send them [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

tips for a successful panel discussion

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