The Best Advice For First-Time Roundtable Speakers

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The Best Advice For First-Time Roundtable Speakers

Roundtable discussions are a fantastic part of events that allow for creative and authentic conversation to be shared between professionals and engaged with by attendees. If you’ve watched a roundtable discussion before, you’ll know that it’s a brilliant way to learn from experts and feel much more part of a conversation than if you were just watching a presentation. So if you’re asked to participate in a roundtable, it’s understandable to feel some pressure about what you’re going to say and do.

In this article, we share advice for first-time roundtable speakers to help you prepare for this type of event and ensure that you’ll get the most out of the experience as possible.

What Is a Roundtable Discussion?

A roundtable discussion is an organised conversation amongst a group of people, which may be conducted in front of an audience. It’s a common format for a talk at events and conferences, featuring speakers with particular interests or opinions to contribute to a discussion.

Roundtables are designed to be equally weighted conversations, hence the name. Speakers will often be chosen because they are experts in a topic but have differing perspectives, which leads to a more well-rounded discussion.

A round table talk will be hosted by a moderator, who acts as a guide during the discussion and helps keep the conversation on track. They will ensure that all speakers have equal opportunities to contribute, keep the discussion aligned with a set of topics, and act as an unbiased perspective to summarise points or ask further questions.

From an event perspective, roundtable discussions are different from panels because they are more of an organic conversation between speakers, instead of a group interview. The moderator will ensure that the conversation stays on topic and covers key points, but they won’t necessarily ask questions and will let the discussion take shape more naturally.

What Is the Purpose of a Roundtable Discussion?

The main purpose of a roundtable discussion is to give all of the speakers an equal opportunity to speak. No matter your background or experience, all perspectives and ideas at a round table talk are to be treated as equal.

Having a moderator or a host at a roundtable talk fits in with the purpose of ensuring that everyone is heard equally. They help to stop the conversation from straying into unproductive discussion and will also direct the focus onto speakers who might not have said as much, to keep things fair.

Framing a talk as a roundtable discussion also creates a space where people can share ideas and opinions without fear of being disregarded or having their perspectives picked apart. The purpose of a roundtable is not to have an argument, but to present a variety of viewpoints and ensure that each of these perspectives has the same amount of time to be heard.

At an event, a roundtable meeting is a great way to showcase different perspectives and allow attendees to watch a discussion that will likely cover a variety of viewpoints. It’s a really great item to have on your event agenda because it’s often a chance to hear opposing views and hear experts explain their thoughts and present new ideas.

How to Participate in a Roundtable Discussion

If it’s your first time speaking at a roundtable meeting, either as the host or as a guest, it’s very understandable to want to prepare as much as possible. The following advice for roundtable events is ideal for ensuring your first experience is positive, covering everything from how to prepare to how to present yourself.

Let the Facilitator Lead

Our first piece of advice for how to take part in roundtable discussions is to remember to let the facilitator of the discussion lead. You don’t need to worry about where the conversation is going or whether you’re going to get a chance to speak; those are both the facilitator’s responsibilities. Instead, remain focused on what the other speakers are saying and engage fully in the discussion, without worrying about when you need to interject or whether the current topic is relevant and interesting for the audience.

Facilitators will have been chosen and trained specifically to moderate discussions like this, so if you’re feeling nervous then you should follow their lead. The conversation will flow at times without any interjection, but you can feel confident that the discussion will follow a set of topics and that you or the other speakers will be kept on track and given an equal chance to speak.

Research the Speakers

One of the best ways that you can prepare for speaking at a roundtable is to research the other people who will be speaking with you. Not only will this make it easier for you to address them by name and feel more comfortable on stage, but it can also help you prepare points and ideas that will produce the most interesting conversation.

You will be told the topic of the roundtable in advance. Along with preparing the key things that you’d like to talk about, you should also get an idea of the stances that your fellow speakers might take. They’ll likely have been chosen because of their perspective, and you should make sure that you know what this is and where their ideas and opinions come from in advance.

You don’t need to learn everyone’s life stories. But it can be really useful to know what points, research or opinions they might bring up, so you can confidently agree, contribute or disagree with what’s been said.

Prepare Evidence

As part of your preparation for speaking at a round table talk, you should make sure that you have supporting evidence for any points you have to share. You don’t need to be able to quote masses of data, but if you’re talking about results or linking outcomes to actions, you should be able to back up your points.

To prepare evidence, make sure you’ve memorised the key facts involved in whatever you’re quoting. Key statistics, the names of researchers, and publishing dates are what you should focus on.

Be an Active Listener

It might be tempting to focus only on what you want to say while participating in a roundtable discussion. But you’ll get the most out of the experience, and come across as a better participant, if you practise active listening.

Active listening is an approach to listening where you focus on taking in what the other people are saying, instead of focusing on how you’re going to reply. You put all of your energy into listening and understanding their points, communicating this through body language and non-verbal affirmations, and don’t get distracted by formulating your own response instead of paying attention.

In a roundtable discussion, active listening can help your fellow speakers feel like they’re being properly heard, which can lead to more harmonious and respectful conversations. It will also minimise the chance of you misinterpreting something someone else says or getting the wrong idea, which is good for the impression you make and the cohesiveness of the talk as a whole.

Ask, Don’t Argue

A roundtable talk held at an event is always going to be positive and respectful and shouldn’t descend into any kind of bad-natured argument. But a general rule when you’re dealing with opposing viewpoints is to ask questions instead of trying to argue points.

When you respond to a point with a criticism you can end up halting the conversation by going back and forth disagreeing. But if you meet a point you disagree with with a question, diving deeper into the speaker’s beliefs or asking for clarity on something, you avoid negativity and can potentially get a better idea of where their perspective comes from. That way, it’s easier to respond with ‘I understand, but I think that…’ and avoid explicit criticism.

Stay Focused

Roundtable discussions are supposed to flow naturally, and one of the benefits of this event format is that it can allow for unexpected ideas to develop or perspectives to emerge. However, you don’t want to stray too far from the main topic of the conversation, even if you have the freedom to make suggestions or go down particular paths.

The role of the moderator is to keep things on track, but if you’re speaking make sure to keep your points reasonably focused. If you’ve been asked to speak on a particular topic then that is what the audience will be attending for, so you want to make sure that you deliver on this front.

Be Open to Learning

It is probable that some of the other people involved in the round table talk will have differing opinions to yours, or even just perspectives and ideas that you’ve not really considered. You’ll get the most out of this opportunity, and also feel more relaxed, if you approach the event with a mindset that is open to learning.

Explaining your own point of view is important, but a roundtable discussion isn’t supposed to be an argument with an overall ‘winner’. If you make the effort to actively engage with other people’s ideas, try to understand where they’re coming from and appreciate the chance to learn something new, you’ll find the conversation much more valuable. This mindset will also help to improve your demeanour and make you come across as more positive and engaged, which is great for your image.

Stay Professional, But Relax

It can be easy to let nerves impact your mood when you’re speaking at a roundtable event, which can prevent you from relaxing and being yourself. A benefit of attending events like these as a speaker is that it can be great for your professional reputation, so you want to give an authentic impression of yourself.

As with any kind of industry event, you should aim to come across as professional but friendly and relaxed. This can be hard to manage if it’s your first time speaking, but if you can fake being relaxed by changing your posture and tone of voice, you might start to feel it as well.

Also keep this approach in mind when it comes to discussion. You should take the conversation seriously, but keep a friendly and respectful tone throughout. You’re there to work with your fellow speakers, and you’ll make the best impression if you’re authentically yourself whilst still being eloquent, confident and firm.

Summary

Roundtable discussions are a great first step into the world of public speaking. You want to make sure that you feel well-prepared and that you make a positive and professional impression that should increase the likelihood that you are asked back as a speaker again. If it’s your first time in a roundtable discussion then the above advice will definitely help you to get the most out of the event and be an excellent participant.

For more valuable insight on sustainability in the MICE industry, take a look at the other articles on our blog.

Key takeaways

• Understand the format: Roundtables are equal and collaborative discussions moderated to maintain focus and balance among contributors.
• Prepare thoroughly: Research fellow speakers, the topic, and supporting evidence to contribute confidently to the discussion.
• Focus on active listening: Stay engaged by prioritising understanding over formulating responses and support harmonious dialogue.
• Be professional and open: Maintain a professional yet relaxed attitude, approach with a mindset of learning, and foster valuable conversations.
• Allow the moderator to guide: Trust the facilitator to keep the discussion organised while offering your input at appropriate moments.
   

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