I have been reading Hugh's blog at gapingvoid for a few months now and I really like his perspective. He recently attended LesBlogs in Pairs and had some comments about panel discussions at conferences.
At the conferences that I've organized I have found the use of roundtable discussions to be very effective. The participants can either listen, speak, or on rare occasions do both. We have one leader at the table that sets the tone of the discussion and acts as a facilitator. It really is a great way to learn from your peers and express your ideas.
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