Volunteer Training

Why panel discussions?

• Panel discussions provide a variety of perspectives, insights and opinions.
• Advertising ahead of time what the panel will be discussing and who will be on the panel is possible a great draw or motivation to attend the in-service.
• Panel discussions are a great way to include other people with expertise and life experience into in-service training both within and outside your organization.
• It is a way for staff members to learn as well during the panel discussion.

What is a panel discussion?

A panel discussion is a formal, moderated discussion between selected speakers on a specific topic, in front of an audience. A successful panel discussion will follow a set agenda, specifically a set order of specific events. Keeping to this order and adhering to time limits will make a panel discussion organized and professional. Distributing the agenda ahead of time to panel members and audience participants will assist the moderator in keeping all participants focused.

Components of A Panel Discussion

Targeted Opening

The moderator should introduce the topic in a focused and concise way, designed to grab the audience’s attention. The moderator can use an anecdote or example from current media to hone in on the main points of the coming discussion. The intent is to provide an engaging opening for all members of the discussion, including the panel members, who will benefit from knowing where the moderator intends to lead the discussion.

Introduction of Panel Members

The agenda should include a panel member introduction following the moderator’s opening. When the moderator introduces the panelists at the beginning of the discussion, she can do so by giving a quick bio of each panelist, targeting the panelists’ qualifications for the discussion, or she can ask the panelists to introduce themselves if the setting is less formal. She should let the panelists know they’ll be introducing themselves if that’s the case.

Questions for Panelists

The moderator can move the agenda along to posing questions to specific panelists, or to the group as a whole. Ideally, the moderator should have communicated with the panel members in the days leading up to the discussion and provided sample questions, so the panel members can prepare. The moderator should be prepared to keep to time constraints and have a prepared list of segue phrases to move the discussion along if it strays off track. For example, the moderator might say, “Going back to the original question, what is your perspective of the issue in that context,” or a similar phrase. To cut off panelists completely, she might say, “Moving on to the next question … .”

Panelist Closing Remarks

After the panel has participated in a discussion focused on the questions, each panelist should be given the opportunity to provide closing remarks. This gives the panelists the opportunity to highlight what they see to be the key elements of the discussion and their perspective on them. In order to keep the discussion moving, the moderator should introduce the closing remarks section by alerting panelists to their time constraints, for example two minutes each.

Question-and-Answer Section

A panel discussion should include audience interactivity in the form of a question-and-answer section. The moderator should take control of this activity by reminding all audience members they are limited to one question each and should refrain from making expository remarks that are too lengthy.

Thank the Panelists

The final item on the panel discussion agenda is thanking the panelists individually. The moderator should acknowledge all members of the panel and express gratitude for their participation, and reinforce the productivity of the discussion. The moderator may wish to thank any sponsors of the event, such as the owners of the facility where the discussion takes place, before saying goodnight to the audience.

Brainstormed Ideas for Panel Discussions Topics & Guests

Adoption

1. Women who have had different experiences with adoption share their experiences and perspectives:
   • Closed adoption
   • Open adoption
   • Considered adoption but changed their mind
2. Adoption counselors from a variety of adoption agencies or providers to come and share their processes for helping women through the adoption process
   • Adoption lawyer
   • Adoption agency
   • Inter-racial adoption
   • Post-adoption counseling
3. Women/parents who have adopted in a variety of situations
   • Inter-racial adoptions
   • Foreign adoptions
   • Special needs adoptions
   • Adopting older children
4. When adoption goes wrong
   • Invite women/couples who are willing to tell their stories of when adoption did not go well for them

Parenting Versus Adoption

Create a panel of women who, as teenagers, chose either adoption or parenting to tell their stories and how they feel now as they look back at their choices.

Vision Casting

Create a panel of Board Members to come and discuss the short- and long-term vision of the Center and how the board is helping to make that vision a reality.

Reproductive Loss or Post Abortion Counseling

Ask 5 women of varying ages, race, religious background, etc. and who have completely different abortion stories to speak about their healing journey.

Long-Term Benefits of Volunteering

Have volunteers who have been volunteering for 5+ years (if possible) share how they have grown over their time and what they see has been the benefits of volunteering for so many years.

Crisis

Invited several licensed counselors and/or social workers to discuss crisis intervention

Evangelism

Invite pastors and/or local evangelists to discuss various aspects of evangelism in crisis situations

I hope you give one of these ideas a try this year when you are planning your in-service trainings. I would love to know how it goes!