Moderate A Panel Discussion

Summary

In this insightful panel discussion, experts delve into glossophobia, the fear of public speaking. The moderator sets the stage by introducing panelists with diverse backgrounds, including a neuroscientist, a motivational speaker, and a behavioral therapist. They explore the roots of fear, the role of positive thinking, and strategies to face and overcome it. The discussion highlights the importance of addressing underlying anxieties and the practical steps to build confidence in public speaking, providing valuable insights for those looking to conquer their stage fright.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ Preparing for a panel discussion is crucial for both moderators and panelists to ensure a successful interaction.
• 🔎 The script emphasizes the importance of observing strategies, especially how panelists respond and interact, rather than the setting.
• 🎯 The moderator's role includes setting the topic, introducing panelists, and keeping the discussion on time and on topic.
• 🧠 Dr. Frank Silva, a neuroscientist, highlights the neurological aspects of fear, specifically glossophobia, the fear of public speaking.
• 📢 Stephanie Harris, a motivational speaker, discusses the psychological response to fear and the underlying fears that drive the fear of public speaking.
• 👩‍⚕️ Betty Irwin, a behavioral therapist, provides insights on facing fears and the practical steps to overcome the fear of public speaking.
• 🤔 The script suggests that fear of public speaking is often a symptom of deeper fears, such as fear of rejection.
• 💡 Changing the way one thinks about public speaking can alter the emotional response to it, as indicated by the panelists' experiences.
• 🤝 The moderator effectively engages panelists by asking open-ended questions and deferring to the expertise of others.
• ⏰ Time management is key during panel discussions, and the moderator must ensure that all panelists have an opportunity to contribute.
• 🙅‍♂️ Disagreements among panelists should be handled respectfully without becoming personal, maintaining a professional atmosphere.
• 📣 The question and answer session with the audience is an essential part of the panel discussion, allowing for further exploration of topics.

Q & A

What is glossophobia and why is it a common fear among people?

Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking. It is a common fear because numerous surveys have identified it as people's greatest fear, often eliciting anxiety and fear just by the thought of speaking in public.

How does Dr. Frank Silva's neuroscientific research contribute to understanding human fear?

Dr. Frank Silva's research into human fear helps to understand the neurological aspects of fear, including how it manifests in the brain and the potential pathways for overcoming it.

What is Stephanie Harris's approach as a motivational speaker to help others overcome their fear?

Stephanie Harris helps others by identifying and addressing the underlying fears that cause the fear of public speaking, such as fear of rejection, and by encouraging people to face their fears directly.

How does Betty Irwin, as a behavioral therapist, recommend facing the fear of public speaking?

Betty Irwin recommends facing the fear by placing oneself in situations that will challenge and confront the fear, which can help in overcoming it over time.

What is the role of the moderator in keeping the panel discussion on time and on topic?

The moderator's role is to guide the discussion, ask open-ended questions, and ensure that the conversation remains focused on the primary topic while managing the time effectively for all participants.

How do panelists respond to the moderator's question about the fear of public speaking in their own work?

The panelists share their experiences and perspectives, such as observing the paralyzing effect of glossophobia on students, and how they have seen fear manifest in different forms and contexts.

What is the significance of changing the way one thinks about public speaking in overcoming the fear?

Changing the way one thinks about public speaking can alter the emotional response to it. This cognitive shift can help in reducing anxiety and fear associated with the act of speaking in public.

How does the moderator handle a situation where a panelist talks too long or goes off-topic?

The moderator respectfully redirects the conversation back to the primary topic, ensuring that all panelists have an opportunity to contribute and that the discussion remains relevant.

What is the purpose of the question and answer session with the audience in a panel discussion?

The Q&A session allows the audience to engage directly with the panelists, posing questions that can provide additional insights, address specific concerns, or challenge the panelists' viewpoints.

How should a moderator handle a controversial question or disagreement among panelists?

The moderator should maintain composure, ensure that the appropriate panelist has the opportunity to address the issue, and facilitate a respectful exchange of differing perspectives.

What strategies can be applied to successfully moderate a panel discussion?

Strategies include preparation, time management, asking open-ended questions, respecting all participants, addressing controversial topics calmly, and ensuring a smooth transition between different segments of the discussion.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Overcoming Glossophobia: Strategies in Panel Discussions

This paragraph introduces a panel discussion on glossophobia, the fear of public speaking. The moderator sets the stage by discussing the importance of preparation for both moderators and panelists. The panel consists of a professor, a neuroscientist, a motivational speaker, and a behavioral therapist, each bringing a unique perspective on understanding and overcoming the fear. The moderator uses effective techniques to engage the panelists, such as asking open-ended questions and deferring to the expertise of others. The discussion highlights the psychological aspects of fear and the importance of facing it to overcome it, with the panelists sharing insights from their respective fields.

05:02

🤔 Navigating Controversy and Closing a Panel Discussion

The second paragraph delves into the complexities of moderating a panel discussion, particularly when controversial questions arise. The moderator's role in maintaining order, ensuring all panelists have an opportunity to contribute, and managing time effectively is emphasized. The paragraph also illustrates how to handle challenging questions by staying calm and allowing the appropriate panelist to respond. The session concludes with the moderator thanking the participants and inviting the audience to interact with the panelists, showcasing the importance of positive thinking and the application of various techniques to face and overcome fear.

Keywords

💡Panel Discussion

A panel discussion is a form of forum where a group of experts or individuals with differing viewpoints discuss a specific topic. In the video, it serves as the platform for exploring the fear of public speaking, with each panelist bringing their expertise to the conversation. The moderator introduces the topic and manages the flow of the discussion, ensuring that the subject matter is addressed from various perspectives.

💡Glossophobia

Glossophobia refers to the fear of public speaking. It is the central theme of the video, as the panelists discuss this common fear and how it can be overcome. The script mentions that numerous surveys have identified public speaking as people's greatest fear, highlighting the prevalence and impact of glossophobia in society.

💡Neuroscientist

A neuroscientist is a specialist in the scientific study of the nervous system and brain functions. Dr. Frank Silva, one of the panelists, is introduced as a neuroscientist who researches human fear, contributing to the discussion by providing insights into the neurological aspects of glossophobia.

💡Motivational Speaker

A motivational speaker is someone who inspires and motivates individuals through storytelling and advice. Stephanie Harris, another panelist, is a motivational speaker who helps others overcome their fear, specifically addressing the psychological aspects of glossophobia and offering strategies to conquer it.

💡Behavioral Therapist

A behavioral therapist is a professional who helps individuals change problematic behaviors through various therapeutic techniques. Betty Irwin, a panelist, is a behavioral therapist who has equipped patients to work through fear and excel in their professional lives, providing practical advice on facing and overcoming the fear of public speaking.

💡Public Speaking

Public speaking is the act of addressing an audience in a formal setting. It is a skill that many people fear, as indicated by the surveys mentioned in the script. The panelists discuss various aspects of public speaking, including the fear it can elicit and strategies for overcoming this fear.

💡Fear and Anxiety

Fear and anxiety are emotions that can be triggered by the thought of public speaking. The script highlights how these feelings are common responses to the prospect of speaking in front of an audience and are central to the discussion on how to manage and overcome them.

💡Underlying Fear

An underlying fear is a deeper, often subconscious, concern that contributes to a specific fear, such as glossophobia. The script mentions that Miss Harris helps attendees discover their greater underlying fears, which may be the actual cause of their fear of public speaking.

💡Positive Thinking

Positive thinking involves maintaining a positive attitude and outlook, even in the face of challenges. In the script, Dr. Silva discusses the impact of positive thinking on facing fear, suggesting that it can help individuals confront and manage their anxiety about public speaking.

💡Question and Answer Session

A question and answer session is a part of the panel discussion where the audience can engage with the panelists by asking questions. The script describes how the moderator manages this session, ensuring that the audience's inquiries are addressed and that the discussion remains relevant to the topic of public speaking fear.

💡Controversial Question

A controversial question is one that may provoke disagreement or debate among the panelists or the audience. In the script, a challenging question is posed to Dr. Silva, which he addresses by explaining the role of positive thinking in managing fear, demonstrating how panelists can handle contentious issues during a discussion.

Highlights

The panel discussion focuses on strategies for moderating and participating effectively, not just the setting.

The moderator establishes the topic, introduces himself and the panelists, and engages them with a relevant question.

Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking, is a common fear that the panel aims to understand and help overcome.

Dr. Frank Silva, a neuroscientist, discusses how fear can be paralyzing and his research on human fear.

Stephanie Harris, a motivational speaker, shares her perspective on helping others overcome fear.

Betty Irwin, a behavioral therapist, talks about equipping patients to work through fear in their professional lives.

The moderator uses open-ended questions to encourage panelists to share their expertise confidently.

Panelists defer to the knowledge of others when a question is better suited for another expert.

The moderator keeps track of time and respectfully returns the conversation to the primary topic when needed.

Facing fear is the most important step to overcome it, as emphasized by the behavioral therapist.

Changing the way we think about public speaking can change how we feel about it, according to the neuroscientist.

The moderator facilitates a question and answer session, inviting audience questions and managing time effectively.

The panelists handle controversial questions calmly, providing clarification and maintaining a professional tone.

Positive thinking can help face fear, though it may not make it disappear completely.

The moderator closes the session by thanking participants and inviting further discussion with the panelists.

Applying the discussed strategies will help successfully moderate a panel discussion and prepare for panel participation.

Transcripts

participating in a panel discussion

provides a great opportunity to interact

with experts whether you're the

moderator or a panelist preparation is

important as you watch the following

panel discussion focus on the strategies

used and not the setting make note of

how the panelists respond and interact

keep in mind you'll be holding a panel

discussion for your assignment in this

project and pay close attention to the

techniques the moderator uses to keep

the discussion on time and on topic

today we're talking about a fear that

many of us can relate to glossophobia

the fear of public speaking as a

professor of posting I've observed just

how paralyzing this fear is for my

students each of our panelists brings a

unique perspective that helps us better

understand this fear and overcome it dr.

Frank Silva is a neuroscientist who

researches human fear Stephanie Harris

is a motivational speaker who helps

others overcome their fear and Betty

Irwin is a behavioral therapist who's

equipped patients to work through fear

and excel in their professional lives we

all know that just the thought of public

speaking can elicit fear and anxiety and

many people in fact numerous surveys

have identified public speaking as

people's greatest fear thank you all for

being here today please briefly share

with us how you've seen the fear of

public speaking

demonstrated in your own work the

moderator established the discussion

topic and then introduced himself and

shared his credentials he introduced

each panelist citing their areas of

expertise he started the discussion by

sharing his knowledge and then

immediately engaged the panelists with a

relevant question

let's return and see how the panelists

respond thank you for sharing your

experiences what I hear you all saying

is that our fear of public speaking is

not really about public speaking miss

Harris can you tell us more yes at my

seminars I ask attendees to answer the

question why am i afraid of this

without fail they discover a greater

underlying fear for example a person who

says she's afraid of public speaking may

actually fear rejection however it's

also a psychological response I'd love

to hear dr. Silva's perspective as a

neuroscientist the moderator asked an

open-ended question instead of one that

could be answered yes or no the

panelists confidently shared her

expertise because she was aware that

another panelist may have been better

equipped to answer that specific

question

she also deferred to the knowledge of

others let's go back and see what

happens next as I mentioned a moment ago

when you change the way you think about

public speaking you can change the way

you feel about public speaking it

reminds me of some research on once

conducted on how we can change bad

habits

thank you dr. Silva for your thoughts on

the importance of shifting our thinking

let's come back to your thoughts on this

if we have time at the end want to make

sure we hear from all panelists miss

Irwin as a behavioral therapist how do

you recommend we overcome our fear of

public speaking

the most important thing we can do with

any fear is to face it of course dr.

Silva it's important to change the way

we think but what's more effective is

placing ourselves in situations where we

will be challenged there will be times

in most panel discussions when a

panelists either talks too long or veers

off topic in this example the moderator

kept track of time and respectfully

returned the conversation to the primary

topic giving a different panelist an

opportunity to share I hope you also

noted the way one panelist disagreed

with the other panelist without getting

personal the next segment of this video

demonstrates how to conduct a question

and answer session thank you all for

sharing your thoughts let's take a few

minutes and hear any questions our

audience has please raise your hands if

you have any questions for our panelists

let's say someone decides to face his

fear of public speaking and puts himself

in situations where he'll be challenged

how long will it take before he feels

comfortable and loses those feelings of

fear thank you

the question is how long will it take to

overcome fear

so public speaking feels more

comfortable miss Aaron this is your

field would you care to share your

thoughts it's your job as the moderator

to keep track of time and move on to a

question and answer session

if you've planned one in this example

the moderator invited questions from the

audience

repeated the question and determine

which panelist was most appropriate to

answer next we'll see what happens when

there's a controversial question and

also how the moderator brings the

discussion to a close looks like we have

time for just one more question yes I

have a real problem with dr. Silva's

premise that we can overcome such a real

tangible fear with simple positive

thinking that's a pretty naive response

to a very real issue if it was that easy

why aren't more people world renowned

speakers dr. Silva would you like to

share more about the impact of positive

thinking of course a positive attitude

won't necessarily make the fear

disappear but it can help us face it

there are several techniques one can

apply

thank you for your participation in

today's discussion our panelists are

available for a few minutes if you would

like to speak with them challenging

questions may arise during a panel

discussion in this example the

moderators stayed calm and poised he

gave the appropriate panelist the

opportunity to provide clarification to

close the session he thanked the

audience and invited them to speak with

the panelists applying these strategies

will help you successfully moderate a

panel discussion and equip you to

prepare and respond when asked to serve

on a panel