Tips for a successful panel discussion

Purpose:
The purpose of this document is to provide tips for persons submitting proposals for 90
minute panel discussions for TOPHC.
Three main areas of consider:
Panel discussions are intended to impart new information to the audience. This can be in
the form of new ideas, different perspective on ideas, or how different groups come
together to improve ideas. Three key features of the successful workshops are:
1. Being very specific about the educational objectives of the panel discussion,
2. Using the principles of adult learning (see below) to enhance interactivity and
learning, and
3. Being continuously mindful of the learners/participants perspective and
developing the educational materials and agenda accordingly.
Advice related to the 3 areas:
1. Educational objectives.
The more explicit you can be about the outcomes of the session, the better. In
considering the outcomes, ideally you would base it on a needs assessment that
considers the measured and perceived needs of the audience. You can do this by asking
representative members of the audience, key informants, and also look at performance
gap based on experience.
Once you have the needs defined, we recommend that you design the educational
objectives along two main dimensions.
Clearly define the type of outcome you want to achieve. Is it an increase in
knowledge? Is it development or enhancement of a skill? Is it a change in
attitude towards a subject? Is it a combination of them all? For a panel
discussion, the focus is usually on knowledge and/or attitudes. Skill
development is usually done better in a workshop format.
The second dimension is the level of the outcome to be achieved. It starts with
defining where the audience is now (are you aiming it at novices or those with
experience) and then describing where do you want them to be at the end. As
part of this, there is the factual knowledge to be learned but there is also the
ability to weigh pros and cons, evaluate situations and incorporate new
information into practice. For these higher levels of functioning, the choice of
verbs is important.

A good reference for developing goals and objectives can be found at

http://www.cepd.utoronto.ca/newsletter/2009_fall/Quick_Tips_Writing_Goals_
Objectives.pdf
One final note is to link the activities to the objectives whenever possible. For
example, once you have created the objectives and set the draft agenda, try to
match each activity one of the objectives. If at the end, you have an objective
with no activities or major activities without a corresponding objective, you may
wish to revisit both the objectives and the agenda to try and align them better.
2. Linking concepts and allowing for interactivity.
Panel discussions usually involve a fair degree of lecturing. Lectures are an efficient
method of delivering a lot of information in a short time frame. When you have
multiple speakers, consider the following points:
A. Linking the concepts. Once you have created the objectives and linked them
to an initial agenda, ask yourself the following questions: how well do these
different lectures hang together? and do the components build on each
other and thereby meet the educational objectives?. For example, if you
want to spark debate, you should have speakers with opposing views follow
each other. However, if you want to show different perspectives, is it
possible to have the two speakers use a common scenario to help audiences
quickly appreciate the effect of these differing perspectives. The bottom line
is to plan the session from the audiences perspective.
Please note that this process can be iterative so if you find yourself going
back and forth from objectives to agenda and so on, this is okay. It takes
time and creativity to get it right.
B. Increasing interactivity. Ideally, one should aim for 30% - 40% of the time
being interactive discussion or group work. Reviewing the evaluations of
previous TOPHC sessions, it is amazing how commonly the terms great
discussion and a great chance to talk about the issue appeared in the
highly ranked sessions. These were more frequently seen than great
speaker. In comparison, the terms no chance for discussion are often
listed in the sessions that ranked lower. The bottom line: focus as much on
planning the interactivity component and dont leave it to chance. Some
tricks include:
a. Prepare some key questions in advance and ask them of the
audience.
b. Ask the audience about their experience. Problem solving of their
issues can be very productive.

c. Allow structured time for it and let the audience know in advance (in
the printed agenda or when you introduce the session). If the
audience knows that you want discussion, you are giving them
permission to participate.
A good plan is to try all 3 of the above. Usually the combination works well.
3. Being mindful of the learners perspective.
As stated above, making things relevant is central to running a successful session. If the
learner/participant does not see the value of the new knowledge to his/her work, there
is a very low chance of change occurring or for you to get a really high score on the
workshop evaluation. So one option is to make sure you engage representatives of the
target audience in developing the panel discussion.
Another important consideration is the level of expertise among the participants. Many
of them may well have considerable experience in the topic while some may come from
another discipline, thereby adding a valuable new perspective to the discussion. This
respect and inclusion of the expertise from the participants can make the panel
discussion a tremendous success, particularly when there is a synergy between the
presenters and the audience.

Sample 90 minute panel discussion agenda (just for consideration)

As an example of a mixed methods session, here is a draft 90 minute objective.
Time from
the start

Activity

Educational objective

0-5 minutes

Introduction, description of the

educational objectives, and
setting the agenda for the
session. In a panel discussion,
you may want to set the
stage too by describing why
this session is being offered.

Orientation and sets the stage.

5-10 minutes

Introduction of panelists and

their relevant background

Helps the audience know why each

panelist is presenting and what to
look for in the presentation.

10-20
minutes

Lecture: key information for

the participant. The first
panelist needs to set the stage
and cover the main points.
Often this person gives the
background.

Link to educational objectives related

to gain in knowledge.

20- 30
minutes

Panelist 2 Lecture: key

information for the participant.
This panelist should pick up on
the main points from panelist 1
and then move to their
material. Do not re-hash the
introduction.

Link to educational objectives related

to gain in knowledge.

30-40
minutes

Panelist 3 Lecture: key

information for the participant.
This panelist should pick up on
the main points from panelist 1
and then move to their
material. Do not re-hash the
introduction.

Link to educational objectives related

to gain in knowledge.

40 60
minutes

Questions of clarification
followed by questions and
discussion.

Interactive portion. Allow for

questions of clarification first to make
sure the audience understands the

points. Then move on to discussion.

You do not want a discussion based
on misunderstandings.
60 80
minutes

80-90
minutes

Interactive portion: this can be

pre-set questions, case
presentations or other
activities. Try to tie the session
to what the audience may be
doing in their jobs.

Interactive portion allows for

application

Wrap up and evaluation

Summarize key points for the

audience.

Link to educational objectives.

Other references and guides will be posted on TOPHC website so please check them out.
If you have comments or questions, please send them to ian.johnson@oahpp.ca