Remember that example I gave in Chapter 6 about leading a workshop for students in Nablus, in the Palestinian Territories, where a woman talked about the importance of a smile? We actually had eight students join us by videoconference from the Gaza Strip. I had to make sure that the small group felt included by soliciting their questions and even asking one of them to give an impromptu speech on video that all of us in Nablus could watch. While it wasn’t as effective as having the students from Gaza in the room with us, we still provided a productive learning environment.
You can speak with impact on conference calls and through web conferencing and videoconferencing. Take the time to practice and become comfortable with the medium and you’ll be able to maximize those opportunities.
SPEAKING ON OR MODERATING A PANEL
Outside of the office, one of the most common speaking opportunities you will have in the professional world is speaking on a panel. This is a different type of public speaking, for a few reasons. First, you are not alone. This fact is often enough to quell some of the nerves you feel preparing to speak! It could, however, become a new point of concern, especially if others on the panel are there to disagree with you. We’ll deal with that a little later in this section.
When you speak on a panel, someone else is leading the conversation. Instead of giving a long, prepared speech, you are responding to the moderator’s questions, interacting with the other panelists, and taking audience questions. It can be a very interactive format and a lively conversation.
It’s a little easier to prepare for a panel because you don’t need a thirty-minute presentation. You do need to prepare, though, and we’ll cover how. Other benefits include the visibility and credibility that come with the occasion. Being a panelist builds you up as an expert or credible source on a subject. Imagine you work in a massive multinational corporation and are invited to speak on a panel at the annual conference. Now you are building a name within the entire company. If it’s an external conference, there are usually online promotion, social media, and video associated with the event, which will build your reputation around the world.
How to Prepare for Being on a Panel
You prepare for a panel discussion just as you would for a speech or presentation. Start by asking the Three Questions: Who is your audience? What is your goal? Why you? In addition, there is a whole host of questions you’ll want to ask the moderator, such as:
•What is the theme of the panel?
•Who else is on the panel?
•What questions will you ask us?
•What is the format of the panel?
•What is the physical setup?
•Do I need to prepare an opening statement?
Armed with this information, you can now prepare what to say. What are three messages you want to cover? Do you have any surprising anecdotes or statistics to share? Given the questions the moderator has sent over, how can you weave your main messages into your answers? Think about your goal from the Three Questions: What do you want people to do as a result of hearing you speak?
Think about what the other panelists might say. Will some disagree with you? There’s nothing wrong with a healthy debate on a panel: in fact, it makes it more engaging. But if someone on the panel actively disagrees with your viewpoint, it’s good to be prepared. One of our clients was invited to speak on a panel about women’s reproductive rights, only to find out that she’d be debating a religious figure who vehemently disagreed with her methods. We worked together to prepare the talking points she would use.
When appropriate, connect with the panelists in advance, either by phone or online, so you start to build a collegial relationship with them. That warmth will come through on the panel.
Sometimes the moderator will ask you to prepare a short opening statement, perhaps about your background or area of expertise. This is a mini-speech, and you can prepare the same way you would for any other speech.
Once you’ve prepared your material, find a practice buddy and have them ask you questions. Our clients will come to us before a panel with a list of questions the moderator sent them, and we will help them prepare their answers. If the moderator hasn’t sent over any questions in advance, we’ll come up with the most likely questions and then send them to the moderator.
I remember speaking on a panel in Mauritius, a beautiful island country off the coast of Madagascar in southern Africa. The subject was leadership, and our moderator had sent us detailed questions in advance. I prepared using the methods we just discussed and arrived feeling confident and ready. Halfway through the panel, the moderator began asking us a new set of questions, and I was caught scrambling to respond. Later on, I checked my email and saw that, the evening before, she had sent us a new set of questions. Check your messages beforehand!
It’s important to know what the physical setup of the room will be so you can choose the right attire. At a conference, panelists are usually seated, either in armchairs or high chairs. That means you need to choose attire that you can sit in comfortably. Ladies, if you wear a skirt, make sure the skirt is long enough that you are comfortable onstage. I’ve seen many women sit awkwardly in high chairs, attempting unsuccessfully to pull down their skirt while also trying to respond to the moderator’s questions. One female executive I know always wears pants to a conference for just this purpose. Men should also pay attention to their posture: I’ve observed many men sit on a panel with their legs splayed wide open. When one person does it, others subconsciously imitate that same posture.
How to Speak on a Panel
The good and bad news about being on a panel is that you can sit down. It’s more relaxing, but you can also forget that you’re onstage. The moment you walk onstage, you are “on” and need to remain that way until you exit the stage. Even if you are not speaking, you are still in front of the audience. I once attended a “fireside chat” discussion where a journalist interviewed the former president of a university. The journalist sat up tall and was engaged and enthusiastic. The former president, by comparison, slumped in his chair and looked insolently at the floor. He had this gruff, bothered expression on his face and when he spoke, filler words punctured every sentence. To be fair, his content was spot-on and his ideas were enlightening, but I felt offended by his nonverbal communication.
When you speak on a panel, direct your answer to the entire audience. Make eye contact with individuals in the audience, just as you would in a speech or presentation. Keep your answers brief so that you don’t monopolize the entire discussion. On a panel, I like to keep my responses to one or two minutes. If you don’t have the answer to a specific question, then you can bridge back to one of your main messages. Build on a point one of the other panelists made to show continuity. Let it become an interactive, engaging conversation. It’s okay to bring a notebook with you onstage to jot down notes. That can be helpful to capture ideas and refer back to them later.
After the panel, spend some time walking around the conference. This is the easiest type of networking, since people will come up to you. Think about what kind of connections you’d like to make at that conference, and have your business cards ready. We’ve worked with clients who were hoping to attract talented individuals to come work at their company, and after the panel they looked for potential new hires. If you were hoping for funding, be on the lookout for potential funders in the audience.
When You Are the Moderator
The role of moderator is critical in a panel discussion. It comes with all the visibility and credibility we discussed above, in addition to much more responsibility. If you are responsible for choosing speakers, think about who can offer different views on an issue so you don’t have a group of people who all say the same thing. Which opinions need to be represented on an issue? Make sure you reach out to them well in advance, to invite them to speak.
Look at the list of panelists and determine your goals for this discussion. Ask yourself the Three Questions. Come up with a list of questions you
want to ask the panelists, and plan to involve each person equally in the discussion. You might decide to ask each panelist the same questions, or create a different set of questions for each panelist.
As moderator, it’s your responsibility to brief the panelists in advance, either by email or phone. Make sure they know of any time limits. Ask them how to pronounce their names, and practice in advance so you can comfortably introduce them onstage. You should also prepare your own opening statement to introduce the panelists and the discussion.
One major challenge I face as moderator is leading the discussion without dominating it. I see many moderators struggling with this when they want to add their own voice to the discussion—and in doing so, they take up the time of the panelists or of the audience. Moderators, this is an important place for humility; it’s not about you. You can prepare a brief introduction about your experience with the subject of the panel, but then sit back and prepare to play interviewer instead of expert.
Another challenge I see moderators struggle with is their energy level. When you are the moderator, your energy sets the tone for the entire panel, so it’s crucial that you maintain an enthusiastic energy level. At one conference, I observed a moderator whose voice was so quiet that the other panelists had to lean in so they could hear her. They started to unconsciously mimic her voice. At one point, someone handed her a note while she was onstage. She read it and then said, “Apparently we’ve all been asked to speak up, so I’m wondering if you can all speak [whispering] just a little bit louder.” The irony was that after she whispered that request, everyone spoke even more softly.
A similar thing happened at another conference. This panel took place after lunch and was on a controversial topic, so it was critical that we keep people’s energy up. I observed that the moderator and a few of the panelists were soft speakers. One of the panelists was someone I knew to be a strong, powerful speaker, but on this panel she started to speak with a quieter, more reserved voice. When I approached her after the panel to ask her about it, she acknowledged it. “I consciously lowered my energy to match the group so I didn’t sound like a clown,” she said. I told her that she could have lifted up the energy of the entire panel had she spoken in her natural voice. Our desire to fit in sometimes leads us to mimic the styles of others, but in this case everyone was bringing the room down.
Moderating a panel is like facilitating a meeting; you have to concurrently listen to the panelists and evaluate where you are in the flow of the panel. Has everyone spoken for equal amounts of time? Are you staying on topic? Do you still have time for audience questions? Your ability to stay focused and present is critical.
Start by welcoming the audience to the panel discussion. Introduce yourself and your background, the goal of the panel, and then provide a brief introduction of each panelist. Make this personal and authentic; don’t simply read their bios. If you have a question about something in the panelists’ bios, ask them in advance. Once you’ve given your introduction, you can call on the panelists in whichever order you prefer. Try to give each panelist an equal amount of questions and equal time to speak, since not every panelist will have the skill or comfort necessary to interrupt and make a comment.
I also highly recommend making time for audience questions. This is what engages the audience and makes sure you are addressing their questions. I’ve seen conferences in which there is purposefully no time for questions: it’s simply a series of forty-five-minute panels, one after the other. While this is helpful to impart information, I believe it disregards the audience and their questions.
Once you make the decision to include time for questions, it is your job to ensure that there is enough time. You might have to interrupt a panelist who is speaking for too long, and you can do it in the interest of the audience by saying something like, I’m going to jump in because I want to make sure we have enough time for audience questions. If you find that the panel is running long and you had planned to ask your own questions, cut out your questions and turn it over to the audience.
When you turn it over to the audience, you can do a few things. You can ask for questions one at a time, or, if you are pressed for time, ask for three different questions and then let the panelists choose which questions to answer. Consider having someone in the room with a handheld microphone who can run over and give a mic to the person asking a question so everyone can hear it. If there is no mic present, then repeat the question out loud so the audience can hear it. If a questioner starts to make a prolonged statement, it’s okay to gently interrupt that person and ask for the question. As the moderator, it’s your job to protect the room, the entire audience, and the time limits you’ve set for the panel.
When you conclude, provide a few thoughts that summarize the discussion, and then send people on their way. Make it a clear transition so the audience can applaud. I once observed a moderator end a panel discussion and start to introduce the next speaker while the panelists were still onstage. Halfway through the introduction, he looked at the panelists and said, “You guys could stay up here or you could go, but you should probably go.” I was thrown off by such a disrespectful conclusion.
Moderating and speaking on a panel are both terrific public speaking opportunities. Seek out those opportunities through your company or association memberships and use them to increase your public profile and your reputation.
SPEAKING ACROSS BORDERS
Preparing to Speak Abroad
These days, your audience rarely comprises one homogenous group. Even within a country, you have people of different ages, cultures, religions, and socioeconomic levels. Within an international organization like the World Bank, you could have people from fifty countries who all speak the same bureaucratic language but who have different cultural norms. Your challenge is to create a message that resonates with audience members of all kinds, especially if your speech could be posted online. There are some specific tips to keep in mind when you speak across borders.
Speaking outside your own country is an amazing opportunity for increased visibility, credibility, and sometimes even a brief vacation. In the past six years, I’ve given speeches or led training programs in: Israel, Argentina, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Uganda, the Palestinian Territories, Australia, Japan, England, and Mauritius—and hopefully there are many more destinations to follow. My goal is to help you develop a critical eye when preparing a speech for an international audience so that you can successfully translate that speech for different cultures.
When you ask the first of the Three Questions, Who is your audience?, ask if your content will resonate across borders. In the United States, we tend to use a lot of sports analogies such as, It was a home run. I observed a colleague from New York include Yiddish expressions that not everyone in the audience could understand. Depending on your industry and which city you live in, you could hear golfing terminology or Spanish during a presentation. I was teaching a workshop in Sydney, Australia, for a group of women leaders from the Asia Pacific region when an American colleague presented something simple by saying, It’s a piece of cake! I’m not sure our audience members understood the reference.
In Chapter 4, we talked about humor and warned that it might not carry across borders. Talk through your humor with the person who invited you to speak and make sure it will have the intended effect. What’s acceptable humor in one country may not be acceptable in another. Phrases and jokes are a few challenges we face when speaking across borders. Attitude is another. In Japan, it’s a sign of humility to apologize when you start a speech, but to an American audience it will sound unprofessional.2
Test your speech out on people who represent your target audience to see if your message resonates. Research the culture thoroughly so you get a feel for its dynamics. Ask for guidance on attire so you don’t unintentionally offend your audience before you even say a word. Research cultural norms of touch so you don’t start off on the wrong foot (pun intended) when you try to shake someone’s hand.
And speak to people on the ground to make sure you’re not using outdated stereotypes.
As I said earlier in this section, we are always speaking to a diverse group of some sort, even within our country’s borders. All of these techniques can apply whether you’re speaking to a different line of business within your organization or speaking in a foreign country.
Giving Speeches While Traveling
Do not, if at all possible, give a speech on the same day you arrive in a foreign country. Even if you are one of those lucky few who can sleep on flights, and even if you fly business or first class, I recommend taking at least one day to acclimate to a new climate and a new time zone. Give yourself at least one night to sleep in a real bed, and plan on time for travel or weather delays. I normally plan some sightseeing activities for that first day.
If your speech is relatively soon after you arrive, pack your speech attire in your carry-on. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen colleagues present in the casual clothing they flew in because their luggage was lost along the way. Bring snacks with you that you can rely on right before you speak. While I love trying new foods and will often eat anything in front of me, before a speech I want to know that whatever I eat will not interfere with my stomach when I go onstage. Drink lots of bottled water, since traveling can dehydrate you.
When you learn about the culture of the country you’re going to be speaking in, learn how to say “good morning” in that language. When I travel, I like to introduce myself to the audience by saying, in their language, “Good morning, my name is Allison Shapira, and I don’t speak [local language].” From Austria to Japan, that line always gets laughs from the audience and shows respect for their language.
If you’re speaking to a group of people who have varying levels of fluency in that language, make sure you slow down and enunciate clearly, especially if your remarks are being simultaneously interpreted. If possible, walk through your remarks in advance with the interpreter to make sure he or she feels comfortable translating not just the words but also the intent behind the words. If you have multiple speeches in a country, see if you can work with the same interpreter.
Speak with Impact Page 17