Thank you for your help with the SCB Annual Meeting!

Please review the following list of guidelines for moderators. If you decide to moderate a session, please be sure the following is a list of tasks that will not cause discomfort for you.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODERATORS

1) Please arrive to your session room a little earlier than the scheduled time for the session to start. Check that all speakers are present before the start of the session. Consult speakers about any questions regarding pronunciation of names.

2) Check the sound and projector system and discuss back-up plans with the audio-visual volunteer in case of failure.

3) Check the lights and discuss who will control them with the projectionist. Try to have dim lighting in the back of the room that can be left on during the presentation. This aids note-taking and safe movement of people in and out of the room during talks.

4) Please START the session on time, even if it appears that not everyone is there yet.

5) Encourage speakers to leave a few minutes for questions at the end of their talk and provide simple but effective time checks. * use a visual or vocal signal when there are 3 minutes remaining * stand-up when there is one minute remaining * walk to the podium and politely indicate that their allotted time has come to an end.

6) Have at least one question ready for each talk. For the benefit of those sitting further back, be sure that speakers repeat questions from the audience, especially those from front rows.

7) Announce all cancelled talks and post notices on the door of the meeting room. You can use the time from a canceled talk for questions but please do NOT move the program forward when a paper is cancelled.

8) Keep track of all canceled talks on the paper list provided to you in the room and give it to the volunteer at the end of the session.

Advice for moderators:

1. The brevity of speed presentations creates a culture of tight timing that affects the moderation of the session too. For example, time can be saved if one moderator introduces the speaker while the other opens the next computer file. Naming each file with a number representing its place in the sequence can expedite finding each file. Transition time can also be minimized if all the speakers are asked to sit in the front row in the sequence in which they will speak.

2. Give presenters a clear signal when they have 30 seconds left; stand up when they have 10 seconds left so that you are ready to displace them from the podium when their time is over.

3. At both the beginning and end of the presentations, strongly encourage the audience to stay for the second half to talk to the presenters. Many people do not stay for the second half and this is the one common criticism of speed sessions.

4. For the discussion session it can be difficult for audience members to recognize and locate a speaker so a systematic approach to assigning tables is useful. For example, the first speaker could be assigned to Table 1 in the front, right corner of the room and then the others assigned in a clockwise pattern from there.

5. To encourage circulation during the discussion session, announce when 20 and 40 minutes have elapsed. Without this reminder many audience members will stay, perhaps feeling trapped, at the first table they go to. Letting the audience know about these signals in advance may encourage them to stay.