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Session Chair Tips

BEFORE THE HYBRID OR ONLINE-ONLY ORAL SESSION:

  • Select one primary chair to introduce and moderate the entire session with co-conveners/co-chairs as back-ups (if needed). You will identify this person to the technician prior to the start of the session.
  • Check the online program for possible changes or updates.
  • Practice pronouncing all presenter names and affiliations.
  • Know AGU’s:
  • Communicate, at least through email, with all presenters outlining how you will moderate the meeting, reminding them of their roles, and asking for discussion questions.
    • Most oral sessions are organized for summary presentations and then discussion. The best sessions optimize moderated (by you) discussion, while also addressing questions from the audience. For additional discussion, consider questions that span several of the presentations, like “what’s next for this topic or to address future work.”
    • Encourage your presenters to ask questions of the group. Prepare some discussion points in case there are not many audience questions. You can allow one or two individual questions after each presentation or decide to wait until after all presentations (may work best for summary presentations).
  • Know that all sessions will be recorded. The recording will be available for attendees during the meeting, usually within 72 hours. Close captioning will be included.

DURING THE HYBRID OR ONLINE-ONLY ORAL SESSION:

  • ONLINE-ONLY: Log in to the online program 20 minutes before your session start time. You will receive specific instructions in advance of the meeting.
  • Give short welcome/introductory remarks that acknowledge the audience.
  • Ensure that all speakers are treated equally and have their fully allotted time.
    • Use any reasonable means to stop a speaker who has exceeded the allotted time. The session must stay on schedule for both the audience and other speakers, per the approved program.
  • Know that only an author listed on a paper may present. No substitutions are permitted.
  • Due to safety regulations, please stress that your in-person audience members should not sit in the aisles. This will allow for the maximum number of attendees to attend the session and ensure that the city’s safety department will not close the session room or stop the session.
  • Speakers cannot connect their laptops into computer projectors. Speakers have been instructed to load their presentation in advance in the Speaker Ready Room.
  • Speakers will run their own presentations from either presentation platform in the session room or if online via their own computers.
  • Interrupt speakers to ask them to speak more audibly, slowly or clearly, if needed.
  • Take questions from the online question and answer platform during your session.
    • Designate someone (you or a co-convener/co-chair) to monitor the Q&A queue and identify and ask the most popular and appropriate submitted questions. Select at least one or two of these questions to ensure that some of the online questions are answered. Specific instructions will be provided on using the tools.
    • You (the chair), not the speaker, conducts the Q&A discussion by recognizing questions in the chat or asking other questions that you have.
    • Call on presenters to reply or engage in a discussion. You or your co-chair should read the question (do not call on the attendee).
    • If a presentation draws no questions from the audience, ask your own questions to try to stimulate discussion, if time allows. However, some papers elicit more than the usual number of comments, use your best judgement.
  • Be aware of signs of aggressive questioning which may border on bullying, especially if directed toward student or early career scientists. Please intervene in real time if you witness such behavior.
  • End the session at the scheduled time. If there is active discussion, encourage open online discussions on the meeting platforms that are available for attendees. Tell attendees to reserve a “discussion pod” for further discussion or utilize one of the networking options that will be available.


AFTER THE HYBRID OR ONLINE-ONLY ORAL SESSION:

  • Complete your session chair online evaluation form as soon as your session is complete.
    • You will receive an email with a link to the evaluation form prior to Fall Meeting.
    • Include an assessment of the session’s attendance as well as any abstracts that were not presented.

Poster Session Chair Tips

Hours (CST)

Monday – Friday
16:00 – 17:15 (online-only sessions)
16:00 – 18:00 (hybrid sessions)

BEFORE THE HYBRID OR ONLINE-ONLY POSTER SESSION:

  • Check the online program for possible changes or updates.
  • Practice pronouncing all presenter names and affiliations.
  • Know AGU’s:
  • Know that all online sessions will be recorded. The recording will be available for attendees during the meeting, usually within 48 hours. Close captioning will be included.

 

DURING THE HYBRID POSTER SESSION:

  • Please plan to arrive in the poster area before your session is scheduled to start.
  • Make sure authors’ poster boards are numbered properly.
  • Make sure authors are beginning to set up their posters before the start of the session and are not experiencing problems. We ask that presenters set up their posters by 8:00 a.m. as posters remain up on their board all day.
  • Make sure authors have clearly posted the time when they will be at their boards. These signs can be picked up at the Poster Assistance Booth.
    • AGU will create signage that session chairs can pick up at the Poster Assistance Booth and place on the boards of online presenters in hybrid sessions to encourage in-person attendees to visit online posters in the online poster gallery.
  • Note any poster boards that are not withdrawn but are still empty. The evaluation survey referenced below will ask for any “no-show” presentations.
  • Help any authors who are having trouble with layout, setup or equipment.
  • No papers may be added or moved to another session and poster presentations CANNOT be moved to different poster sessions due to the logistical layout of the poster hall.
  • Encourage participation by introducing individuals in the area to specific authors and performing “crowd control” as necessary.
  • Should any problem develop with poster set-up, facilities or equipment, contact an AGU staff person at the Poster Assistance Desk.
  • Remind authors to remove their posters by 6:30 p.m. on the day of their presentation. Any posters not removed from poster boards by 6:30 p.m. will be recycled.
  • Know that only an author listed on a paper may present. No substitutions are permitted.
  • Be aware of signs of aggressive questioning which may border on bullying, especially if directed toward student or early career scientists. Please intervene in real time if you witness such behavior. 

 

DURING THE ONLINE-ONLY POSTER SESSION:

  • Log in to the online program 20 minutes before your session start time. You will receive specific instructions in advance of the meeting.
  • Give short welcome/introductory remarks that acknowledge the online audience.
  • Introduce each speaker before they provide a brief overview of their iPoster or PDF poster.
  • Moderate Q&A discussion between each presentation or at the close or the session with the online audience.
  • End the session at the scheduled time. If there is active discussion, encourage open online discussions on the meeting platforms that are available for attendees. Tell attendees to reserve a “discussion pod” for further discussion or utilize one of the networking options that will be available.
  • Know that only an author listed on a paper may present. No substitutions are permitted.
  • Be aware of signs of aggressive questioning which may border on bullying, especially if directed toward student or early career scientists. Please intervene in real time if you witness such behavior.

 

AFTER THE HYBRID OR ONLINE-ONLY POSTER SESSION:

  • Complete your session chair online evaluation form as soon as your session is complete.
    • You will receive an email with a link to the evaluation form prior to Fall Meeting.
    • Include an assessment of the session’s attendance as well as any abstracts that were not presented.

eLightning Session Chair Tips

Hours (CST)

Monday – Friday
08:00 – 09:15
09:45 – 11:00
12:45 – 14:00
14:30 – 15:45
16:00 – 17:15

BEFORE THE HYBRID OR ONLINE-ONLY ELIGHTNING SESSION:

  • Select one primary chair to introduce and moderate the entire session with co-conveners/co-chairs as back-ups (if needed). You will identify this person to the technician prior to the start of the live session.
  • Check the online program for possible changes or updates.
  • Practice pronouncing all presenter names and affiliations.
  • Know AGU’s:
  • Communicate, at least through email, with all presenters outlining how you will moderate the meeting, reminding them of their roles, and asking for discussion questions.
  • The best sessions optimize moderated (by you) discussion, while also addressing questions from the audience. For additional discussion, consider questions that span several of the presentations, like “what’s next for this topic or to address future work.”
  • Encourage your presenters to ask questions of the group. Prepare some discussion points in case there are not many audience questions. You can allow one or two individual questions after each presentation or decide to wait until after all presentations (may work best for summary presentations).
  • Know that all online sessions will be recorded. The recording will be available for attendees during the meeting, usually within 48 hours. Close captioning will be included.

 

DURING THE HYBRID ELIGHTNING SESSION:

  • Each session contains three minutes at the start of the session for an introduction to be given by the session chair(s). The chair can use this time to familiarize the audience with the format and topic of the session, and note when the audience can ask questions (either at the end of the lightning presentations, during group discussion, or at the individual presenter’s monitor following the group time). Chairs can also briefly introduce all presenters so that individual introductions don’t take away time from the presenters’ three minutes.
  • There will be a timer to help keep all presenters to three minutes for their lightning presentation. Please help presenters keep to this time limit.
    Following the "session theater" time, please instruct the group and the presenters to proceed to the individual monitor stations. Each monitor will be labeled with “M1”, “M2”, “M3” and so on which corresponds to the presenter’s final paper number. Presenters will be sent instructions on how to locate their monitor.
  • Give short welcome/introductory remarks.
  • Ensure that all speakers are treated equally and have their fully allotted time.
    • Use any reasonable means to stop a speaker who has exceeded the allotted time. The session must stay on schedule for both the audience and other speakers, per the approved program.
  • Know that only an author listed on a paper may present. No substitutions are permitted.
  • No papers may be added or moved to another session and eLightning presentations CANNOT be moved to different eLightning sessions due to the logistical layout of the eLightning theaters.
  • Interrupt speakers to ask them to speak more audibly, slowly or clearly, if needed.
  • There is time for a short Q&A period before authors move to their individual monitors. Take questions from the in-person attendees during your session.
  • Encourage participation by introducing individuals in the area to specific authors and performing “crowd control” as necessary.
  • Be aware of signs of aggressive questioning which may border on bullying, especially if directed toward student or early career scientists. Please intervene in real time if you witness such behavior.

 

DURING THE ONLINE-ONLY ELIGHTNING SESSION:

  • Log in to the online program 20 minutes before your session start time. You will receive specific instructions in advance of the meeting.
  • Give short welcome/introductory remarks that acknowledge the online audience.
  • Introduce each speaker before they provide a brief overview of their iPoster or PDF poster.
  • Moderate Q&A discussion between each presentation or at the close or the session with the online audience.
    • You (the chair), not the speaker, conducts the Q&A discussion by recognizing questions in the chat or asking other questions that you have.
    • Call on presenters to reply or engage in a discussion. You or your co-chair should read the question (do not call on the attendee).
    • If a presentation draws no questions from the audience, ask your own questions to try to stimulate discussion, if time allows. However, some papers elicit more than the usual number of comments, use your best judgement.
  • Be aware of signs of aggressive questioning which may border on bullying, especially if directed toward student or early career scientists. Please intervene in real time if you witness such behavior.
  • End the session at the scheduled time. If there is active discussion, encourage open online discussions on the meeting platforms that are available for attendees. Tell attendees to reserve a “discussion pod” for further discussion or utilize one of the networking options that will be available.

 

AFTER THE HYBRID OR ONLINE-ONLY ELIGHTNING SESSION:

  • Complete your session chair online evaluation form as soon as your session is complete.
    • You will receive an email with a link to the evaluation form prior to Fall Meeting.
    • Include an assessment of the session’s attendance as well as any abstracts that were not presented. 

Oral Session Chair Tips

Hours (CST)

Monday – Friday
08:00 – 09:15
09:45 – 11:00
12:45 – 14:00
14:30 – 15:45