Panels can be one of the most high-value formats you can run - low prep for speakers, great visibility for organisations or cause areas, and high learning density for attendees.
The downside? Most panels are slow, repetitive, or shallow.
The difference comes down to design: information density and flow.
Why we talk about this
I’ve run a bunch of these sessions - both panel discussions with people working at high-impact organisations and recruiters hiring for them as part of our Impact Accelerator Program (IAP). They’re always among our most popular and highest-rated sessions.
I’ve thought a lot about what makes them work well.
And recently, someone introduced me to a colleague at their organisation specifically to share what we’ve learned about running great panels.
So maybe I don’t totally suck at them. 😉
Before the session
1. Pick the right mix of panellists
Three works well: enough diversity of perspective, but still manageable for time.
Choose people who:
- Genuinely know the topic (insider insights > surface commentary)
- Represent different angles or experiences
- Are hard for the audience to access otherwise
2. Clarify expectations
Send a short message to the panellists that covers:
- Time commitment: 1h live, no prep needed
- Optional review: You’ll share questions in advance if they want to glance at them
- Recording: If it’ll be recorded, tell them exactly who will have access (e.g. “shared only with program participants and alumni”) and that they can request edits before the content is shared
- Value for them: Share what’s in it for them, e.g. exposure to highly engaged, skilled professionals
3. Craft the right questions
- Group questions into thematic clusters for a coherent narrative. In the recruiter example mentioned above, we tend to walk through the different stages of an application process to provide practical value and make the flow more natural.
- Assign each question to one person (or two with contrasting backgrounds).
- Mark a few as optional to include if you have some additional minutes.
- Avoid “ask everyone the same thing” - it guarantees repetition.
- Final question: I like to close the rounds off with a question that leaves everyone in a happy mood and can be useful for the panellist. My favourite one is “Bragging time: What’s one (recent) success from your organisation?”!
- Best option: collect questions beforehand and include them into your prepared questions. This sometimes means making a question more general to allow more people to gain relevant insights.
- I’d generally avoid live audience Qs as they’re often too long or too niche.
5. Prepare your flow
- Estimate how long you have. Example: 1h session → 5 min welcome, 5 min wrap-up, ~50 min discussion = ~15 min per panellist total.
- It can be helpful to estimate how long people have to answer each question and calibrate the session's pace based on those estimates.
During the session
1. Set the tone fast
Give a crisp intro, explain how audience questions will work, and jump right in.
2. Keep momentum
Don’t alternate mechanically (Question-Answer-Question-Answer). Instead, flow between related themes.
If someone says something interesting, bridge naturally “That’s a great point on X and brings us nicely to our next question …”
3. Host energy matters
Virtual panels can feel flat; bring curiosity and warmth (and maybe a light joke) - you set the tone.
4. Add a new question during the session
In general, I wouldn’t recommend this. You gain a bit more depth while probably losing a whole question later on; you can do this though if you expect there to be lots of additional value, to clarify something, or to go into a really surprising point.
5. Watch the clock
Mark timestamps for when you need to move to the next topic. If you need to drop a question, that’s better than rushing through.
6. Record (and check recording!)
Always test audio/video before and ensure you actually hit “record” once live.
7. Participant Feedback
If you want to get audience feedback, I recommend a short survey (high-level rating; what was most useful? what was least useful?) and have participants enter it in the last 3 mins of the session (as you can already let your panellists leave) - otherwise you will probably never get ~80% of the feedback.
After the session
1. Follow up
Send:
- Thank-you note to the panellists
- Ask for any feedback on what could’ve made their experience smoother and any feedback for organisers.
2. Capture learnings
Ask yourself:
- Which questions got the most engagement?
- Did the topic order feel smooth?
- Where did the conversation drag or repeat?
Iterate for next time.
If you’ve found tricks that make your sessions smoother or more engaging, I’d love to hear them.
