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 OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts