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Info panels: Change > Information

I sat on a panel about networking on Tuesday hosted by a Law School Association.  I do these sorts of things pretty frequently and it got me thinking about the value of panels.

Panels are very common in the business and legal fields.  And in general, I’ve found that most of them aren’t all that useful.

It all starts in grad school when panelists are invited come to campus to talk about their companies.  Students start off excited with prospects of having the jobs of the panelists one day but soon they learn that most of the panels are the same, so people stop showing up, unless they need a free lunch.  And the reason is quite simple.

On one hand, the panels are useful for the person who doesn’t know anything.  People share information about their jobs and their experiences.  And sometimes, access to more information is critical.  On the other hand, in today’s world, it’s easier than ever to find information – that’s always the easy part.  Hearing about someone’s factual experience is rarely unique.

On the other hand, the hard part is engaging with the audience in a new way.  Telling them something they’ve never heard before. Inspiring them to do something they’ve never considered.  Comelling people to consider a new opportunity they didn’t want to consider when they first showed up.

One reason this is hard is because it has nothing to do with with memorizing case law, reading financial statements or answering interview questions – which is what panels almost always focus on and which is what most students learn in school.   Instead it’s about actually trying to get people to see something in an entirely different way.  To shift their worldview. To prepare them to understand what they want and what they believe.

If you want to organize a panel, don’t pick someone who will give information I can find online.  Pick someone who is inspiring.  Pick someone who can help the attendees see something differnently.  And pick someone who can help people change.

Otherwise, the people won’t come back.

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