Booher BanterBusiness Communication Consultant

No matter how powerful or persuasive your words, your body language can sabotage your success as a panelist. Make sure you’re in full control of all moving parts—including your tongue.

Avoid “grand-standing” other panel members while they are speaking with attention-grabbing body language when you disagree.  That is, don’t “yell” with head wagging, rolling eyes, dismissive chuckling, chortling, eyebrow contortions, and so forth.  They’re having their turn; you’ll have yours.  Such behavior while another speaks smacks of playground antics.

Keep eye contact with the audience after you accept the “relay baton” from the moderator or another panel member.  Directing your comments to another member of the panel—particularly when you disagree or when the comments may be controversial—appears unnecessarily antagonistic.

Keep your energy high. Consider voice projection and intensity, facial animation, and gestures.  When seated and when speaking informally as if in conversation, it feels natural to relax.  Don’t be tempted, however, to let your energy level lag.  Keep things lively to engage your listeners.

Prevent the deer-in-the-headlights expression. When caught off guard with a question outside your area of expertise, you can quickly look panicked or pleading. If the moderator has failed to do so upfront and if you want to avoid questions from the audience outside a specific focus, clarify your area of expertise again and defer the question or issue to another panelist. Or simply state that you’re not qualified to comment on that topic.  In doing so, just remember to look confident, not caught.

Play with words—not toys.  Sensitive microphones pick up rustling papers, finger-tapping, throat clearing, clicking pens, cell phones, and so forth.  A play on words is clever.  Noisy panelists are, well, just rude.

For more tips on your preparation as a panelist, see “Never Wing It” Part 1 in the series on Presenting as a Panelist.  For tips on interacting with other panelists, see “Holding Your Own with Other Experts” Part 2 of Presenting as a Panelist.

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Posted at 9:36am in Communication—Interpersonal | Permalink | Add Comment » |

Listening requires conscious effort and a willing mind, but it does pay off!

Communication expert Dianna Booher shares four benefits of deciding to listen.

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Posted at 4:58pm in Communication—Interpersonal | Permalink | Add Comment » |

When presenting as part of a panel, think of the situation as a Broadway play rather than a solo performance.  How you interact with other panelists makes the difference between a long-running box-office hit and a one-night show.

Look for appropriate opportunities to piggyback the comments of other panel members.  The most engaging panel presentations are those that simulate a dialogue, even a controversial conversation, rather than a series of three or four mini-speeches by individuals. To make it conversational, find a place to jump into the fray.  Where do you agree—but for a different reason?  Where do you disagree totally?  Why?  Where can you add an illustration?  These opportunities add depth and color to the key points.  But do be careful with your phrasing as you piggyback others’ comments.  Avoid “interpreting” lead-ins such as, “I think what was Cesar was trying to say was….” 

Set yourself up with an opening statement that allows you to hold the floor until you have opportunity to make your point without being interrupted in mid-thought.   Because panelists are not typically facing each other, they have more difficulty with overlapping than in normal conversation. They miss the body language cues that tell them when the other person has finished talking.  So you have to cue each other verbally to prevent interruptions. 

Examples:  “Let me point out three reasons for this situation as I see it: First, there’s the problem with X….”  Another example:  “In my opinion, safety should be our biggest concern. Let me elaborate on why I say that and then give you a quick story about the accident last week in Atlanta.”  These upfront framework statements cue the other panelists and the moderator about the structure of your comments and how long you plan to hold the floor.

Volunteer to respond to a question or share your opinion when appropriate, but beware of shared airtime.  TV talk shows are called “Mornings with Gene and Jane” for a reason.  The show’s producers expect both to have the personality required to make the show a “go.”  But let one person hog all the airtime, and either of two things happens:  That person gets his or her own show—or gets fired.  Likewise, panels are created because sponsors or hosts want to hear from all members of the panel—not just one prima-donna.

Don’t fall into the “me-too” pattern unless verbal agreement adds impact and further understanding.   The single most wasteful habit in meetings—or panels—is having people “amen” each other.  That is, they simply repeat what someone else has said in different words without shedding any new light on the subject.  Remember:  Just because a thought flashes across your mind doesn’t mean you have to voice it.

For other tips on preparation as a panelist, see Part 1: Never Wing It.  For tips on body language as a panelist, read the final post in the series: Part 3: Give Up Grand-Stranding as a Panelist.

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Posted at 2:59pm in Communication—Oral | Permalink | Add Comment » |

Words alone are never the whole message.

Communication expert Dianna Booher shares the importance of reading between the lines. Learn how to “listen” to what’s NOT said.

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Posted at 4:51pm in Communication—Interpersonal | Permalink | Add Comment » |

I don’t know which is worse:  being trapped in an audience listening to panelists who sound as though they were recruited in the hallway five minutes before the program began . . . or being a panelist asked to “fill in” for a no-show and then doubly doomed with an unprepared moderator.

Disaster.  Look for the nearest exit.

To make your panel performance a positive and pleasurable experience, consider these tips.

Ask the moderator for any prepared questions or topics ahead of time so that you can organize your thoughts and have supporting data or illustrations at your fingertips. Although you may be an expert on the assigned topic, most people don’t think as clearly and express themselves as well “spur of the moment” as they do when given a few moments to consider the question or issue. Specific illustrations, anecdotes, or statistics drive home your points and make them memorable. Why talk in generalities when you can be specific and authoritative?

Prepare talking points. Just because you are “sharing the stage” in an informal setting, don’t try to “wing it.” Know what you plan to cover and how much time you have to speak in any prepared opening comments or responses. Some people consider an invitation to be part of a panel a “low-key” assignment that requires no time or prep. Wrong. Don’t just open your mouth and babble when it’s your turn to enlighten the group on your topic. Make a point—or three.

Develop some sound bites to capture your key points. Picture the local TV stations replaying parts of your panel discussion on the morning news programs the following morning. What 10-second or 20-second clips would they lift from your comments? Create short, pithy statements that your audience will remember next week or next month. Clever trumps mundane.

For tips on how to interact with other panelists, read “Holding Your Own with Other Experts” in Part 2 of this series on Presenting as a Panelist.

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Posted at 9:28am in Communication—Oral | Permalink | 2 Comments |

The biggest communication challenge most people face is negotiating. Not to be confused with the fun scene at flea markets when haggling in a second language becomes play, and the stakes make no more difference than a clay pot for a couple of dollars.

I’m talking about serious negotiation situations, such as when you’re trying to

• Convince your son or daughter to finish their college degree
• Win a huge sales contract that could feed your family for the next couple of years
• Keep your job when your colleagues are getting laid off
• Win a promotion and a raise as the economy goes south

My friend and fellow author Don Hutson, and his co-author George Lucas, have just written a new book that addresses negotiation issues head-on:  The One-Minute Negotiator (Berrett-Kohler). Here’s a video clip of an interview the authors recently did on a Memphis CBS morning talk show.

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Posted at 3:12pm in Communication—Interpersonal | Permalink | Add Comment » |