When a big chunk of your job involves organising, chairing and attending events, September and October are always busy.

This year, the intersection of the two months was especially intense. I had 4 days in Liverpool working for a client at the Labour Party conference, then went straight into chairing back-to-back, full-day events in Glasgow and Edinburgh. A few days later, I was at a business conference I'd played a significant part in organising, chaired by Kirsty Wark.

It's easy to emerge from periods like this and just crack on. But this year, observing from a number of different perspectives - attendee, host and organiser - led me to reflect on what makes or breaks a good event.

I was thinking in particular about how to get the best from panel discussions with multiple participants. If you've got 45 minutes, or an hour, how do you make the most of your time - and give the audience a worthwhile, relevant experience? Here are a few thoughts:

Don't waste time on introductions - and start with meaningful questions

How many times does an event chair just read out the biography of each speaker, in endless detail? BO-RING!

One sentence relating the speaker directly to the topic under discussion is fine. Then ask each speaker an opening question that gets straight into the subject matter, not one that invites them to ramble through their LinkedIn profile. Ask each speaker a different first question - not the same one - to get the content flowing quickly.

Limit the scope of the discussion - and the panel

Be realistic about what you want to achieve; don't try to cram big, broad topics into 45 minutes. At the Labour conference, an hour-long event tried to cover everything Labour might do in terms of countryside policy. The result? Lots of high-level platitudes and one speaker getting almost zero air time. Three strong speakers works best for me, but four is fine for an hour.

Sit in the delegates' chairs

Communicate the purpose of the event clearly - in advance and in your introduction - so the audience knows what it's getting. Then give it to them - cover the issues that are relevant and really matter, ideally with a few bells and whistles. Never stop thinking 'How does this look to the audience?' Prepare well, be professional at all times, keep things moving, focus on relevant content and don't allow the discussion to drift.

Always have a clear plan

As a host, always have your questions ready, and a clear idea of the flow of the conversation. How will the issues you want to cover work as a coherent whole, not a series of jumpy sections? Always know where you're going next, but be ready to deviate depending on how the discussion develops. If there is excessive deviation, work out a way to get back to the central points of the discussion - unless it's a deviation that is clearly engaging the audience. If so, go with it!

Avoid Q&A free-for-alls

Ask the audience for questions relevant to specific points of the discussion: “Does anyone have any questions or comments about what XXX has just said?” It's fine to open up to general questions later on, but don't do it too soon or you're in danger of a messy, incoherent session that leaves panellists and delegates thinking "WTF was all that about?" or "Why did I bother?"

Close down ramblers - politely

There are always a handful of people in an audience who want to ramble incoherently about their personal obsession. At a financial technology event I hosted, a delegate asked a question involving Chaucer, Shakespeare and Jesus Christ. It mattered to him, but no-one else had a clue how it related to open banking.

You learn to spot these people and how to close them down - politely, of course. At CMS Scotland's 2024 business conference, Kirsty Wark did this expertly. I need to channel a bit more Kirsty when someone really rambles. Then again, she's had much more practice on mainstream TV than I have.

Don't take 4 or 5 questions at once

I HATE this - it happened at least twice at Labour conference, and on both occasions, the questions had no real connection or coherence. By the time the 4th or 5th question was asked, those in the audience not asking questions (and some of the panellists) were confused and had lost the will to live. Even if the answers are good, this approach means a total loss of focus.

I prefer short, sharp, single questions directed to the most relevant panellist - not every panellist has to answer every question. Ask for quick answers and ensure the hand-held microphone is on its way to the next person while they answer. Don't waste time and leave awkward silences as mics are passed laboriously from back left to front right of a large, busy room.

Ask for specific takeaways at the end

Get each panellist to give the audience a clear message to take away. Good communicators can do this in 30 seconds. BUT don't allow them to spout platitudes. How many times have we heard "It's all about collaboration" or "We need to teach this in schools…". Ask them to come up with something specific and realistic.

Disclaimer

I don't always get it right. But I do try hard to learn something from every event I go to - from the brilliant to the boring and banal - and implement it next time I'm hosting. There's always a nugget to be mined, or a ruby to be found, even in the dustiest event.