Content rules. Conference panels are a fixture in the life of a CEO, whether in virtual or in-person. Podcasts are more popular than ever. How do you keep getting invited to those and keep people in the room and not out in the proverbial (or literal) corridor? These are my tips.

Prepare. Maybe 1% of us can wing it and it’s safer to assume it’s not you. I’ve been able to rock panels with high powered CEOs because they didn’t bother to read the list of questions. Prepare, find your angle for each question and for follow up questions, propose questions that serve you if there aren’t any or the moderator invites you to.

Entertain. Many people think panels are an opportunity to pontificate. They are not: the crowd is there to be informed and entertained. Reframe a common thought, offer a framework, or just point a topic not many discuss and explain how it’s relevant to your audience. Serve your crowd’s expectations, cut down on monologues, and try to be least interesting. If you get them to engage, they will remember you.

Repeat. You’re not a standup comic giving the same routine twice a night for months. You don’t need 100% fresh material every time. Repetition leads to mastery and gets the message across. You may be tired of it but your crowd isn’t (unless, see above, you’re a boring lecturer). Don’t try to reinvent your messaging every time — repeat your best ideas in the same way.

Here’s to a less boring 2021. I’m still going to listen to all of you at 1.5X speed and I suggest you do the same with me.