Good moderation is a fool’s game.

Finding the place between the audience and the speakers.

Much like the Shakespearean fool, a conference moderator can speak candidly and directly to offer insights and observations that maybe some speakers might not voice. The fool provided comic relief and by not taking oneself too seriously, a moderator too can explore seemingly nonsensical ramblings that can sometimes point to hidden wisdom and truths about a subject matter. By placing oneself between the speaker and the audience, both physically and mentally, the moderator can critique anything from societal structures, behaviours and values of the society, pretty much anything in which the talks are framed.

Fools were used to play with themes such as the transient nature of power, the folly of human behaviour, or the complexities of truth and deception whilst providing exposition and advancing the storyline. If the moderator is transparent about their intentions to both speakers and audience, hopefully good, then they too can aspire to such similar ambition as the fool, whilst having fun in the process. That way you’ll keep the theme of the day challenged and the audience engaged.

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