Panel discussion

A panel discussion, or simply a panel, involves a group of people gathered to discuss a topic in front of an audience, typically at scientific, business, or academic conferences, fan conventions, and on television shows. Panels usually include a moderator who guides the discussion and sometimes elicits audience questions, with the goal of being informative and entertaining.

Harry A. Overstreet, an American educator, first coined the term "panel discussion" in a short article "On the Panel" published in the October, 1934 issue of The Trained Nurse and Hospital Review.  In essence, Overstreet envisioned the panel as a "glorified conversation [with] all the delight of generous give-and-take. And if it is a genuinely good conversation, it sends people away with a warm feeling not only that their own ideas have been clarified but that their understanding of other points of view has been broadened." In that article, he emphasized "that no one, under any circumstances, is to rise and make a speech. To do so, he indicates, will be the one unforgivable offense."

A panel discussion is a specific format used in a meeting, conference, or convention.  It is a live (or recorded), in-person, virtual, or "hybrid" discussion about a specific topic amongst a selected group of experts who share differing perspectives in front of an in-person, virtual, or geographically dispersed audience.

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