There are three major types of group presentations:

1. Panel presentations are discussions among group members for the benefit of the audience. The members sit in a semi-circle and have a discussion/conversation that the audience will find informative and useful. Audience members do not speak. Several Sunday morning television shows use this round table format including This Week with George Stephanopoulos and Meet the Press
2. Forum presentations are talks between and among group members and the audience. You’ll see these in town meetings in which citizens interact with public officials and experts (like transportation engineers or education leaders). This is the format that you might see on television shows like Phil Donahue and Oprah Winfrey. There is a moderator who interacts with both expert guests and the audience.
3. Symposium presentations are typical at professional conventions. Experts are chosen to offer a complement of ideas and each are given a specified amount of time to share their work. There is a moderator who watches the time and ensures that each speaker has an opportunity to speak. These are essentially a series of individual presentations around a common theme.  Sometimes, the presentation is opened up to the audience for their questions and/or comments.