How to prepare for a panel

Speeches are highly complex communicative acts. The fact that many speakers convey their ideas to the audience with ease may lead us to believe that this is a simple job or that we can improvise and build the message as we deliver it.

The truth is that behind every good speech, there are long days of preparation and rehearsal. In the case of panels, prior study is vital when it comes to performing with confidence and defending our position. It is important to bear in mind that the panels are structured in different phases, including questions to the audience, further increasing the need for adequate preparation.

During the development of this session, we will be analyzing some of the strategies that we can carry out when preparing for a panel presentation. This will be useful to deepen your knowledge about this important communicative act.

Know the different positions: The panel is composed of various specialists who approach a given topic from different positions. It is important that we not only focus on the criteria we seek to defend, but that we learn to identify the perspectives assumed by our colleagues. When we have this information, it is easier to elaborate a coherent discourse, avoiding controversies or foreseeing that the arguments are solid enough to support our criteria.

A simple way to find out what the criteria of the other panelists are is to consult any written or audiovisual material in which they have previously addressed this topic. Since panels are usually made up of specialists in a given area, it is most likely that this is not the first time they have expressed their ideas on the topic to be discussed.

Anticipate the questions: Once the discussion among the panelists is over, the moderator proceeds to ask questions from the audience. Of course, you will answer those questions that are related to the point of view you have defended. Your audience may ask you to expand on the information you have provided or to justify some of your criteria.

This phase may cause you problems if you have not prepared adequately. Reread your speech as many times as necessary and try to anticipate the audience's questions. When you identify a point that you think may generate controversy or that you simply have not been able to expand on due to time constraints, prepare questions that you would ask if you were part of that audience.

This simple exercise helps us to consciously prepare ourselves for questions that may require a certain degree of analysis. It is important that we not only show mastery with our presentation, since the questions and answers is one of the most significant phases of the panel.

Control time: Generally, panels are tightly regulated so that panelists do not overrun their presentation time. Failure to control the timing of our presentation may result in having to interrupt it without having addressed the strong points of the presentation. That is why controlling the timing of the presentation is an essential part of the rehearsal. Use a stopwatch to adjust the length of your speech and try to finish it a few minutes before running out of time.

Leaving a few minutes of reserve between the time we have and the duration of our presentation can be useful to prevent the occurrence of unforeseen events that may affect us during the presentation. Likewise, make sure that the strong points of your message are not left until the end, so that if the need arises to shorten the presentation even more, the essence of the presentation will not be affected.