Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
This forum is in permanent archive mode. Our new active community can be found here.
Complete Idiot's Primer to Becoming a Convention Panelist
I need one.
Do I need to be close personal friends with Mathew Daigle, or would cash be OK?
All right I'm joking, but being a not very social butterfly, how do I position myself, however slowly, however arduously, to be considered as a worthwhile speaker/presenter at an event like Connecticon? (Beyond the obvious, like actually having something interesting to talk about, with enough appeal to fill a room.)
Do I need to be close personal friends with Mathew Daigle, or would cash be OK?
All right I'm joking, but being a not very social butterfly, how do I position myself, however slowly, however arduously, to be considered as a worthwhile speaker/presenter at an event like Connecticon? (Beyond the obvious, like actually having something interesting to talk about, with enough appeal to fill a room.)
Comments
I have a few ideas but having only been to two Connecticons so far, I need to do some more research and make sure I'm not doing something that's been beaten to death already or that people just don't find interesting.
And for Connecticon 2014, I've already missed the first submission deadline, but I know they take submissions until mid-April (with a diminishing chance of being selected as slots fill up.)
2. Short but interesting title for said interesting idea - This is the most important step in getting butts in seats. I can not tell you how many good panels were not well attended because either the title sounded boring or got cut off when the schedule went to print.
3. Put on a moderately good panel - Do a good panel and the butts will stay in the seats.
EDIT: Ah you guys actually address that, but the point still stands.
4. Do not be a racist asshole.
5. Do not be a sexist asshole.
6. No audience participation in which failure results harsh public shaming.
7. Do not yell, insult, or otherwise start something with the panels staff.
Doing these things will get you blacklisted at best and ejected from the con at worst.
Adding on to George's list
4. Know your shit. This is especially the case if you like to do more academic panels like I do. There will be moments when something like an unexpected audience interaction will throw you "off script". Knowing your material and being able to talk about casually will let you deal with technical problems really professionally. If your projector blows up, you should still be able to give your panel. This is also great if you run a Q&A and someone throws an interesting question. Skip to 4:51 in the video below to see what I mean.
5. Decide your rules on audience interaction. Rym and Scott aren't into it. Alex Leavitt is neither here nor there. I love it as long as it isn't obnoxious. If you like a tight script or have a ton of material to cover, don't do it. If you are confident that you can keep your audience in check, go for it. I actually bring audience members on stage in some of my panels and give out prizes. They eat that shit up.
6. You can publicly shame/kick out an audience member. When performing, you are there to entertain/inform your audience, but no one audience member is more important than another. So, if one of them is degrading the experience for the rest of them, you can feel free to shame them or kick them out. Also, you find that one particular audience member is consistently causing trouble at your events, you can ask con ops to kick him out of line for your event.
There is one guy who has attended several of my panels at many different conventions and has never failed to be a disturbance. I've also seen him disturbing other panelists during their panels. At Anime Los Angeles, I gave con ops to kick him out of line for one of my panels. They immediately recognized him as a regular trouble maker and took away his badge. Now I never have to worry about him at ALA again.
Other ideas?
This was on my short list but now that you listed it as a generic example I'm fearing that it's been done to Heck and back. :-) I mean, I was probably gonna spin it a little but...
1) Do practice runs to make sure you have enough content for your time slot
2) Do not let the audience participate. The importance of this rule is inversely related to the specificity of the panel material.
3) Make sure you have something to say that isn't just repeating what's on Wikipedia/TV Tropes
4) When it comes time to present, have a backup computer. Things will go wrong.
IF you want to be good, just watch Rym and Scott and rip off what they do.
I've been in two panels by.. whatsisname.. Mookie? That guy is awesome. He had me cracking up. I feel like I've got two (three) good examples there.
Also, don't be afraid to try doing a panel others have done. You might do it better.
I was thinking about mouthing off about working on Minds of Terminus in a "Look what I did without knowing WTF I'm doing" sort of a way, but meh, back to the drawing board.
Our PAX East panel this year is tentatively titled "Why no one will game with you". That'll draw a crowd, but no one will really know what to expect. ;^)
Churba, didn't think to look at PAX (durh). Thank you!