disrupting panels

I’ve been attending quite a few panels recently, and I realized something that’s always bothered me a bit about panels.

In a setting where more than one person has the mic, the people who are less precise and succinct with their responses are the ones that speak the majority of the time. This is sort of a double whammy – not only are the answers more difficult to understand, but they reduce the amount of time available for other questions and ‘better’ answers.

I imagine the panel organizers are hesitant to step on the toes of panel speakers, but here’s an opportunity to disrupt this setting in a way that adds value to both parties. Just set a timer – responses limited to 30 seconds. This creates more opportunity for dialogue, more questions, more answers, and ‘elevates the game’ of the panelists, forcing them to get to the point (and over time, teaching them how to do so).