As a long time financial professional and former professional association employee I have "sat thru" and delivered many seminar sessions. Recently, I had the opportunity to moderate an interactive roundtable, no slides, just two people taking turns moderating interactive discussions among attendees after a 20 minute topic introductions (stage setting" by the moderators). I found this event very compelling on many levels and the attendees thought it was great and a nice "change of pace".
I thought it might be of value to share what I believe are the "drivers" of a lecture vs. a roundtable format for a truly "educational" session.
For a lecture style educational session:
1. A presenter who has a deep knowledge of the topic and can "think on his or her feet"
2. A presenter who does not read off slides or use them as a crutch, anyone in the room can read slides, attendees
come for the 'color" and interpretation of the slides. Slides also need to be clear, concise, and free of clutter.
3. A presenter who has the hint of a personality. A personality does wonders for the level of attention given to the
session content
4. The depth of the content. It needs to be right for the time allotted and the demographic of the audiience.
For an intercative roundtable:
1. A skilled moderator, someone who has a deep subject matter expertise and can drive a conversation by engaging
the audience and making them feel comfortable in contributing to the event.
2. The right room set up. A "u-shaped" set up seems to work best with the moderator in the middle.
3. No slides, this may seem tough, but that is an integral part of what makes this format work
4. The right audience size. This format lends itself to an audience of 15 or less.
5. Make table tents for all participants so the moderator and all other participants can all address each other by name
6. Have attendees introduce themselves, their job responsibilities, and their relative knowledge of the session topic.
Yes, these are ideal conditions, and where you stand depends on where you sit, but you may want to consider attending an event with a roundtable format to see if this format is the right fit for you and the topic at hand.
Effective professional
