SESSION GUIDES

Attached are the speakers’ biographies for your reference. Please use these to prepare your own brief introductions. You do not need to read the biographies as written. A friendly and succinct introduction of no more than about 30 seconds per speaker is ideal.

It is also helpful to begin by briefly introducing the session itself. You were invited to moderate because of the unique intersection between your expertise and the session’s theme, so a few opening remarks from your own perspective would be a welcome way to begin.

Your role has four main components:

1. Prepare for the session
Collect all PowerPoint presentations on a USB drive at least 48 hours before the session and bring it with you to your assigned room. Please arrive 10 minutes before the start of the session to set up. You will need to bring your laptop. If there are any technical issues, please come to the registration desk for AV help.

2. Keep the session on time
Please ensure that presenters keep to the allotted time. Papers should be approximately 16 minutes and should not exceed 18 minutes. It is helpful to hold up a discreet “2 minutes remaining” sign at the 16-minute mark. If a speaker continues beyond 18 minutes, please intervene courteously and let them know that their time is up. This ensures that all presenters receive equal time, allows for audience discussion, and keeps the conference schedule on track. Any remaining points can be addressed during the discussion period.

3. Introduce the speakers
Introduce each panelist using the biographies (hyperlinked below) as a guide. Select the details that are most relevant to the session rather than reading the biographies in full. For roundtable moderators, you will find the information for your participants and session here (hyperlink). Since you already know your team thoroughly, we do not provide separate bios.

4. Moderate the discussion and close on time
After the presentations, invite questions from the audience. Often people need a moment to formulate their thoughts, so it is helpful to come prepared with a few questions of your own to begin the discussion while remaining attentive to audience members who wish to participate.

A gracious and welcoming moderator can make an enormous difference in creating an engaging, collegial, and intellectually stimulating session.

We hope this guidance is helpful. Should you encounter any technical or logistical issues during your session, please don’t hesitate to contact me or a member of the conference team, and we’ll be happy to assist.

Many thanks for your willingness to moderate. We greatly appreciate your contribution and look forward to seeing you at the conference.