Chapter 11, Discussion 1

A forum facilitates public discussion by allowing the entire audience to participate by discussing and give their individual input after a brief presentation by the group. This is different from a panel, which is where four to eight experts converse about a problem or decision in front of an audience. There is no direct discussion with the audience and the panel of experts, but there is usually a Q&A session with the audience. A colloquium takes place between three to six experts whose views are usually diverse. These experts have a discussion where they "identify, develop, and work through possible solutions to a problem for the benefit and with the participation of the audience" (Harris and Sherblom, 2011). A symposium has two to six short speeches made on "different aspects of a complex problem" (Harris and Sherblom, 2011). The speakers are usually experts, and their goal is to present complicated information to the audience. I like the panel presentation because planning is very thorough. As the book says, "there should be no big surprises for the speakers on the day of the presentation." I also like that the audience interaction occurs after the panel discussion.