HOW TO MODERATE POWERFUL CONVERSATIONS
- Wickett Advisory - Xenia Wickett
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
How to Moderate Powerful Conversations
Most senior panels do not fail because the speakers are weak. They fail because no one is leading the conversation.
In volatile geopolitical and corporate environments, public discussions are not neutral. They signal strategy. They expose alignment — or the lack of it. They shape how leaders are perceived.
Moderation is not logistics. It is strategic leadership in public.
Over the years, moderating hundreds of conversations — from geopolitical debates to technology summits — this is the framework I use.
I have been asked several times recently how I prepare. Here is the discipline behind it.
1. Start with the outcome, not the questions
Before drafting anything, I ask the organiser:
What change do you want in the audience? Is this about clarity, alignment, provocation, reassurance?
What should people think, feel or do differently afterwards?
Without clarity on outcome, you get an interesting conversation. With clarity, you get impact.
If you don’t know the goal, you cannot lead the room.
2. Align the speakers before they walk on stage
Panels underperform when speakers arrive with separate agendas. In advance, I ask each of them:
What is the one point the audience must leave with?
What is not getting enough attention in this debate?
Then I set expectations:
Initial answers: 90 seconds to 3 minutes. No speeches.
Build on one another.
My role is to ensure balance and coverage.
If I raise my hand, wrap up.
You cannot create a dynamic conversation if you have not established authority. Seniority is irrelevant. The moderator leads. That clarity creates freedom.
When speakers know they will be heard early, they relax. When they relax, the discussion improves.
3. Prepare deeply – then let go
I prepare 4–5 core themes, with 3–4 questions under each. But once on stage, I mostly put the notes aside.
Why? Because moderation is listening.
If you cling to your list, you stop hearing what is actually being said.
The most valuable moments often come from something mentioned in passing — an assumption, a tension, an untested claim. That is where you press. That is where insight is created.
Panels should feel like rigorous thinking in real time — not stitched-together monologues.
For that reason, I do not circulate questions in advance. I have made one exception — when moderating Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. Context matters.
4. Manage the whole system — not just the panel
If permitted, I bring the audience in early. Often taking two or three questions at once. It shifts energy. It reveals what genuinely concerns the room. Extreme or unhelpful questions naturally dilute. People are always more engaged when they can shape the discussion.
A moderator’s job is to hold the entire dynamic — speakers, audience, tempo and tone.
5. The invisible skill: energy management
Moderation is emotional regulation.
You are holding tempo, balancing airtime, managing ego without embarrassing anyone, maintaining psychological safety while allowing disagreement, watching the audience and thinking several moves ahead.
When done well, it is almost invisible. But the consequences are not. A well-moderated conversation can clarify confusion, surface disagreement safely, shift narratives, strengthen trust between stakeholders, and create genuine intellectual energy in a room.
Poor moderation wastes time — and reputational capital.
The difference matters.
If you are planning a senior leadership discussion, investor event or high-stakes public conversation, structure and control are not optional. They determine the quality of thinking in the room.
Best regards,
Xenia
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