Moderating a Panel Discussion and Year-end Reflection

As part of my learning journey at Toastmasters, I moderated a panel discussion for the first time, with the four distinguished panelists being Alice, Jackie and Mingchun -- my fellow Toastmasters -- and Manny, our old friend and my AI teacher. 

In preparation for this historic event, which was also the first of its kind in my club Sandwich Taipei, I formed a chat group on Line one month ago to facilitate communication among the five of us. Then, on Saturday morning, we met early to align and to finalize a few details, including venue setup for this special event.

It worked out beautifully. Our meeting venue was rearranged in just a few minutes, with the five of us seated as panelists and the moderator. I had been worried about our venue setup and this image was simply beyond what I had imagined.

As the moderator, I chose this topic for our panel discussion: Work-Life Balance in a Connected World. I chose it because work-life balance is an issue that most people can relate to. It emerged after the Industrial Revolution, and has persisted and evolved over time, with the latest concern being 24/7 connectedness to work, thanks to the rise of smartphones and other technological advancements. In addition, I drew inspiration from the "Five Balls of Life" metaphor that Bryan Dyson, the former CEO of Coca-Cola, famously shared in his speech at the 1996 Georgia Tech Commencement.  We were allotted 30 - 35 minutes, in which our panelists would answer my prepared questions with their personal experiences and thoughts.

Though our lives are more important than work, we can hardly live without work, except for those unable to work or who no longer need to work for a living. As a retiree I'm part of the latter, yet I did have 40 years of work experience before my retirement. Therefore, in honor of our work, I asked the panel my first question: What are some good lessons or skills that you have learned through your work?

My second question was prepared in general reflection of the topic, inviting personal story sharing from the panel, as follows: Please share with us a struggle resulting from work-Life imbalance that you experienced, how you managed it and how it ended up?

The third question I prepared involves the latest technological advancements, as well as the accompanying threats and opportunities, so the question looks complex and lengthy. Thankfully our panelists were briefed beforehand and could share their valuable perspectives as intended. Here's my third question to the panel: With new technologies evolving at an exponential rate, what new challenges and opportunities you have experienced or anticipated, and how you have managed and leveraged them, or will do so, for better work-life balance? 

Finally, panelists were invited to conclude their thoughts about the topic today with just one word, and then elaborate on it. To this end, the four insightful words from the panel were communication, embrace, prioritize, and harmony, and I wrapped it up with value, my concluding word as the moderator, urging our audience to "find their value, invest their resources, both valuable and invaluable, to secure it, and value their hard-earned value", just like another famous quote in Bryan Dyson's 1996 speech: Value has a value only if its value is valued.

With the support from everyone, not the least other fellow Toastmasters in the audience witnessing our historic event, the panel discussion ended in 36 minutes, just over the 35 minutes allotted, far better than I had expected in terms of time control. I had to extend my gratitude and respect again to my panelists, not just  for sharing their invaluable personal experience, but also for their impeccable time management. In this group photo I had the privilege to sit on this nice chair, marking the special moment with a lighthearted vibe.

While panel discussions are unusual for the prepared speech session of our regular meeting, we still had our old friend Jo from PECL joining us as the Individual Evaluator. She provided her precise, insightful and constructive feedback, as always, that benefited not just me personally but also the audience. Incidentally, Jo had moderated a panel discussion more than two months ago and I had been honored to join it as a panelist. That experience had readied me considerably for moderating my own panel discussion yesterday. I felt fortunate -- and thank you again, Jo.

Last but not least, my panel discussion was just one part of the agenda for our regular meeting yesterday, which was centered on the theme of Year-end Reflection. In this connection, my original answer to the question included three things: completing my backpacking plan in 20 months by visiting 358 townships around Taiwan; enriching my self-learning journey of English literature by studying Shakespeare’s plays (with seven plays done); a bonus wich was not in the 2024 resolution list: starting and maintaining my blog in English, with 35 posts completed (including this one). Now, I should add another bonus to my list: moderating my first panel discussion.

As a retiree free of work-life imbalance at this time, I have lived more years than those that await me, yet this passing year seems to be another fulfilling one. I look forward to my journey still unfolding.