This morning as I was preparing to emcee a conference, one of the session chairs approached me and confessed that it was her first time to chair a session. This turned out to be the case for several of the session chairs and they asked for some tips. I thought I'd share those tips here in case you find yourself in a similar situation.
DO
- make sure all your speakers are present and introduce yourself to them well before your session begins (this will help you identify them and track them down if someone disappears right before your session)
- learn how to pronounce your speakers' names and ask their job titles and affiliations (this will help you introduce them confidently and professionally)
- make sure all your speakers' know how to use the remote control and other relevant technology (this means you might have to learn how to use it yourself)
- manage each speaker's talking time and the entire session time (some chairs use a bell to notify the speakers that their time is almost up, others use "5 minutes" or "2 minutes" reminder cards)
- be prepared to summarize the key points from the session (also be prepared to mention a couple of key points from each talk)
- manage the Q&A session and announce whether you will take questions after each talk or at the end of the session (also be prepared to ask a question to get the ball rolling if their are no questions from the audience)
DON'T
- chat with other session members while another speaker is giving their talk (it's distracting and you look unprofessional)
- let the speaker go over their time (it might help to find out how many slides they plan to use so you can predict if they will finish on time)
- lose control of the session (if there are too many questions, remind the audience that they can email questions to the speakers or ask them personally during breaks or meal times)
Remember, chairing a session should be much less stressful than actually presenting. Your job is to help the speakers manage their time and be more prepared so they can appear as professional as possible.
DO
- make sure all your speakers are present and introduce yourself to them well before your session begins (this will help you identify them and track them down if someone disappears right before your session)
- learn how to pronounce your speakers' names and ask their job titles and affiliations (this will help you introduce them confidently and professionally)
- make sure all your speakers' know how to use the remote control and other relevant technology (this means you might have to learn how to use it yourself)
- manage each speaker's talking time and the entire session time (some chairs use a bell to notify the speakers that their time is almost up, others use "5 minutes" or "2 minutes" reminder cards)
- be prepared to summarize the key points from the session (also be prepared to mention a couple of key points from each talk)
- manage the Q&A session and announce whether you will take questions after each talk or at the end of the session (also be prepared to ask a question to get the ball rolling if their are no questions from the audience)
DON'T
- chat with other session members while another speaker is giving their talk (it's distracting and you look unprofessional)
- let the speaker go over their time (it might help to find out how many slides they plan to use so you can predict if they will finish on time)
- lose control of the session (if there are too many questions, remind the audience that they can email questions to the speakers or ask them personally during breaks or meal times)
Remember, chairing a session should be much less stressful than actually presenting. Your job is to help the speakers manage their time and be more prepared so they can appear as professional as possible.
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