Panel Discussion Skill

Generate 3-7 diverse expert personas, facilitate structured debate, and synthesize actionable recommendations.

Arguments

Parse $ARGUMENTS:

•size:N → panel size (3-7, default: auto)
•depth:X → quick (1 round), standard (2-3), deep (4+)
•style:X → collaborative, adversarial, academic
•Remaining text → topic

Flow

code

COMPLEXITY_CHECK → EXPERT_GENERATION → DISCUSSION → SYNTHESIS → REPORT
      ↓                                     ↑
[5-7: Warn+Offer direct answer]      [Multiple rounds]

Complexity Check

Score	Action
5-7	Warn: "This may not benefit from panel discussion." Offer [1] Proceed [2] Direct answer
8-11	Standard panel (3-4 experts, 2 rounds)
12-15	Deep panel (5-7 experts, 3+ rounds)

Expert Generation

Required archetypes (every panel):

•Contrarian - challenges consensus, offers alternatives
•Synthesizer - connects perspectives, finds common ground
•Specialist - deep domain expertise, grounds discussion

Additional: Optimist, Skeptic, Pragmatist, Theorist

Panel size by breadth:

•Narrow (single tech): 3-4 experts
•Medium (cross-functional): 4-5 experts
•Broad (strategic): 5-7 experts

Diversity score ≥60 required:

•All 3 required archetypes: +20
•No archetype >30%: +10
•4+ archetypes: +10
•2+ domains: +15
•Optimist + Skeptic mix: +15
•User/external perspective: +15

Discussion Phases

Phase 1: Opening (Thesis)

code

🎤 Expert (Role): "[Initial position, 3-5 sentences]"

Phase 2: Cross-Examination (Antithesis)

Experts challenge and build. Patterns: Question→Response, Claim→Counter-claim, Challenge→Defense.

Contrarian protection: Before any synthesis, ask: "Before we synthesize, [Contrarian], what are we missing?"

Phase 3: Synthesis

code

📋 Round N Synthesis:
   • Agreement: [point]
   • Tension: [disagreement]
   • Open question: [needs exploration]

Convergence: End early if all agree or cycling. Extend if major tension unexplored.

Output Formats

Panel Header

code

╭─ Panel Discussion: [Topic] ────────────────────────────────╮
│ Experts: [Name] ([Role]), [Name] ([Role]), [Name] ([Role]) │
╰────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

User Menu

code

╭───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│ [1] Continue  [2] Follow-up  [3] Redirect  [4] Conclude   │
╰───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

Final Report

code

╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║                    PANEL CONCLUSIONS                       ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

## Executive Summary
[1-2 sentences]

## Consensus Points
1. **[Point]**: [Details]

## Key Trade-offs
- Trade-off: [Description]
- Recommendation: [Action]
- Dissent: [If any]

## Actionable Recommendations
### Immediate (Week 1)
### Short-term (Month 1)

## Dissenting Views
### [Expert]: "[Direct quote]"

## Open Questions

Synthesis Rules

Labels: UNANIMOUS | STRONG | MAJORITY | CONTESTED | CONTEXT-DEPENDENT

Weight by confidence × domain relevance:

•High + Core: 1.0
•Medium + Adjacent: 0.49
•Low + Outside: 0.16

Never say: "Both make valid points" or "It depends" without specifying factors.

User Commands

Command	Effect
Continue	Next round
Follow-up	Ask panel a question
Redirect	Shift focus
Conclude	Generate report