A panel discussion is designed to providean opportunity for a group to hearseveral people knowledgeable about aspecific issue or topic presentinformation and discuss personal views.A panel discussion may help theaudience further clarify and evaluatetheir positions regarding specific issuesor topics being discussed and increasetheir understanding of the positions ofothers.How to Proceed1. Identify, or help participants identify, anissue or topic that involves an importantconflict in values and/or interests. Theissue or topic may be set forth as atopical question, a hypothetical incident,a student experience, an actual case, etc.2. Select panelists who are well informedabout and have specific points of viewregarding the issue or topic. A paneldiscussion that includes three to fivepanelists is usually most workable. Selecta leader or moderator.3. Indicate to panelists the objectives thepanel discussion is designed to promoteand allow-time for panel members toprepare for the discussion. In somesituations ten or fifteen minutes may besufficient time for preparation while inother situations, panel members mayneed to prepare several weeks inadvance of the scheduled discussion.4. Decide upon the format the paneldiscussion will follow. Various formatsare appropriate. The followingprocedures have been used effectively: