1. When panelists have to introduce themselves and use the opportunity to turn it into a donor pitch for their organisation.
2. When the moderator realises she’s the token female on a manel*.
3. When a panelist talks about the struggles they faced moving to the social sector after graduating from Harvard Business School.
4. When a donor talks about how that one field visit changed their life and world-view.
5. When there’s a government rep and an activist on the same ‘freedom of speech’ panel.
6. When you specifically ask the audience for questions, not comments, and someone gives a five-minute speech with zero questions in it anyway.
7. When a foundation head from *insert first world country* waltzes in and gives a speech about development in India when they have no idea what the ground reality is.
Related article: Talking to your funders through Indian ads
8. When a panelist asks you whether you’re planning on asking them tough questions before the discussion starts.
9. When you ask someone whether they know the answer to a question, and they don’t—but insist on launching into a monologue anyway.
10. When the panel discussion actually ends on time.
*A manel is an all-male panel—a portmanteau of the words ‘man’ and ‘panel’.
