The Fireside Chat is a popular way to have conversations with top executives and celebrities who don’t want to deliver a formal speech.
One of my clients asked, “How do you moderate a fireside chat after the guest has just spoken?”
You’ve just heard a brilliant speaker deliver a keynote.
Now they sit down for a fireside chat.
What happens next?
Too often, the moderator starts with, “Tell us a little about yourself.”
Why? We’ve just spent 45 minutes with them!
A fireside chat following a presentation should not feel like a second presentation or a conventional interview.
It should feel as if the audience has been invited backstage.
The keynote gives us the speaker’s message. The fireside chat gives us the opportunity to discover more about the person behind the message.
If you are the moderator, listen to the presentation as a moderator, not simply as an audience member.
Take notes.
Put a star beside a statement you want unpacked, a story with an unanswered question, a surprising statistic, or an emotional moment.
Your first question might be:
“Twenty minutes ago, you said ________. I suspect there is more behind that statement. Take us into that moment.”
Now you are continuing the conversation rather than starting another one.
And please don’t ask the speaker to repeat what we have just heard.
Instead of: “Could you tell us more about your three principles?”
Ask:
“Of those three principles, which is the hardest to put into practice, and why?”
Or:
“Where have you seen an experienced leader get this wrong?”
Prepare eight or ten intelligent questions.
Expect to ask perhaps four or six.
Because the best question may be the one you never wrote down.
It comes from listening.
A great fireside chat does not repeat the keynote. It reveals what the keynote did not have time to explore.
The best fireside chat moderators have one skill that matters more than having a list of clever questions.
They listen.
Really listen.
Imagine your guest says:
“That was probably the biggest mistake I made.”
You could look down at your notes and ask your next prepared question.
Please don’t.
Ask:
“Why?”
“What did it cost you?”
“When did you realize you were wrong?”
Or use one of my favorite coaching techniques:
“Give us an example.”
A two-word follow-up can produce a better answer than a beautifully crafted 40-word question.
Another powerful technique is to listen for an interesting word or phrase and hand it straight back.
The guest says:
“Frankly, that decision terrified me.”
You respond:
“Terrified you?”
Then pause.
Give them room to go deeper.
And when your guest gives you a generalization, ask for specificity.
“We went through a difficult period.”
“What did difficult look like?”
“Take us into the room. Who was there? What happened?”
Specificity builds credibility. It also turns commentary into a story.
Finally, design your ending before you walk onstage.
Never finish with:
“Unfortunately, that’s all we have time for.”
Last words linger.
Protect one final question:
“After everything you’ve accomplished and learned, what do you know now that you wish you had understood ten years earlier?”
Or:
“What is the one idea you hope we will act on?”
Then let your guest answer.
Don’t summarize their answer.
Don’t compete with their conclusion.
Simply say, “Thank you.”
And let the applause begin.
A great moderator isn’t remembered for asking impressive questions. A great moderator is remembered for helping the guest give unforgettable answers.
I have to take my own advice on November 5
Speak and Get Paid
How Five Bestselling Authors Built Their Empires
A Masterclass Inspired by Inside the Actors Studio
9 am to 4 pm, Thursday, November 5
UCLA Alumni Center
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