šŸŒ Lesson from Davos: How to get noticed on a panel

Ft. Rutger Bregman and Winnie Byanyima

Despite the fact they take up 80% of the conference agenda, most panel discussions suck. They're a poorly masked PR fest that helps events sell more tickets šŸŽŸļø. But this panel at Davos 2019 was different. I share this becauseā€¦

If you canā€™t stand out on a panel, youā€™re not ready for a keynote.

Itā€™s why we host a member debate every month in MicDrop - my public speaking community for tomorrowā€™s thought leaders.

A chance to:

  1. Commit to an opinion šŸ§  

  2. Voice it šŸ—£ļø, and

  3. Practice challenging and being challenged šŸ¤ŗ

Off the cuff. In real-time. In a supportive space. Out of the public eye. With other speakers whoā€™ve got your back.

Zero prep is required.

The goal?

To give our members the confidence to take a panel by the scruff of the neck and deliver something meaningful.

Just like in this astonishing clip from Davos 2019. Rutger Bregman and Winnie Byanyima take a bowā€¦ šŸæ

Three things you can take away from this clipā€¦

  1. Use ā€˜Iā€™ statements to set the tone šŸ˜
    Itā€™s a way to express a viewpoint without directly attacking or challenging another personā€™s perspective.

ā€œI hear people talking the language of participation and justice and equality and transparencyā€¦ but then almost no one raises the real issue of tax avoidance.ā€

Rutger Bregman
  1. Come into every panel with 3 impactful stories šŸ§Ø
    Winnie Byanyima counter-punched the former Yahoo CFOā€™s question with laser precision. Why? Because she had a story ready that directly addressed his challenge.

    To pull out that story and deliver it with the composure she did takes practice.

  2. Nailing the panel is a critical part of a thought leaderā€™s journey šŸŽ¤
    Like them or loathe them, panels are here to stay. Many leaders underestimate them (and wonder why they arenā€™t landing any keynotes). Donā€™t be one of them.

Alex

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