How to facilitate a panel successfully

A great moderator can make the difference between a boring discussion and a memorable one. Here are some tips to help your facilitation fire on all cylinders.
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Ringmaster photo by the_steve_cox via Flickr

Moderating a panel discussion – particularly in the arts sector, where the panellists will doubtless be erudite, engaging and well informed – might seem like an easy task on paper. But preventing one person from dominating the discussion, drawing diverse speakers together to shape a coherent conversation, engaging the audience and running to time isn’t as easy as it sounds.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts