Hosting a panel where you primarily talk about yourself and your own achievements is a dream many self-starters imagine for themselves, but it is also one of the trickiest things to do. You aren’t talking about a concept or an industry; you are talking about yourself and what you have done. If you aren’t careful, you could very easily turn it into a bragging opportunity where your audience learns nothing except that they don’t like you or your other panelists’ attitudes. You need to be humble and provide value to your audience by using yourself as an example.
When you host a panel about your achievements, it is not you that you should be talking about, but the strategies that you discovered worked best and how your audience can take these lessons away and use them to improve their own lives.
Panel discussions are difficult. Panels on personal success are more so. Master them with this guide:
Choose A Great List of Panelists
Choose a list of panelists in the same industry as you. This way, rather than just a presentation on what you have done, you can give your audience a variety of insight into career development in your industry.
Have Everyone Be Specific About the Tools and Strategies Used
If you are a notable athlete who is slowly moving away from the pro-series and into their post-career career, then you have a lot of insight that not many people have experienced. This insight is invaluable, but remember to be specific about what you have done and what you have used that got you to where you are. If you were lucky, then there isn’t a lot of actionable steps your audience can use to replicate that. If, on the other hand, you were directed by ASM Scholarships throughout your high school, college, and pro-level career, you have something you can genuinely recommend to those listening to you.
Don’t Brag
You are hosting a panel about yourself and your accomplishments, so it might seem natural to brag, but don’t. You need to be modest and focus all your efforts on helping others achieve the success that you have seen. Instead of highlighting the highs, focus on the lows and what you personally did to overcome them.
Don’t Just Focus on What You Have Done
Chances are you have met quite a few people in your industry over the years and picked up a few tricks and tips along the way. Don’t claim ownership over these ideas, and instead give credit where it is due. Your audience will see your knowledge as authoritative, rather than biased, if you use this strategy.
Remember to Summarize
After every topic, remember to summarize to drive your points home and to highlight the information that your audience can use in their own lives. Ideally, add notes as you go so that you can project these summaries for the audience to see. Do this again for the entire presentation at the end of the panel for the best results.
Offer Recommended Reading
Finally, now that your panel is essentially over, you will want to direct your audience to further resources they can explore in their own time. If you have a webinar series that explains your topics more in-depth, then advertise this. If you want more people to visit your website, recommend that. This way, you can further your own goals while helping others achieve theirs.
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