Thank you for agreeing to moderate a session at the MPAR Symposium II, November 17-19, 2009. This document contains details regarding your role and responsibilities as a session moderator for the event. Each speaker will receive a similar document to ensure that the moderators and speakers have a mutual understanding regarding each others’ expectations at the symposium.
Please review this document carefully prior to engaging your session speakers. If you have any questions regarding your role and responsibilities or you need assistance in contacting your speakers, please contact Jud Stailey, Conference Technical Coordinator, at judson.stailey@noaa.gov, or by phone at 301-427-2056, ext 27.
Registration
Moderators will need to register for the MPAR Symposium.
Moderator’s
Role
The moderator’s role is to orchestrate the speakers’ performances
and follow-up Q&A and discussion to produce an energetic, interesting,
and informative session. This involves not only playing the role of master
of ceremonies during the session, but also coordinating and guiding the
speakers in their preparation for the event. Most sessions feature a panel
of four to six presenters in a 90 to 120-minute time period, so it is
important to help each speaker to keep his or her presentation within
the allotted time to allow time for discussion and questions at the end
of the session.
Moderator’s Responsibilities
Prior to the symposium:
- Register for symposium
- Prepare a brief
(5-minute or less) introduction to set the stage for the session. Consider
- Why is this session important to the theme of the symposium?
- What are the background issues that provide context or important information to help the audience get the most out of the session?
- Communicate with
your speakers through conference call or individual communication to
cover the following:
- Review and discuss presentation contents to avoid duplication
- Inform all speakers that they must register for the symposium
- Collect a short biography for each speaker to use in introductions at the symposium
- Request that each speaker make arrangements for his or her own replacement should they be unable to participate in the session at the last minute
- Should a substitute become necessary, be sure to collect the name and contact information and forward it to Jud Stailey, Conference Technical Coordinator, at judson.stailey@noaa.gov, or by phone at 301-427-2056, ext 27, as soon as you have it available
- Inform speakers
that an electronic timer will provide them a clear signal when they
are within two minutes of their allotted time
At the symposium:
- At the beginning of the session, remind attendees to turn off cell phones
- Provide opening remarks
- Ask audience to hold questions until Q&A/discussion time at the end
- Introduce each speaker, keeping presentations in the same order they appear in the program
- Hold all questions until after all panel members have spoken
- In the available time after questions, lead a discussion of the issues related to the topic (some preparation for discussion may be helpful in case there are few questions or issues don’t obviously arise from the presentations)
- Close the session
on time; briefly review the key points from the session, thank the speakers,
and thank the audience
Equipment
For each session, the symposium sponsors will provide all projection and
audio equipment required for the presentations.
Rooms
All sessions will take place in the main NWC meeting room, an amphitheater
seating 250 in an auditorium arrangement. A table for the moderator and
speakers will be placed on the amphitheater stage along with a podium.
The table and podium will have microphones to include some microphones
in the audience for questions. All proceedings will be videotaped.
Contacting
Speakers
Speakers’ contact
information is provided to moderators by email. Moderators are encouraged
to communicate with speakers in the weeks leading up to the symposium
using the guidance provided above.
Meeting Onsite
Speakers for each session will be asked
to meet with the session moderator in the main meeting room 10 minutes prior to
the start of the session. At this time, please ensure all speakers have
provided their presentations audio-visual staff, review the time available
for each speaker, and remind the speakers to keep an eye on the timer, which will provide them a clear signal that they are within two minutes of their
allotted time. As needed, review operation of the laser pointer and slide advancer
device with the help of the audio-visual staff.
Presentation Coordination
This document contains details regarding your role and responsibilities as a speaker for the MPAR Symposium II November 17-19, 2009. Each moderator will receive a similar document to ensure that the moderators and speakers have a mutual understanding regarding each others’ expectations at the symposium.
In addition to these guidelines, your moderator will be working with Jud Stailey, Conference Technical Coordinator, who has been assigned to assist in planning and finalizing the details of your session.
Please review this
document carefully. If you have any questions regarding your role and
responsibilities or you need assistance in contacting your session moderator,
please contact Jud Stailey at judson.stailey@noaa.gov,
or by phone at 301-427-2056, ext 27.
Registration
Speakers will need to register for the MPAR Symposium.
Speaker’s Role
As a session speaker, your presentation should be well-organized and in keeping within the time allotted. In addition to making your presentation, you will remain with your panel and participate in a Q&A and discussion period after all the presentations in you session have been given. Your session moderator has been selected to ensure the success of our session. Your cooperation with and accessibility to him/her is greatly appreciated.
Speaker’s Responsibilities
Session speakers will be responsible for the following:
Prior to the symposium:
- Registering for the symposium
- Communicating with your moderator and other speakers as appropriate at least one month prior to the symposium
- Providing a short speaker biography to your moderator
- Coordinating with your moderator to review your introductions and presentation topics to avoid duplication
- Making arrangements
for your own replacement speaker should you be unable to participate
in the session, and providing your replacement’s
name and contact information to your moderator as soon as practicable
At the symposium:
- Providing a copy of your presentation to the audio visual staff as early in the symposium as practicable but no later than 3 hours prior to your session. Slides should be in PowerPoint or pdf format on a portable USB device or CD-ROM
- Meeting with the session moderator and other speakers in the auditorium 10 minutes prior to the session to address last minute changes, etc
- Completing your presentation within the allotted time
- Participating in Q&A and discussion following the presentations in your session
Format, Equipment, Logistics
For each session, the symposium sponsors will provide all projection and audio equipment required for the presentations. Use of PowerPoint for presentation is highly encouraged for all speakers. We will have a computerized LCD screen projection, a computer, a remote mouse, and a laser pointer. To avoid unnecessary delays between speakers and other potential technical problems, we respectfully request that briefings not be provided on individual’s laptop computers. An AV technician will have your presentation ready and projected on the screen, and you will use the remote mouse to advance the slides. A large monitor on the floor in front of you will provide prompts and prevent you from having to look back at the projection screen. The computers will be running the Windows XP operating system with Office 2007, so it is preferred that you save your presentation in this format. If you can’t use PowerPoint, pdf format can be used as a last resort, but will require the speaker to tell the AV staff when to move to the next slide.
Rooms
All sessions will take place in the main NWC meeting room, an amphitheater seating 250 in an auditorium arrangement. A table for the moderator and speakers will be placed on the amphitheater stage along with a podium. The table and podium will have microphones to include some microphones in the audience for questions. All proceedings will be videotaped.
Turn in Your Presentation
Please provide a finished version of your presentation electronically at least three hours prior to presentation time to allow our AV technicians to check for compatibility issues, scan for viruses, and deal with any other issues that could arise. AV technicians will be located towards the front of the auditorium. Copies of all presentations will be assembled, along with a video of the proceedings, and made available to attendees after the symposium.
Internet Access
There is Wireless Internet in the room.
Communication References
Please include your e-mail address in your presentation and include a link if you have a web site related to your topic or organization.
Questions?
Prior to the symposium,
questions regarding presentation graphics should be sent to Kenneth.Barnett@noaa.gov.
At the symposium, questions should be addressed to the AV staff.