The document provides guidance on how to become an excellent moderator. It defines key terms like focus group and moderator. It then outlines 8 steps a moderator should take, such as preparing in advance, introducing the purpose and participants, and making others look smart through probing questions. The moderator aims to guide discussions to conclusions without biases and prevent consensus too early. Finally, it lists 15 dos and don'ts, like connecting with panelists beforehand, keeping discussions on topic through different opinions, and concluding with a recap. The overall aim is for the moderator to navigate discussions impartially to fruitful conclusions through an engaged and consensus-building process.

1. BECOME A WORLD CLASS MODERATOR IN ANY
PANEL DISCUSSION(S)?
Coach The Moderators
A Presentation by Ashutosh Labroo

2. KEY TERMS : FOCUS GROUP & MODERATOR

What is a Focus Group?
A group of interacting individuals having some common interests or
characteristics, brought together by a moderator, who uses the group and
its interaction as a way to gain information about a specific or focused
issue.
 Focus group participants are selected because they have certain
characteristics in common that relate to the topic of the focus group.


Who is a Moderator?
The moderator creates a permissive and nurturing environment that
encourages different perceptions and points of view, without pressuring
participants to vote, plan or reach consensus.
 He/ She navigates the Focus Group to arrive at the best
alternatives, solutions & conclusions based on the topics of discussions in
focus groups.
 A Great Moderator ensures that every member of focus group co-evolves
the conclusion (whatever it is).


Who is a Panelist?

The panelist is aparticipant attending or taking part in a panel discussion
(focus group). A good panelist contributes to giving the panel a direction
in the discussion & allows creating an atmosphere to conclude the right
perspectives or ideals.
February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo

3. BATTLING THE BIASES/ PREJUDICES OF A
MODERATOR
Judgment Bias (Tendency to judge quickly)
 Recency Bias (Bias due to Recent News/ Trends/
Information around)
 Perception Bias
(Religion, Gender, Caste, Creed, Colour, Seniority,
Juniority, Past Baggage etc.)
 Experience Bias (Bias related to your Past
Experience(s))
 Role Bias (Biases related to your role)
 Popularity Bias (Bias related to what is the popular
opinion)

February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo

4. STEPS TOWARDS BECOMING AN EXCELLENT
MODERATOR
1.

Do prepare yourself in advance.
Key Behaviour: Moderators should prepare more
than the panelists.
February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo

5. STEPS TOWARDS BECOMING AN EXCELLENT
MODERATOR
2. Introduce the Focussed Group or Panelists to the purpose/
objective/ vision of why you are moderating the process.
They must get inspired to be with you for the next few hours/
days (As the case might be).

Open With a Brief Reference to the Topic Being Discussed.
It’s important to welcome the panelists and lead into the topic
with a short summary/ presentation/ AV etc.. A lengthy story is
not appropriate, but a short quote, analogy, or anecdote will
kick off the discussion, warm up the panelists, and highlight
the importance of the event.

Key Behaviour: Moderators must make their own vision &
goals for the topic/ subject they are assigned. Focus should
be on concluding with actions/ solutions. Moderators must
always be connected with the vision of why they are
moderating for the subject.
February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo

6. STEPS TOWARDS BECOMING AN EXCELLENT
MODERATOR
3. Make the Focussed Group Members or Panelists
introduce themselves in thirty seconds.

Key Behaviour: Moderators must make sure
panelists know each other atleast briefly & also it
helps the moderator connect with the panelists.
February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo

7. STEPS TOWARDS BECOMING AN EXCELLENT
MODERATOR
4. Make everyone else look smart.

Key Behaviour: A good moderator accounts for only
10% of the speaking time of a panel– he/she is the
―invisible hand,‖ & not the star.
February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo

8. STEPS TOWARDS BECOMING AN EXCELLENT
MODERATOR
5. Stand up for the subject. (Making panelists look smart does
not mean letting them talk anything under the sun.)

Moderator is called the moderator because his/ her role is to
ensure that there is only a moderate level of irrelevant talk and
sales pitches. When a panelist makes a sales pitch or tells
lies, you are morally obligated to correct/ navigate him/ her to
stop & bring the focus back on the topic of discussion.

Key Behaviour : A good moderator is the panel's advocate for
being
truthful,
focussed to reach a deeper insight into the real matter,
precise & specific and
 concerned about a permanent solution (if possible).



February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo

9. STEPS TOWARDS BECOMING AN EXCELLENT
MODERATOR
6. Questioning & Probing - High Altitude + Specifics + Panelist Times.
(Divide your moderator pitch into three equal categories.)
―High altitude‖ are those questions where you give your panelists a chance
to discuss what is happening in the assigned subject at a 30,000-foot level.
 Specifics are where you invite them to share stories, or concrete examples
— things that the panelists can really relate to w.r.t. the subject.
 Panelist Times means not just leaving time for Q&A, but also coming up
with creative ways to bring the panelists again & again back into your
conversation about the subject being discussed.


Key Behaviour : The above division (it connects to your Step 1 : pre
work) helps a moderator know what will help him/ her to help the panel
arrive at a healthy & fruitful discussion ending in clear direction &
conclusions.
February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo

10. STEPS TOWARDS BECOMING AN EXCELLENT
MODERATOR
7. Largely the role of a Moderator is like that of an
airline pilot. It’s your job to land the plane on time
(end your panel discussions on time).

Once you push past your scheduled endtime, panelists will get restless, and you’ll start
getting dirty looks from everyone. If you don’t have
anyone in the room to flash you the ―five minutes
left‖ sign, set your mobile phone to vibrate in your
pocket when the end is approaching.

Key Behaviour : Be time & result conscious. Time is
money, never forget that.
February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo

11. STEPS TOWARDS BECOMING AN EXCELLENT
MODERATOR
8. Moderate your level best to avoid extremities in the discussions :
No Consensus



Quick Consensus – Potentially More Risky & More Dangerous





In such a case, you have to keep prodding & asking pointed questions to help the group
arrive in consensus.
In such a case, there might also be a few small group of people who have difference in
opinions. Your role would be to help them arrive at a conclusion about their own
assumptions & views.
There are some chances that the group is a highly mature group & thus they have a
conclusion & action plan ready already.
Normally the above happens in dreams alone. The case of quick consensus generally
may mean
The group lacks trust on moderator/ subject itself/ employer
The group is least concerned or bothered whether anything happens in that subject or
not.
Key Behaviour : Be really careful that the group stays
focussed, involved & engaged & shares the vision of the focus group
meeting. Help the group navigate its biases, prejudices & opinions with
curious questioning, investigation & introspection.
February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo

12. STEPS TOWARDS BECOMING AN EXCELLENT
MODERATOR
9.





Quickly Slot the people in the Focussed Group/ Participants into :ENABLERS :- Will help you in the discussion by contributing as much as he/ she can.
BELIEVERS :- Will have the positive approach to the topic with little or not much contribution.
FENCE SITTERS :- Will talk from both sides & never allow any conclusions.
TANGENT SITTERS :- They will take the subject in an alien area with no connection to the process/
topic assigned.
POISONERS :- Completely negative set of people. Only focused at the negative & the problem.

A Best Practice to follow is to quickly note the enablers & believers & use them to encourage Fence Sitters &
Poisoners. As a moderator you must & can not do it directly but you can caution the Fence Sitters & Poisoners if
they are going overboard with some things & must refrain from the act.

For the Tangent Sitters, be prepared to cut off with some pre-planned cutoff phrases. For example, if someone
goes off on a tangent that is not useful to the overall topic, you could interrupt and say, ―You have an interesting
point there, but we want to know more about ________.‖

Likewise, if someone is dominating the discussion, watch the person’s natural breathing rhythm and then interject
between breaths, ―Thank you, Arun. Now let’s hear Ankit’s perspective on this topic.‖

Key Behaviour : Be aware that you have a responsibility & that is to moderate & end with a conclusion. It requires
skills, expertise & awareness of self & others. Moderators role is no less than a coach’s role with a big difference
that you can’t actually coach but still you have to ensure that the group is self coached & arrives at end goals in the
process.

February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo

13. 15 DO’S & DON’TS TO BE A WORLD CLASS MODERATOR
1.
Pre-Event, connect with the panelists. This can be done with a single pre-event e-mail, listing three
questions you plan to open with, and asking them if there are any other issues they think are important to
cover.
2.
If the group is Hetrogenous & time is of essence, it is better not to let the panelists introduce themselves.
That becomes the moderator’s job. Also be as brief as you can be.
3.
State your objective at the outset. Two sentences will do. Why is this topic important now, and what you
hope to accomplish within the next hour.
4.
Break eye contact with the panelists. Look at the panel, ask a question, and then look at the panelists.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Moderators can’t be panelists. You just can’t play both roles at once. Your job is to encourage your
panelists to give great performances. That is it.
No slides by panelists. Letting panelists show slides is like death, and it radically reduces the role of the
moderator. However, this can change specifically if you discussing a visual topic where panelists must
share/ present their views.
Keep the panelists involved from the first five minutes. This lets your panelists know that you’re aware of
them, and it keeps your panelists from acting as if they’re in a bubble. Do whatever you feel appropriate
to not let boredom set in & be careful not to let repeatitive statements & conclusions be spoken again &
again.
Build Consensus & Seek Commitment from all panelists. If the group is in consensus too early, normally
that can be a RED ALERT & is a sign of lack of commitment by panelists to change anything & also it
might be a sign of lack of trust from them on the moderator & or the employer. This may also mean that
people just want to conclude this meeting/ event & just move on with their other priorities.
Don’t ask panelists for ―one final thought.‖ The lamest way to conclude is by giving each panelist an
opportunity for a concluding oration. Typically, they’ll recap what they’ve already said, or look to their
notes and cough up some uninteresting musing they didn’t have time to get to (usually for good reason.)
Use the time instead for a last question from the panelists, or for something forward-looking which will
help the subject be addressed.
February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo

14. 15 DO’S & DON’TS TO BE A WORLD CLASS
MODERATOR
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Don’t go down the line every time. By the time the fifth panelist is answering the same
question as four other people have answered, the odds they will contribute something
interesting have dropped almost to zero. When you ask a question, two answers is
plenty, unless a third person is dying to jump in. Instead, ask a related question and also
ask for a concrete example, or simply shift gears and ask your other panelists about
something else.
Offer direction, not a script. The best panels have an element of free flowing discussion. It
is fine to share some starter questions with the panel, but be ready to follow the path of
the conversation as you start to ask questions and guide the conversation in a natural
way.
Stay on the topic. There is nothing worse than a panel which goes completely off topic
and doesn’t talk about the issue which is at hand. Respect the organization’s process and
make sure the panel covers the topic.
Try to bring out different opinions. Part of doing this as a Monderator depends on your
having some input in the selection of who the panelists will be, so as much as possible try
to have a hand in selecting panelists for any panel you agree to moderate. If this is not
possible, try to find some areas where your panelists have different philosophies so you
can try to bring those out.
Free Flowing, Conversational & Informal Setting must be ensured. This will enable the
panelists to develop their views before the moderator chimes in with questions. General
guidance is that the moderator and panel talk for 70% of the time before opening the
discussion for questions.
Conclude with a recap. After the discussions, it is really important to recap the key
messages that were shared during the panel and what the big takeaways should be for
the focussed group & panelists. This is ideally done at the end, but can also be done
through some sort of recap after the event itself.
February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo

15. February 1, 2014
Ashutosh Labroo