5 things that kill a panel discussion
By David Knutsson · 4 min read
A great panel can be the highlight of the day. A bad one sends the audience to their phones for ten minutes. The difference is almost always craft.
After hundreds of panels, the same mistakes keep showing up. They're easy to avoid — once you know them.
- Too many panelists. More than four and no one gets room to deliver.
- Edgeless questions. "What do you think?" invites platitudes. "What do you think your competitor has wrong?" invites a real conversation.
- No prep. The panel meets backstage and small-talks instead of finding the conflict that matters.
- A moderator who talks too much. Your voice is a building block — not the main course.
- No audience questions — or all audience questions. Design the interaction, don't leave it to chance.
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