How to be a Good Moderator

Photo by Product School on Unsplash

I promised this one, then got distracted. Mea culpa.

For background, I’ve been serving on and moderating panels at science fiction conventions for several years, and in that time I’ve seen some really good moderation…and some really sad attempts. The fact is that writers and experts are often asked to do this stuff without any formal training. I can’t replace that, but I can give some of my tips.

Be Assertive

Honestly, the most common problem inexperienced moderators have is being weak. We are taught to be polite. If you’re a woman or read as one, you’ve gotten a double dose of that — we’re supposed to be quiet and meek.

Being quite, meek, or overly polite is how you lose control of the room. Most of the time, this isn’t a problem. People are generally well behaved, and a good panel doesn’t need you that much.

Then you get a racist heckler…

It’s very important to remember one basic fact:

You are in charge, and everyone in that room has, by virtue of being in that room, agreed to that.

Yes, you can tell the famous person on your panel to be quiet so somebody else can talk. (Be polite doing it, but do it).

Yes, you can tell the attendee who is trying to creep onto the panel to shut up.