Think back to the last conference you attended. You were excited about a particular panel presentation. Maybe it was because of the topic or the presenter or both. You leaned forward in anticipation only to be disappointed.
This recently happened to me. The panelists had interesting information but it wasn’t easy to follow. One of the panelists spoke too fast. Another had a tendency to mumble intermittently. And the last panelist was difficult to hear. Fortunately, the Audio Visual person quickly boosted the sound level to amplify her soft voice. Afterwards, I approached the AV team to offer my appreciation I thanked the audio engineer profusely. He salvaged the panel and he did it seamlessly.
I reflected on my experience as a listener and how important it is for the panel to be clear. It’s not enough to rehearse the content. If the delivery is poor, the message doesn’t get through. If one panelist doesn’t perform well it affects the entire group.
To ensure your panel presentation captivates and resonates, consider the following 3 P’s:
Project. Having a clip-on microphone doesn’t guarantee the speaker will be heard. Hold your head up and speak out. Don’t speak down into your chest. This isn’t a one-to-one conversation. It takes energy to speak from a stage so don’t use your intimate voice.
Pronounce. It’s essential to enunciate sounds and syllables. The audience can’t see your mouth from a distance and this makes it difficult if they miss a word or phrase. Some presenters slur longer words and can sound like they’re speaking through a filter. It’s essential to pronounce the endings of words and realize that it’s the consonants that add clarity to your diction.
Pause. The audience will feel frustrated if the panelist rushes or speaks on one run-on sentence. Practice coming to a stop. Use a short one-beat pause after a sentence and a two- beat pause after a paragraph. Give the brain time to process the information. If the listeners can’t take notes, you’re talking too fast. Confidence and impact are amplified when speakers master the art of pacing.
Panel presentations are popular. It allows a different perspective on a topic and it’s more engaging to hear different voices. The success of the presentation requires all panelists to master their delivery as well as the message. Practice the three P’s to master your panel presentation skills and leave a lasting impact on your audience.
To learn how to Speak Confidently and Effectively check out my LinkedIn learning course. It ranked in the Top 20 Most Popular courses for 2 years.
To learn techniques to overcome fear of speaking, read Chapter 3 of Knockout Presentations.
To work with me contact DiResta Communications, Inc.