Mark Perry’s first experience of moderation came in grade four, when his teachers pulled him from the classroom to link the contributions of four fellow students discussing a new school sports hall. A welcome speech to a visiting state governor followed at twelve. Decades later, in a regional CTO role, he was asked to moderate a customer panel at an annual company event, and has been moderating professionally for roughly twenty years since.
Now at Australian Payments Plus, Mark describes himself as an introvert who nonetheless relishes the public nature of moderating, and who prepares for every session by reading the brief, the sponsor’s website and each participant’s LinkedIn presence before trusting the vibe in the room.
What was the first event you ever moderated?
Mark traces his moderating instincts back to primary school, where he was tasked with linking student contributions in a school hall discussion.
“I have been involved in panels and moderating quite some time, even back to primary school. My teachers pulled me out of the classroom, and I was moderating a discussion amongst other students in the hall, in front of all the other students and teachers. They must have seen something in me back then. I think it was grade four, so I would have been ten or eleven years old.
A new school sports hall was being built, and they wanted the students to discuss what they wanted to do in it. There were four other students, and I was the one who had to do the linking between each of the responses. If there was a quiet part, they said just ask someone else who has been quiet. That was my first experience of moderating.”
What has changed about the way you moderate since 2010?
Mark explains how his shift away from the technical expert mindset reshaped his approach, and how online formats have made the task considerably harder.
“It mirrors a lot of the changes in the way I go about my work. I was a very technical person. I had to know all the answers, and I had to be able to tell everybody all the answers. Often I would speak because I wanted to tell people what I knew. After moderating a few panels, I realised it was more about what the other people had to say, and I had to bring out what they were trying to say, either by asking another question to clarify or by comparing against what another panel member was saying.
I stopped saying so much from my own perspective and started trying to bring the discussion points out from the participants. The biggest change since then is that many panels are online now, and it is much harder to hold an audience when they have their phone in front of them or kids running around in the background. You raise the energy and stay on top of people’s expressions so you can use that to drive the conversation.”
What advice would you give to aspiring moderators?
Rather than treating moderation as an elite skill, Mark frames it as a learnable craft built on observation and a willingness to simply begin.
“Watch other panels on YouTube and get an understanding of how they work. It is pretty easy to see when things work and when they do not. You can tell a skilled moderator against someone who really does not have the right skills. Doing a bit of research is always a good idea, and then just do it. I do not think there is anything stopping people except perhaps their own uncertainty.
It is important to step in and give it a go, because your first one will always be the most difficult, and then you are on your way from there. It comes back to understanding your place in the discussion. You are the person who links the conversations together, who kickstarts conversation when it dies down, who interjects where necessary. You are not the main person in the room. It is very much a servant role.”
How do you prepare before moderating a session?
Mark describes a preparation routine that combines rigorous research with an emphasis on being fully present on the day.
“I always read the brief carefully, so I know who is going to be in the room, who the sponsor is, what their main topics of interest are and what they actually do. I read their website. I look at the various people on LinkedIn and get an understanding of what they have been saying, whether they post regularly or whether they are fairly quiet.
Then the important thing is asking questions in the preparation stage, making sure that the way I am seeing it going is the way the people involved expect it to happen. After that it is a matter of being in the moment on the day, being really focused on the vibe in the room or online, reading people’s faces and their body language, and following the conversation clearly so you can step in when you need to, back up someone, or relate a point to something that was said twenty minutes ago.”
What has moderating taught you about senior leaders?
Reflecting on years of executive dialogue, Mark identifies time, directness and the appetite for new knowledge as the defining traits of senior participants.
“The first thing you understand is that senior leaders are very time poor, and for them to be in this session, whether in person or online, is a privilege. You always need to respect that and work hard to give them value. The other thing is that they want to get to the point pretty quickly. They are not interested in long-winded discussions or anecdotes. It really is about the main points.
If you can back up what somebody is saying by restating those points, or by asking someone else what they feel about them, that is valuable to senior leadership. You also need to keep a handle on how people use the time, because some people like to talk a lot and you actually need to shut the conversation down when it starts going too far up the mountainside. And tell them something they do not know. In all my discussions with senior leaders, whether one-to-one or around a table, it has always been the question: tell me something I do not know.”
How do you shut down a participant who is dominating the room?
Mark recalls the subtle escalation from gesture to voice required when one participant monopolises the table.
“I can remember seeing the looks around the table. People just starting to zone out, and other people with a bit of a smirk on their face as they realised this person was completely dominating the conversation. I tried to get in fairly subtly by raising my arms and making a gesture, and then I had to actually jump in with my voice.
It was something like: That has been really great; I have really appreciated your input, but I would like to give this person a chance to speak now. I do not think anyone actually laughed, but there were a few smiles around the table because they understood what I had just done. It does not happen very often, but you have to be ready when it does.”
What is the ideal number of people around the table?
Group size, Mark notes, is the variable that most changes the feel of an event and the demands placed on the moderator.
“The major question always is how many people will attend, and that makes a big difference to the vibe of the event. If you have a good number, eight to ten, then it is a good discussion. You can get around everyone in the hour and a half and make sure everybody has their say. If you have twenty or more, it gets more difficult because some people tend to blend into the crowd and you have to tease certain people out.
If you have two or three, there is much more focus on generating conversation ideas, because you will only get ten minutes from them and then you have to move on. I think ten to twelve is a really great number. You have the ability to get everybody’s opinion; it gives enough space for people to eat or think, and there is enough diversity that you can get some very different opinions going.”
What is the one question you will never stop asking?
In a closing reflection, Mark reveals that his enduring measure of a session has nothing to do with content and everything to do with connection.
“One question I will never stop asking is: did I connect with someone today through what I said, or what I presented, or how I interacted with them? Did I make a connection? Did I change their way of thinking? Did I add to their knowledge base? Did I make a good impression for my employer? But most of all, did I make a personal connection? That is very important to me still. I am actually an introvert. I am very happy to go off and read a book or go for a walk listening to a podcast on my own. But I really enjoy the public nature of moderating and speaking.”
Join the Conversation: The Ortus Club’s Executive Network
Across Mark’s insights on the servant role of the moderator, the discipline of drawing others out and the primacy of personal connection, one pattern is clear: these challenges are not solved in isolation. They require a peer-level perspective and the kind of high-trust dialogue that transcends the temptation to be the loudest voice in the room.
His vision of the moderator as connector reflects a broader reality: today’s executives cannot rely on subject-matter authority alone to lead a conversation. The most effective leaders, especially those navigating increasingly remote and distracted working environments, actively seek out peer dialogue as a strategic necessity to be told something they do not already know.
At The Ortus Club, we host curated executive roundtables that bring together senior leaders facing these exact challenges. Step away from the monologue and engage in the kind of open, high-value conversations that make genuine connection possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does it mean to describe moderation as a servant role?
A: It means the moderator’s purpose is to serve the conversation rather than lead it, linking contributions, restarting stalled dialogue and interjecting only where necessary, without becoming the main voice in the room.
Q: Why is online moderation harder than in-person moderation?
A: Participants are more easily distracted by phones and their home environment, so the moderator must raise the energy and read expression closely to hold attention and drive the conversation.
Q: What is the ideal group size for an executive roundtable?
A: Mark Perry considers ten to twelve to be ideal, large enough for diversity of opinion and space to think, but small enough that everyone can be heard within the session.
Q: How should a moderator prepare for a session?
A: By reading the brief, researching the sponsor’s website and participants’ LinkedIn activity, and asking questions during the preparation stage to confirm that expectations align.
Q: What do senior leaders want from a roundtable discussion?
A: They want their time respected, the main points delivered directly, and above all to be told something they do not already know.
