Some Rules For Being On Panels

[barbarienne]

The topic came up recently on the OWW about being on panels at conventions. I had this to say (I've edited a bit

Comments

[dorianegray]

Heh heh. I once got dumped on a panel (small con, lack of panellists, I got nabbed as a relatively high-profile member of the Dublin SF community at the time).

I think I said about two sentences, extolling the work of Diana Wynne Jones (the panel was on "neglected areas of SF"), and then sat back and watched James White and whoever the third was argue with each other and the audience.

I have been known to think that other panellists would do well to take this approach.

But also, going off-topic can be fun for all. I once attended a panel which was supposed to be about collaboration...it ended up with Diane Duane giving the entire audience her recipe for death-by-chocolate ice-cream. No-one was complaining...

[puppetmaker40]

I once went to one that dissolved into Andre Norton giving out cat advice to various members of the audience but I learned a lot *grin*

[puppetmaker40]

A-f-ing-men

Sing it sistar.

I have been on a lot of panels in the past 10 years for a wide variety of topics and I have been on at least one panel with each of these people you have described. There are some panels that I see I am up there with *blank* again and my eyes roll back up into my head. There are some that I know I am going to be settling into my chair until called on. And there are some that I know I have been put in as moderator because I seem to be able to keep *blank* in check.

[barbarienne]

Yah. LG kept making me moderator of panels because he knows I can wrangle people.

[buymeaclue]

The moderator makes _such_ a difference. Man. A strong panel can thrive with a weak moderator, but a noisy-and-incompetent moderator, or a decent-but-aimless panel plus weak moderator situation, can get so ugly so fast.

[elaine_brennan]

Those of us who do programming for conventions thank you. ;->.

[barbarienne]

Glad to be of service! You guys have a tough job. I go to enough conventions that the difference between good programming and bad programming is obvious. It's incredibly easy to fuck up programming, but when it's done right, it's wonderful, both for con-goer and for panellist.

[shadowravyn]

Which definitely means I'll be hanging all over your briliance, too.

[buymeaclue]

Good rules.

[ddrpolaris]

Out of all the panelists I've seen, I think I've liked yours, Kim's, and Amy's panels the best, so I'll take your word on those tips (not that I plan on being a panelist anytime soon). Since LG is no longer doing the programming, does Nu know to make you a moderator?

[shadowravyn]

YES.