Professional and Career Topics

Hello colleagues,

I would like to start a discussion about panel sessions in our field:

• What value do you see in such sessions - knowledge sharing, networking, or learning about new trends?

• Do you think online/digital panels are as effective as in-person ones? Why or why not?

• How can organizers maximize learning and participant engagement in these sessions?

It is also interesting to consider how panel sessions help participants learn from colleagues in other countries or disciplines. Perhaps the format affects the depth of interaction: online sessions make it easier to join and ask questions, while in-person meetings create a more lively atmosphere and allow for stronger personal connections.

Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences!

Panel sessions were always my favorite when I was a regular conference attendee. They are can be very effective at communicating complex and difficult issues and highlighting nuances that may go unseen. They naturally allow for a diversity of viewpoints. Furthermore, they mitigate the risk of having to suffer through a poker presentation as often found in single speaker sessions. 

Hello colleagues,

I would like to start a discussion about panel sessions in our field:

• What value do you see in such sessions - knowledge sharing, networking, or learning about new trends?

• Do you think online/digital panels are as effective as in-person ones? Why or why not?

• How can organizers maximize learning and participant engagement in these sessions?

It is also interesting to consider how panel sessions help participants learn from colleagues in other countries or disciplines. Perhaps the format affects the depth of interaction: online sessions make it easier to join and ask questions, while in-person meetings create a more lively atmosphere and allow for stronger personal connections.

Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences!

Panel sessions were always my favorite when I was a regular conference attendee. They are can be very effective at communicating complex and difficult issues and highlighting nuances that may go unseen. They naturally allow for a diversity of viewpoints. Furthermore, they mitigate the risk of having to suffer through a poker presentation as often found in single speaker sessions. 

Hello colleagues,

I would like to start a discussion about panel sessions in our field:

• What value do you see in such sessions - knowledge sharing, networking, or learning about new trends?

• Do you think online/digital panels are as effective as in-person ones? Why or why not?

• How can organizers maximize learning and participant engagement in these sessions?

It is also interesting to consider how panel sessions help participants learn from colleagues in other countries or disciplines. Perhaps the format affects the depth of interaction: online sessions make it easier to join and ask questions, while in-person meetings create a more lively atmosphere and allow for stronger personal connections.

Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences!

Hi Mitch,

Thank you for sharing your perspective! I completely agree - panels can really highlight nuances and bring diverse viewpoints that a single speaker session might miss.

I'm curious, in your experience, what makes a panel session particularly effective at communicating complex issues? Is it the mix of panelists, the moderator's approach, or audience participation?

Panel sessions were always my favorite when I was a regular conference attendee. They are can be very effective at communicating complex and difficult issues and highlighting nuances that may go unseen. They naturally allow for a diversity of viewpoints. Furthermore, they mitigate the risk of having to suffer through a poker presentation as often found in single speaker sessions. 

Hello colleagues,

I would like to start a discussion about panel sessions in our field:

• What value do you see in such sessions - knowledge sharing, networking, or learning about new trends?

• Do you think online/digital panels are as effective as in-person ones? Why or why not?

• How can organizers maximize learning and participant engagement in these sessions?

It is also interesting to consider how panel sessions help participants learn from colleagues in other countries or disciplines. Perhaps the format affects the depth of interaction: online sessions make it easier to join and ask questions, while in-person meetings create a more lively atmosphere and allow for stronger personal connections.

Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences!

Hello colleagues,

I would like to start a discussion about panel sessions in our field:

• What value do you see in such sessions - knowledge sharing, networking, or learning about new trends?

• Do you think online/digital panels are as effective as in-person ones? Why or why not?

• How can organizers maximize learning and participant engagement in these sessions?

It is also interesting to consider how panel sessions help participants learn from colleagues in other countries or disciplines. Perhaps the format affects the depth of interaction: online sessions make it easier to join and ask questions, while in-person meetings create a more lively atmosphere and allow for stronger personal connections.

Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences!

At last year's Cold Regions conference, I participated in a panel with a DoT executive and a human services executive.  I was the engineering ethicist.  The two service agency executive posed some very provocative ethical scenarios, which we discussed with attendee participation.  Each of us brought a different perspective to the conversation, and I cannot imagine a more efficient way to bring all those perspectives together at once.  Particularly with ethics, the analysis is not complete without examining the problem from a variety of perspectives.

Hello colleagues,

I would like to start a discussion about panel sessions in our field:

• What value do you see in such sessions - knowledge sharing, networking, or learning about new trends?

• Do you think online/digital panels are as effective as in-person ones? Why or why not?

• How can organizers maximize learning and participant engagement in these sessions?

It is also interesting to consider how panel sessions help participants learn from colleagues in other countries or disciplines. Perhaps the format affects the depth of interaction: online sessions make it easier to join and ask questions, while in-person meetings create a more lively atmosphere and allow for stronger personal connections.

Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences!

Hello colleagues,

I would like to start a discussion about panel sessions in our field:

• What value do you see in such sessions - knowledge sharing, networking, or learning about new trends?

• Do you think online/digital panels are as effective as in-person ones? Why or why not?

• How can organizers maximize learning and participant engagement in these sessions?

It is also interesting to consider how panel sessions help participants learn from colleagues in other countries or disciplines. Perhaps the format affects the depth of interaction: online sessions make it easier to join and ask questions, while in-person meetings create a more lively atmosphere and allow for stronger personal connections.

Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences!

I've seen both successful and unsuccessful panel sessions. I think the greatest benefit of a panel session is hearing how different people have different perspectives or experiences related to the question or scenario.

I think a lot of the impact of a panel session hinges on who is moderating it, not just the panelists. The worst panel session I ever attended included references to inside jokes between a moderator and a panelist along with comments related to other events or groups you had to be in to understand the context of what was said. It made anyone not in the loop feel like they weren't really welcome. The format was also essentially "tell us your story" with no real direct application or takeaway information for the attendees. It felt more like "sit here and listen to how awesome we are and what great pals we are" because of how it was organized and moderated. I'm sure some of the panelists had good information, but that's not what we got.

I think you can have beneficial panels both in person and remotely, but I do think there is added benefit to in-person opportunities when feasible. There is a heightened ability to "read the room" as a panelist when you can look around the room. Even with cameras on in a digital setting, people are more aware of what faces they make, they can be reacting to things happening in their physical environment or on their screen, etc. I think there is also a lot to be said for the informal interactions before and after sessions that I've never seen replicated in an online space.

One thing that intrigues me is the idea of a hybrid session where some of the attendees are in person but others can be joining/interacting remotely.

Hello colleagues,

I would like to start a discussion about panel sessions in our field:

• What value do you see in such sessions - knowledge sharing, networking, or learning about new trends?

• Do you think online/digital panels are as effective as in-person ones? Why or why not?

• How can organizers maximize learning and participant engagement in these sessions?

It is also interesting to consider how panel sessions help participants learn from colleagues in other countries or disciplines. Perhaps the format affects the depth of interaction: online sessions make it easier to join and ask questions, while in-person meetings create a more lively atmosphere and allow for stronger personal connections.

Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences!