Present & Convene

Oral Session Guidelines

This is your one stop for all of the information you need to participate in an oral session. Instructions differ based on your role and the way you are attending. Please select accordingly:

In-Person

Oral Session Presenter Guide

6–10 May, 10:00–16:30 EDT
  • Oral sessions will be 90 minutes in length and will take place daily from 10:00–16:30 EDT on 6-10 May 2024.
  • Most oral sessions will be in-person only. Select oral sessions are designated to support online participation and are labeled as “hybrid oral” sessions in the program.
  • If you are presenting multiple abstracts, we cannot guarantee that you will be free of scheduling conflicts.

Steps for a Successful Presentation

1. Register

  • You must register to present at AbSciCon24.
  • Register by the early bird deadline of 3 April 2024 to take advantage of lower registration rates. Please register at least 36 hours in advance of your session.

Register


2. Upload Your Presentation by 3 May

  • Visit the oral presentation upload site to upload your presentation.
  • Review the detailed instructions for creating and uploading your slide presentation.
  • The deadline to upload slides is 3 May at 17:00 EDT (UTC -4). If you have missed the upload deadline, you must visit the onsite Speaker Ready Room at least 24 hours or as early as possible before your session to upload your slides.
    • Please note, lines may be long on Monday morning before the first 10:00 EDT oral session. Allow ample time to pick up your badge and visit the Speaker Ready Room, if needed.

Oral Presentation Upload Site

Oral Presentation File Instructions


3. Prepare and Rehearse

  • Organize your ideas and make a plan for staying within your allotted time. Please refer to the online program for the length of your allotted presentation and session schedule.
  • If you have any questions regarding the session schedule, please reach out to your session chairs.
  • Leave adequate time for Q&A and transitions. For example, if your total presentation is 15 minutes, please allow at least 2 minutes for individual Q&A and transition.
  • Create an opening statement.
  • Discuss the material as it appears in your accepted abstract.
  • Rehearse speaking slowly and clearly. If your rehearsal runs long, reduce the material and rehearse again.
  • Use simple, active words and short sentences.

4. Promote Your Session

Learn More About Promoting Your Session


5. Check In Onsite

  • If you have not uploaded your presentation online, you must check in with the onsite Speaker Ready Room at least 24 hours, or as soon as possible, before your presentation.
  • You may also check-in onsite in advance of your session to verify that fonts, images, and videos are displayed correctly.

Speaker Ready Room


6. Arrive at Your Session Early

  • Arrive at your session 20 minutes before it starts.
  • Session chairs will introduce presenters and moderate the Q&A.
  • Technical support will be available.

Online

Hybrid Oral Session Presenter Guide

6–10 May, 10:00–16:30 EDT
  • Oral sessions will be 90 minutes in length and will take place daily from 10:00–16:30 EDT on 6-10 May 2024.
  • Select oral sessions are designated to support online participation and are labeled as “hybrid oral” sessions in the program. If your oral presentation is scheduled in a hybrid oral session, you can present online.
  • If you are presenting multiple abstracts, we cannot guarantee that you will be free of scheduling conflicts.

Steps for a Successful Oral Presentation

1. Register

  • You must register to present at AbSciCon24.
  • Please register at least 36 hours in advance of your session. Register by the early bird deadline of 3 April 2024 to take advantage of lower registration rates.

Register


2. Prepare and Rehearse

  • All hybrid oral session presenters are asked to make slides to present during their session.
    • If you are presenting online, you do not have to upload a presentation and will share your screen to present.
    • If you are presenting in a hybrid oral session in person, please see the instructions above on presenting in an oral session in person.
  • Organize your ideas and make a plan for staying within your allotted time. Please refer to the online program for the length of your allotted presentation and session schedule.
  • If you have any questions regarding the session schedule, please reach out to your session chairs.
  • Leave adequate time for Q&A and transitions. For example, if your total presentation is 15 minutes, please allow at least 2 minutes for individual Q&A and transition.
  • Create an opening statement.
  • Discuss the material as it appears in your accepted abstract.
  • Rehearse speaking slowly and clearly. If your rehearsal runs long, reduce the material and rehearse again.
  • Use simple, active words and short sentences. (Some online attendees might be using translation services.)

3. Promote Your Session

Learn More About Promoting Your Session


4. Check Your Tech

  • Online presenters will use Zoom Webinar to participate in oral sessions. Zoom links were emailed to presenters on 19 April.
  • Online attendees can use a web browser or the Zoom app.
  • Most major functions are supported in the browser version, including screen sharing, chat, and breakout rooms.
  • Be prepared to share your screen to display your presentation during the session.

Read More About Zoom's Supported Browsers and Functions


5. Log In to Your Session Early

  • Access your session 20 minutes before it starts using the Zoom link emailed to you on 19 April.
  • Detailed instructions will be provided via email in advance of your session.
  • Session chairs will introduce presenters and moderate the Q&A.
  • When it is your turn to present, you will share your screen to present your slides.
  • Technical support will be available.

In-Person

Oral Session Chair Guide

6–10 May, 10:00–16:30 EDT
  • Oral sessions will be 90 minutes in length and will take place daily from 10:00–16:30 EDT on 6-10 May 2024.
  • Most oral sessions will be in-person only. Select oral sessions are designated to support online participation and are labeled as “hybrid oral” sessions in the program.

Steps for Chairing a Successful Oral Session

1. Register

  • You must register to chair a session at AbSciCon24.
  • Please register at least 36 hours in advance of your session. Register by the early bird deadline of 3 April 2024 to take advantage of lower registration rates.

Register


2. Get Ready to Chair

  • Session chairs play an important role in making sure that session attendees feel safe, welcomed, and included.
  • Help ensure that sessions reflect diversity, inclusion, and excellence in science.
  • Select one primary chair to introduce and moderate the session, with co-chairs as backups.  
  • Reach out to the presenting authors in your session to outline how you will moderate the session. Session chairs can obtain a presenter report via Participant’s Corner, accessible from the User Portal.
    • Review how the session will run and identify a general discussion topic based on the session. You can view the session schedule in the online program
    • All presenters are instructed to include time for Q&A at the end of their presentation.
    • Prepare to discuss the larger science questions around presentations or to explore future needs and challenges. Think about questions or discussion points to raise if there are no questions for presenters from the audience.
  • Practice pronouncing all presenter names and affiliations.
  • Be aware that all oral sessions will be recorded (slides and audio only). The recording will be available for attendees to view in the online meeting platform and mobile app, usually within 72 hours.

3. Promote Your Session

  • Use AbSciCon’s customizable Canva templates to promote your #AbSciCon24 session on social media.

Canva templates

Learn More About Promoting Your Session


4. Fill Empty Slots

  • Check the online program for withdrawn presentations. If a presenter withdraws from an oral session, chairs can request a replacement from the accompanying in-person poster session by contacting the Scientific Program Team.
  • This can only be done to and from accompanying sessions.
  • This can only be done with the presenter's explicit consent.
  • New abstracts cannot be added.
  • You can obtain a presenter report via Participant’s Corner, accessible from the User Portal.
  • After receiving consent, include the following in your note to the Scientific Program Team:
    • Details of the withdrawn abstract.
    • Details of the abstract that will be moved into the oral presentation slot.
    • The email or message where the presenter gave consent to be moved.

Contact Scientific Program Team


5. Check Your Logistics

  • At least one session chair must be present in person in the session room.
  • Each session room will be equipped with a PC presentation computer and a speaker timer. You can view an example of the oral session room audiovisual and presentation management equipment by visiting the Speaker Ready Room.
  • Speakers or chairs cannot connect their laptops to computer projectors or load their presentation onto the podium computer.
    • Speakers have been instructed to load their presentation online in advance or onsite in the Speaker Ready Room.
    • If you have any introductory slides that you wish to show, you must take these to the Speaker Ready Room at least 24 hours, or as soon as possible, prior to the session.

6. Arrive at Your Session Early

  • Arrive at your session 20 minutes before it starts to familiarize yourself with the room setup and to meet with presenters.
  • Technical support will be available.
  • Allow the looping walk-in slides to run while attendees are arriving.
  • Each oral session is equipped with a PC presentation computer. All available uploaded presentations for the session will be saved on the PC for the session.

7. Chair Your Session

  • Give short welcome/introductory remarks that acknowledge the audience and encourage participation. Due to safety regulations, please advise the audience not to sit in the aisles or block aisles or doorways.
  • Introduce presenters and keep speakers on time. Ensure that all speakers are treated equally and have their fully allotted time.
  • If needed, interrupt speakers to ask them to speak more audibly, slowly, or clearly.
  • If a presenter is a no-show, do not begin the next paper until its scheduled time. Use the time for discussion/Q&A. 
  • Moderate Q&A with the audience following each presentation. Keep the session on schedule and do not allow Q&A to go over time. 
    • There will be a mic in the audience so that attendees can ask questions. 
    • Please ensure questions are asked at the floor microphones or repeat any audience questions through a microphone before allowing them to be answered. This gives everyone in the room and those watching on-demand a chance to hear the question that was asked. 
    • Time permitting, facilitate discussion if there are no questions from the audience.
  • Treat all presenters and attendees with respect. Be aware of aggressive questioning that borders on bullying or harassment, especially if directed towards students or early career scientists. Please speak up and intervene. Reach out to an AbSciCon staff person for assistance or report Code of Conduct concerns to [email protected].
  • End the session at the scheduled time. If there is active discussion, encourage attendees to continue discussion outside of the session room.

Online

Hybrid Oral Session Chair Guide

6–10 May, 10:00–16:30 EDT
  • Oral sessions will be 90 minutes in length and will take place daily from 10:00–16:30 EDT on 6-10 May 2024.
  • Select oral sessions are designated to support online participation and are labeled as “hybrid oral” sessions in the program. If you are chairing a hybrid oral session, you can chair the session online. However, at least one session chair must be present in person in the session room.

Steps for Chairing a Successful Hybrid Oral Session

1. Register

  • You must register to chair a session at AbSciCon24.
  • Please register at least 36 hours in advance of your session. Register by the early bird deadline of 3 April 2024 to take advantage of lower registration rates.

Register


2. Get Ready to Chair

  • Session chairs play an important role in making sure that session attendees feel safe, welcomed, and included.
  • Help ensure that sessions reflect diversity, inclusion, and excellence in science.
  • Select one primary chair to introduce and moderate the session, with co-chairs as backups.
    • At least one chair must be present in person in the session room.
    • If all hybrid oral session chairs will attend in person, one chair should be designated to log into Zoom to monitor the Zoom Q&A from the online audience as needed.
  • Reach out to the presenting authors in your session to outline how you will moderate the session. Session chairs can obtain a presenter report via Participant’s Corner, accessible from the User Portal.
    • Review how the session will run and identify a general discussion topic based on the session. You can view the session schedule in the online program
    • All presenters are instructed to include time for Q&A at the end of their presentation.
    • Prepare to discuss the larger science questions around presentations or to explore future needs and challenges. Think about questions or discussion points to raise if there are no questions for presenters from the audience.
  • Practice pronouncing all presenter names and affiliations.
  • Be aware that all oral sessions will be recorded (slides and audio only). The recording will be available for attendees to view in the online meeting platform and mobile app, usually within 72 hours.

3. Promote Your Session

  • Use AbSciCon’s customizable Canva templates to promote your #AbSciCon24 session on social media.

Canva templates

Learn More About Promoting Your Session


4. Fill Empty Slots

  • Check the online program for withdrawn presentations. If a presenter withdraws from an oral session, chairs can request a replacement from the accompanying in-person poster session by contacting the Scientific Program Team.
  • This can only be done to and from accompanying sessions.
  • This can only be done with the presenter's explicit consent.
  • New abstracts cannot be added.
  • You can obtain a presenter report via Participant’s Corner, accessible from the User Portal.
  • After receiving consent, include the following in your note to the Scientific Program Team:
    • Details of the withdrawn abstract.
    • Details of the abstract that will be moved into the oral presentation slot.
    • The email or message where the presenter gave consent to be moved.

Contact Scientific Program Team


5. Check Your Tech

  • Virtual session chairs will use Zoom Webinar to participate in hybrid oral sessions.
    • If all hybrid oral session chairs will attend in person, one session chair should be designated to log into Zoom to monitor the Zoom Q&A from the online audience as needed.
    • Zoom links were emailed to chairs on 19 April.
  • Virtual attendees can use a web browser or the Zoom app.
  • Most major functions are supported in the browser version, including screen sharing, chat, and breakout rooms.

Read more about Zoom's supported browsers and functions


6. Log In to Your Session Early

  • Log in to your session 20 minutes before it starts using the panelist link sent to you by Zoom on 19 April. 
    • Virtual attendees can join the session via a link that will become available in the online meeting platform and mobile app. However, session chairs should join through the panelist link emailed to them.
  • Technical support will be available.

7. Chair Your Session

  • Give short welcome/introductory remarks that acknowledge the audience and encourage participation. Due to safety regulations, please advise the audience not to sit in the aisles or block aisles or doorways.
  • Introduce presenters and keep speakers on time. Ensure that all speakers are treated equally and have their fully allotted time.
  • Encourage participation and treat all presenters and attendees with respect.
  • If needed, interrupt speakers to ask them to speak more audibly, slowly, or clearly.
  • If a presenter is a no-show, do not begin the next paper until its scheduled time. Use the time for discussion/Q&A.
  • Moderate Q&A with the audience following each presentation. Keep the session on schedule and do not allow Q&A to go over time.
    • There will be a mic in the audience so that in-person attendees can ask questions.
    • One session chair should monitor the Zoom Q&A for any questions from the online audience.
    • Please ensure questions are asked at the floor microphones or repeat any audience questions through a microphone before allowing them to be answered. This gives everyone in the room and those watching on-demand a chance to hear the question that was asked.
    • Time permitting, facilitate discussion if there are no questions from the audience.
  • Treat all presenters and attendees with respect. Be aware of aggressive questioning that borders on bullying or harassment, especially if directed towards students or early career scientists. Please speak up and intervene. Reach out to an AbSciCon staff person for assistance or report Code of Conduct concerns to [email protected].
  • End the session at the scheduled time. If there is active discussion, encourage attendees to continue discussion outside of the session room.