How To Be A Standout Panelist

Think being a panelist is a downgrade from being the keynote? Think again. In this episode, I’m reframing panels as one of the most strategic ways to build authority, visibility, and connection — especially when done right.

Most people treat panel invites like an afterthought. I’ll show you how to treat it like a power play.

Inside this episode:

• Why panelists are the specialists audiences are actually listening for
  
  
  
• The biggest mistakes panelists make (and how to avoid them)
  
  
  
• How to prep for a panel like a pro and still sound natural
  
  
  

Plus, if you want to sharpen your speaker identity and own every mic moment:
 → Join Standing O to become the speaker who stands out
 → Get in the room at SpeakEazy — my speaker gym for bold women
 → Sign up for my free masterclass: Booked & Brilliant

This is your reminder: the panel is the stage. Speak accordingly.

Transcript

0:01

Welcome back to the Public Speaking Icon podcast. My name is Coco Gunn, also known as the Voice Architect, and I am your host, and if you're new here, welcome, welcome, welcome. Alright. Now the topic I'm covering today is super important because I am about to attend an event. I'm actually going toce an event where we have a. We have several panel sessions that are gonna be happening at this event. And I've heard this a lot, even sometimes from my clients. I've heard this from, you know, speakers, people I've worked with, and even out in the space. And it's this misconception that a panelist isn't as important as a keynote speaker, and people don't take being a panelist seriously. And I I, and the reason I'm bringing this up is because. I'm, I'm watching and I'm going to events. I'm attending events and at the smaller events, I just don't see the type of engagement or stage presence that I would see from a speaker and. I think it needs to be talked about, and I wanna discuss it with you guys today because I know some of you guys are listening are probably panelists or have been a panelist and maybe you don't feel as excited as maybe you would be if you were, you know, given a keynote speech. And I'm gonna kind of put things into perspective for you in this episode so you kind of have a better understanding of how important it is to be a panelist and what that actually means outside of being a keynote speaker. So. Panelists, often they get side eyed. It really becomes a thing like, oh, that girl's just a panelist, or he's just a panelist and it's not that serious. And sometimes they think that they're less valuable than a keynote speaker. And it's actually strategic visibility. Okay. When you have a panel, you're down. You are now an expert on a specific topic that the organizer has found to be super important for their audience and. If you can just kind of grasp that idea, right? You were speaking on a topic. That the organizer or the host of the event feels like the audience needs to hear more about. So they selected you. And if you think about it that way, it, it kind of gives a different perspective to what a panelist actually is and what it is that they do and how important their job is at events, you know, so. For me, I see panelists as specialists, and you guys are invited to speak on exactly exactly what the audience needs. It's kind of like calling yourself the subject matter expert on something. And to me that is really, really important because not everyone can speak on that specific topic, but you, you know, it's kind of, you know, like me getting upset that someone got a keynote spot that's teaching SEO, but I've gotten chosen to. Speak on how to be a better podcaster, how to be better at the public speaking, because that's my area of expertise. They're not gonna ask the business coach that's doing, that's doing a keynote to talk about being a public speaker, because that's not what they do. They are a public speaker, but they don't train public speakers. So I hope that kind of puts things into perspective for you guys. So let's really quick for a moment, let's redefine what a panel actually is. Panels are, they're curated conversation. So if you are invited to be a panelist, you are invited there for a reason. It's not just because they had a spot available. There is something that you have done in your content, maybe at an event that you have spoken at, or there's something that you can bring to the table that they know is is gonna be valuable for their audience. And that to me is huge. And number two is it's not just. You are not less than, right. The idea is that now you're laser focused, you are locked into something specific that the audience needs in order to grow their business, in order to be seen, have more visibility in order to build their brand, right? Those things are all, they're laser focused items that, that are specific enough for the organizer to say, yeah, we need to talk more about this. I wanna have a special section on this at my event. And number three is great panels add real time, energy, context and connection. So you're speaking to the audience in real time. It could be a question that they're asking you. And a lot of times a panel is, is used to answer questions that are submitted by the audience. So the audience is now getting real time feedback and that real connection with you versus hearing someone give them, you know, a whole 20 minute speech on. A framework and they don't really get time with that organizer. They don't get that one-on-one time. The speaker on stage is just doing that speaking, guiding storytelling. A panelist is actually having a conversation and you're getting, you're getting your questions answered in real, real time with examples. And a lot of times when you're doing a panel or you're a panelists at an event, you are gonna be in in the hot seat. And it's not always easy to think or have the ability to answer questions on the spot like that. So something to think about. This is a big job. It's just as important as the keynote speaker for the event. Now, here's what happens. Here's where panelists actually get things wrong. They start treating it as just like a moment, a casual thing. Like it's not important, right? And they don't prepare. They don't have anything in their world house. They're just gonna say, I mean, sometimes you're able to get the questions ahead of time, but a lot of times you're not. So they just think of as, oh, it's just a q and a. Like, oh, I'll be fine. And they don't take it as seriously. Even though you're on the stage, you're gonna get content, there's gonna be pictures of you, right? And you are not thinking about key takeaways or quotables. Remember. This is a very, very quick and, and hot and, and, and in the moment, right? So you wanna make sure that the audience has key takeaways that you can actually mention to them when you are answering a question or those memorable moments where an audience member will say, oh, you go, you know what? I remember when she said this. I remember when that panelist said this. Those are all things that. Many of you are skipping because you're not thinking of being a panelist as a speaker. You're thinking of it as a casual thing that you just happen to be doing, and yeah, that's great, right in your mind. Then the another thing that you guys do is you'll start to ramble or you're overexplain, or you'll shrink yourself, and that's because you're not prepared. I have been at MCN and events where panelists are up there and one person takes the entire time answering the question. And I get frustrated because there's other opinions and thoughts on that stage that also need to be heard by the audience, right? So they just start overthinking and they start oversharing. And then there's sometimes where panelists are like, I don't feel like I can speak on the spot, so I'm just not gonna, I'm just here. And you're like a mannequin on the stage. I've seen that happen too. And the last thing that you guys, that panelists will do, because they're thinking it's a com competition thing, is they will, uh, try to sound smart. Instead of being clear and memorable, right, because you're this, you're in a subject subject matter expert position. A lot of times we start using jargon that our audience can't relate to. Remember, when we are speaking to an audience that is learning about our niche or our topic, your cognitive low needs to be su like super low, because a lot of times I even do it myself. I'll be having a conversation and I'm talking to the person as if they're. A peer of mine in the sense of a public speaking peer versus someone that is a potential client and. Usually what happens is that if they misunderstand or they can't clearly get an idea of what, of the problem that you solve, the answer's always gonna be no. So you have to remind yourself of that your cognitive load should be low. And I, I can do an episode on this as well.'cause I think it's super important, especially when it comes to messaging, right? So instead of trying to sound super smart and you know, have a chip on your shoulder, be memorable, be normal, have the conversation, right? So let's talk about. How you can show up as an iconic panelist. Okay. And. This is gonna be super important. Take notes, write things down. Listen to this episode a few times over because what I'm about to tell you is going to take your panelist spot to the next level. So I want you to do this thing first. I want you to go and prepare sound bites. Small, short, little, little answers that you can spout off that you know are related to the topic. Okay? This is gonna make you have. Someone in the audience write this down, they're gonna hear it and think to themselves, I need to write that down. And they may even come back to you and say, Hey, you know what? You said something, you said something on stage that I couldn't really get at the moment. Can you gimme like an overview on the question that you answered? So now if they can't get it right away, they, it's gonna prompt them to say, I gotta go talk to that panelist after this. She said something and I can't remember it because it was related to a specific. Topic. Okay. Number two is I want you to think about just being present. And there's not a lot of, there's not as much pressure as you guys may think it is being a panelist because you're already talking about something that you know really well, right? So I want you to think, okay, presence and not. And, and, um, sorry, I can lost my train of thought for you guys for a second. Presence, not pressure, and that it's a conversation versus a performance. Okay? When you get on a stage and you're speaking by yourself, it's a show. You have to engage the audience, you have to have eye contact, you have to have movement. When you are in a panel, it is a conversation, whether it's between the other panelists and yourself, or it is a q and a session from the audience. Number three, you must engage your fellow. Panelist. Okay. This is not an individual moment for you to speak in the sense of speaker. This is a conversation between all of you. So engage the other panelists. Ask for their opinions, throw the mic. And when I say throw the mic, I don't mean this like literally throw the mic. I want you to say something like, you know, and my thoughts and opinion are this are blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And actually, Jen, what do you think about this? I don't know who gin is. It's my closet. I'm in my closet. It could be gin the jacket that's right here next to me. But anyway, but that's how you engage your fellow, your fellow panelists. It's a conversation. Remember that this is not a competition of who is better, who can give the most information, who can do a better job. This is a collaborative event that's happening on stage, and the audience wants to see that collaboration. I'm actually gonna be speaking on a panel. At the event that I'm MCing and it's with other public speaking coaches, we had a call to discuss how we wanted this to go and how we felt as a collective that the audience will gain the most value from all three of us because all of our techniques are different. All of our styles are different. No one's better than the other. We're just different. But having all three of us in the room at the same time, can you imagine? What that experience is going to be like for the audience versus us co competing with each other. Who's better? Who's, who's not good? I'm excited for this panel, and if you guys are coming to the event, this is the besties boardroom, you're, it's, we're gonna blow your mind because the experience level that's going to be on that stage from a public speaking standpoint is going to change that room forever. Mark my words. All right, and number four is I want you to sit, sit like you own the space. Okay? This is not a time for you to chill and relax again. You're getting photos, you're getting content, so your posture also exudes confidence and presence on that stage. So if you are not sitting up straight, you are not owning that space that you're in, on that couch or chair, wherever you're at, then that says a lot about you. As you know, from a confidence standpoint, from an audience perspective, so your posture, how you sit, how you angle your body, how are you using your hands, and your body language is just as important as if you were a speaker on stage. You're just sitting this time and sometimes panels are not even, they're sitting, they're standing, they're on the stage or they're in the audience having the conversation. Right. And lastly, this is gonna be tricky, but everyone can do this. Speak last when it counts. Okay? You can close. A panel event if you, if you want to. And sometimes I speak less. I'm very strategic about things as well, because again, you have to, you have to collaborate and you have to be strategic. And that's, that comes from the conversation between you and the other panelists. Where do, where are your strong suits and where do you lack a little bit? And how can you, how can we each bounce off of each other to make this the most valuable for the audience? Okay, so. Most of the time, believe it or not, the closer gets remembered. And again, this is not a competition, but sometimes you feel like it's your mo it, it could be your moment, not from an ego standpoint, but from a value standpoint. And there is a difference. Ego says, I'm gonna wait till everyone finishes talking and then I'm gonna give my last 2 cents. Right? Confidence says, actually, I have something to add to that. I wanna bounce off of what she just said because I agree. That's the difference. Again, you guys, being a panelist is not a bad thing. It's actually an a strategic thing that an organizer does because they're selecting you based off of your area of expertise. You are the expert. You are the one that's giving the value. They're not asking you to give a whole presentation on, on your topic. They're asking you to collaborate. Other experts in your field to provide value to an audience on a specific thing that they know that this audience needs, and you need to take it seriously. It's just as important as a speaker hitting the stage. So I, I wanna repeat these for you guys again so you don't forget. Yeah. I want you to go and prepare sub bytes. I want you to bring presence and not pressure to the stage, and I want you to think about this as a conversation and not a performance. I want you to engage the fellow panelists. Again, this is not competition. This is a collaborative effort. Be mindful of your posture and how you're sitting on that stage. How you set says everything, says everything about your presence. So don't think of this as a casual, I'm gonna chill on my couch at home. Think of this as I'm still on stage, I'm still getting content, the audience is still looking at me. I still need to make sure I'm looking and engaging with them. All of that stuff matters. And lastly, you can, you know, those that speak last usually are the ones that I get remembered, but be strategic about it and don't use your ego. Again, this is a collaborative effort on that stage, and there's always, you can always add something or you can always agree with this, another panelist and add, say, Hey, you know what, I do agree with them, but let me add something else on top of that because I, I think we wanna give you guys the best, the best feedback that we could possibly give you. So. You know, again, let's just, just revert back to this. Okay. You might not have the full stage, okay? And that's all right. Sometimes it's a little more, it's a, it's a, it's a lot harder being on stage by yourself versus being on a panel. And even though you don't have the whole stage there to see you just as much as they are there to see. The keynote, I can tell you this. There are events that I go to where I am more excited about the panel versus a keynote because what that panel is gonna give me is different perspectives on a topic that I know I'm gonna need, or it's something that I know I need to do in my business that I may not know, know anything about. And I'm gonna get feedback from multiple people that are experts in that field versus one person that there's no feedback on what's next or can give additional concepts or additional ideas from somebody else. Panel moments can also be shareable and they can be viral, more viral than a solo talk. If you think about some podcast episodes, right, some of the most viral podcast episodes are when there's several guests on that show because you're getting opinions and thoughts from other people on a topic, and they may be something that you never even heard of that speaks to something that you, that you wanna listen to. So think about it that way, right? And a lot of times panels are. Put on podcast I was attending Powerhouse. Powerhouse, yeah, powerhouse last year. And all of their panels are a podcast episode on Lindsay's podcast. So think about it that way. The expansion and the reach are gonna be a lot greater when you're a panelist than maybe when you're a keynote speaker, depending on the, on the event. And lastly is, this is key. Okay? I want you to think about this, like close your eyes and really think about this. The panel is often the most replayed content online. The panel is most often the most replayed content online because it's a conversation. Let me ask you this question and I want you to think about it. You've seen maybe replayed a few keynotes here, there, but when you hear a conversation that in that inspires you and pushes you to take action, more likely than not. You're gonna listen to that episodes, that episode, quote unquote panel talk more than once, and that's what I want you guys to remember about being a panelist is just as valuable, but you have to reframe the way that you think about it. You have to reframe how you approach it. You have to prepare for it just like you would if you were owning that stage. All right, so I wanna leave you with this. What do I have going on? What's happening inside my business? So again, I have a community. If this is something that was really valuable to you and you really wanna continue to work on your public speaking skills and take those things to the next level. I have a community of speakers that I work with four times a month on building their public speaking skills, not just for the stage, but in their. Business. That community is called Standing O and it is. It is a vibe. We are a vibe. I also am hosting my first live event in March of 2026 called Speakeasy Orlando, and it is a live in-person event for two hours where we are mixing. Who's line it? Whose line is it anyway with public speaking? So if you're an in-person person that enjoys just working and coaching with me in person, please make sure you check out Speakeasy Orlando. I only have a few seats available. It's live in person here in Orlando, Florida on March 12th at 7:30 PM I'm also hosting a free webinar on February 2nd, and that is going to be on speaking to scale your business and the framework that I use with my clients to help them go. From unforgettable on stage to booked rebooked and remembered. And lastly, I don't have anything else coming up. Actually. As a matter of fact, by the time this episode drops, I will be headed up to Jacksonville, Florida for the business business. I cannot talk today, you guys, for the besties boardroom event. That is a, my second con, actually be my third conference of the year. If you are a woman that is ready to take your business to the next level, this event is a three day event. We've got VIP day, we have. Two in conference days and tons of panels that are gonna give you so much valuable information. So all of these links will be in the show notes. Lock in 2026 is about growth. 2026 is about taking your business to the next level. And I hope to see you guys all at any event, I hope to see you as speakeasy, whether it's in my community or if you are trying to reach me and just wanna have a chat, you can visit my Instagram page at the voice architect. Until next time, I hope you guys have a great week and we'll chat soon. Ciao.