How to prepare for a panel

Being invited to participate on a professional panel is a compliment to your technical knowledge, personality, and communication skills. Participation can be a great way to enhance your professional reputation. But before you rush to say yes, make sure you are prepared and up to the task.

Explore the ask. Before you agree to participate, know exactly what you will be committing to. Will you be expected to prepare any remarks, or will your role be to answer questions only? Can you review all or some of the questions in advance? How will expenses be handled? If it’s a repeat event, or one in a series, find out details about past sessions. Who participated in the past, and who has agreed to participate this time? What are the goals for this event? While your opinions do not need to be identical to those of the host or organizer, you do need to know if they are diametrically opposed.

Determine the details. Ask questions about the purpose of the panel as well as context—is it part of a bigger event? Find out who will be in the audience, their expected background and areas of interest, and if there’s a particular subject area on which the organizers would like you to focus. Do you have expertise and interest in the subject of the panel, and do you have something to say about it? Make notes that include the points you want to make and how you can get them across. Make sure you are up to date on recent developments in the field.

Learn the logistics. Will the event be in person or virtual? Is there a dress code? Make sure you have location details such as address, room number, and parking location. Ask for an overall event schedule and reimbursement policies. Plan your schedule to minimize distractions before the event. Make sure you can get a good night’s sleep beforehand, and allow extra time to get to the venue and de-stress from any travel before the event begins; you might even leave time to network with other panelists or attendees.

Prepare for the panel. Turn off all your devices during the event. Be prepared to introduce yourself in a way that’s relevant to the topic, just in case the organizer does not do it. Be concise and clear in your answers. Be ready for others to ask for more information in follow-up questions or a Q&A segment. Take turns with other panelists when you offer answers. Don’t always be the first to answer, don’t interrupt others, and make sure to acknowledge other panelists’ points and build on them.

Acknowledge others afterward. Plan your schedule so you can stick around afterward. Be available to answer more audience questions and to follow up with other panelists. If you promise to send something like a link or document to someone, do it as soon as possible. Be grateful: make sure to thank the organizers, other panelists, and anyone else who helped you. You will want to thank them in person at the event, and then follow up by email, written note, or text message. You may even want to ask, separately from your thanks, for feedback, including how you can improve for next time. Serving on a panel discussion is a great way to enhance your professional reputation, and a little preparation can go a long way.

Get involved in the discussion. The ACS Career Tips column is published monthly in C&EN. Send your comments and ideas for topics for future columns to careernavigator@acs.org.