Keys to better leverage your moderator

– Hire one! It looks like a dispensable professional… but the moderator brings much value, makes the event flow, ensure continuity in the day, introduce, conclude, make transitions… And if you do not hire a proper moderador, you lose a great resource: the person fully responsible for the “flow” of the training content.

– Choose the type of moderator. It makes no sense to think of “a moderator” as something generic. There are several types and you have to choose depending on your goals. If it is a highly technical, complex issue and the aim is mainly pure knowledge for the public, your event may require a “technical” moderator, expert in the field who can make sense of perspective to the discussions, ask expert and technical questions… If the goal is creating community, and teamwork is more important than pure content, you can go for a “group manager” moderator, not necessarily technically skilled in the matter, but who ensures that people get involved and share. And if you got a lot of content but you´re afraid of a day which seems long, you can take a moderator more “entertainer”.

– Give him a good brief. Who is the audience, what they want to learn, what we want them to learn, what group creation goals there are, what content we should generate and capture, which is the overall objective of the event, what has happened in the last edition of the event (success / problems)… All this will allow him to do a better job and avoid mistakes.

– Involve him from the meeting design stage. Don´t pass to them the event script on D-day! The moderator will have to be involved from the conception of the event, the training program. He will read and modify the program always thinking of the moments of tiredness to solve, the ways to generate interactivity… He will give you ideas of formats, of time management, including even how to incorporate technological solutions for communication, voting… and have to meet all the people involved, from the technical equipment to the hostesses who will pass the microphones, and agree on protocols on managing Q&A, making technical transitions, or cut a session for example.

– Go over the program with him, and put him in touch with the speakers very early. The moderator has to be the interlocutor of the speakers from the moment in which their participation is decided, so dialogue is natural between them, but especially to review each speaker´s theme, format, moments of interactivity, support from the moderator… Another important thing is to give the moderator authorityso he can intervene or even cut if necessary.

– Beware of the “protagonist”. You need a good moderator… but not a star. Never forget that the protagonists are the speakers (and the public). While the moderator is important, don´t let him take center stage. Taking a star journalist can lead to the moderator is the protagonist (by choice or simply natural prestige) and your content can be lost.