Panel discussions are a popular format for conventions and meetings. Over the years, I’ve attended many. They aren’t my favorite form of communication, mainly because I think they are usually done poorly.

Recently, in one day, I attended two club meetings with panels. Both were okay — but one was better than the other, mainly because of the moderator.

Rarely is the moderator (or panelists, for that matter) paid for his participation, but that doesn’t mean he should take the assignment lightly. The moderator is the traffic cop who must actually “moderate,” by enforcing time limits and keeping panelists on topic. He or she should understand the audience’s needs and expectations. He should know the viewpoints of each panelist and how they fit into the overall topic of discussion.

A moderator who knows what she’s doing makes comments and asks questions that keep the conversation animated and moving. She needs to ensure that each panelist gets a fair chance to contribute, but also must control the time spent on each question.

Of course, choosing panelists is equally important. In my experience, there are usually too many for the time allotted. In an hour-long segment, three or four plus a moderator is plenty. Obviously, it’s best if they have diverse viewpoints and opinions. (Some personality would be nice as well.)

Just like the moderator, panelists have to prepare. They should know what they want to say and how to say it succinctly. Any answer longer than two or three minutes is inviting the audience to tune out.

Ideally, they should know the other panelists’ viewpoints. And if a panelist doesn’t know anything about a particular topic or question, he or she should shut up!

It’s up to organizers to choose panel participants wisely and make the guidelines clear. Otherwise, you just have more blah blah, and your audience would learn a lot more by networking with each other in the hallway.

Why can’t people give up their bullet points in PowerPoint presentations? One reason is they don’t know what to replace them with or what to do differently. Here’s a slide makeover that may give you some ideas.

The first slide below is not as cluttered and data heavy as many I’ve seen, but it still has too many words on it to be easily understood by the audience.

One guideline that can help improve a type-filled slide is to put most of the words in your notes (either on your screen or on paper) to remind you what you want to say. Also, include only one key point per slide.

Here the presenter is trying to do too much at once. She’s talking about the importance of a “meaningful difference,” and then also adds five examples. She’ll probably read them to the audience.

I think it can be more visual and therefore more understandable by spreading the info out on more slides. The presenter can also easily include the audience in the discussion.

The first new slide introduces the concept. On her notes page, the presenter can have the info she wants to say, the stuff that used to be on the slide.

“Strong brands stand out because they have something that differentiates them — what’s called a meaningful difference. They convey this difference consistently and constantly in everything they do.”

“Let’s look at some brands that stand out in this way and see if you can name their meaningful difference.”

“When we think of Maytag, what do we think of?”

“Yes, reliability. How about Michelin?

“Safety. All of their ads and communications to consumers convey their emphasis on safety.”

“What stands out when we think of Disney? What’s their differentiator?”

“Yes, Disney is known for providing wholesome family entertainment. Parents know that if they send their kids to a Disney movie, it won’t have sex and violence.”

And she can continue on with the other brands. This way of presenting keeps the audience from texting, twitting, or checking email. And it’s more interesting for the presenter too.

Next to “We never let facts get in the way of a good story,” my favorite saying about the news business is “Never get into an argument with someone who buys ink by the barrel.” It’s been attributed to Mark Twain, though I can’t confirm it.

No matter who said it first, we know the adage has been around for a long time and has been proven true time and again. So why did a hospital in northern New Jersey think it could escape the fate of so many others?

The Hackensack University Medical Center was upset that a newspaper called The Record was going to write an unflattering story about some of the hospital’s board members. So — you guessed it — an administrator called and threatened to cancel all advertising on the newspaper’s website and in print.

The story ran anyway.

Then the hospital went a step further and said the newspaper couldn’t be sold in its gift shops or anywhere on campus. And, you guessed it again, The Record wrote a story about the hospital’s reaction.

The incident ended as you might expect. The hospital apologized.

And to make the Hackensack University Medical Center look even worse, the story was written up in the New York Times. This is what’s called learning a lesson the hard way.