Presenter (Talk) Information

To accommodate as many talks as possible and allow participants to switch between sessions, slots for up to 5 presentations will be included in each regular session ranging between 60 or 75 minutes in total (only “Symposium sessions” may divide the time differently).  Up to seven of these sessions will run in parallel from Tuesday, July 12 – Friday, July 15. 

Presenters should pay close attention to the time allowed to determine the total number of minutes that will be divided among each talk. For example, typically in all regular 75-minute sessions with four talks being scheduled, each individual presentation runs for approximately 18 minutes in total, including 15 minutes for the actual talk and 2-3 minutes for questions and changing speakers.  If five talks are scheduled then each individual presentations runs for 15 minutes in total. Each session has a chair who will keep the time and take the questions from the audience, as well as to assist you with the technical equipment. You can find the name of your session chair in the final program (schedule-at-glance).

Please arrive at the room at least 15 minutes before the session start time (not your talk time) to introduce yourself to the chair as well as to the session volunteer. 

All session rooms are equipped with a computer and LCD projector, as well as a couple hand-held microphones.  

Bring your slides on a USB memory stick (also known as USB flash drive) and copy the file onto the presentation computer in time before the session starts. Please do this at least 15 minutes prior to the session start time. To avoid funny surprises with PowerPoint, speakers are advised to also convert their slides to PDF files with all fonts and videos embedded for back-up purposes. 

Note: Onsite the University Internet (wi-fi) is only available on personal devices therefore make sure any videos used for your talk are playable without internet capability. 

In case of speaker no-shows, the session chair will leave a break for the absent speaker or use that time for more question and answer. This policy ensures that attendees can rely on the time slots announced in the program and can move between session rooms.

Tips:

• Practice your presentation beforehand, preferably in front of colleagues. (Have your colleagues ask you questions about your presentations. 
• If a speaker wishes to provide handouts for their presentation, you as the presenter are responsible for bringing your own prints to hand out to the attendees onsite during your talk. 
• Save a back-up copy of your presentation in the cloud, in an email, or on a flash drive. (Reminder: Internet access is not available on the session room computer.) 
• Make sure your presentation is within the time limit split among assigned speakers. One rule of thumb is to try to plan to cover at least one slide per minute during your presentation. The session chair will signal the presenter when they are getting close to the end of their allowed time using time cards. 
• Start with a clear goal or aim stated at the beginning of your presentation.
• Explain equations and define symbols.
• On slides, often less text is better – avoid overloading slides with technical details whenever possible.
• Remember that you are the expert of your topic! Be sure you are clearly explaining your topic to your audience.
• Have a concluding slide at the end of your presentation. (Include your contact information incase attendees have additional questions they can connect with you following your talk.)