Chairing Sessions

Chairing a session at a conference involves more than reading biographical sketches

out loud or interrupting speakers when their time is up. An effective chairperson creates
a sense of coherence throughout the (sometimes diverse) presentations. He or she
brings the speakers closer to the audience by introducing them warmly, ensures that
everything runs smoothly, and wraps up the session in a way that leaves everyone
feeling good about it.

Accordingly, chairing a session is not something you improvise. Rather, it is something

you prepare for carefully — as carefully as a presentation. How can you introduce
speakers in a sincere and interesting way if you have never met them? How can you
pronounce their names correctly if you have not asked for their preferred pronunciation?
By being prepared, welcoming, and enthusiastic, you make a session more engaging.

Chairing a session is not about looking smart: It is about making everyone else look
smart — both the speakers and the attendees. Be firm when you need to, but always be
constructive, respectful, and professional. When speaking, be visible, but discreetly so.
Place yourself on one side rather than center stage. If the speaker is standing on one
side, place yourself on the opposite side. Establish eye contact with whoever you are
talking to (primarily the audience). When not speaking, be invisible if you can: Sit down
or stand at the back of the room while speakers are presenting. If you are standing to
manage questions and answers, move out of the way when speakers are answering
questions. Most importantly, look at whoever is speaking, whether that person is an
attendee asking a question or a speaker answering one.

Introducing the session

As a chairperson, you must introduce the session before you introduce the first speaker.
Let the audience know what the session is about, how it relates to or differs from other
sessions at the conference, and how it is going to take place. By introducing the
session, you are providing the audience with a global view that will help them assimilate
the details. By making the audience feel welcome, you also incline them favorably
toward the speakers.

Normally, the various speakers at a session have been grouped for a reason — namely
that the topics they address fit within the same theme. This theme may be reflected in
the title of the session (although not all sessions have a title), and it may or may not be
clear to the audience. As a chairperson, start by letting the audience know about the
session's theme. Ideally, preview the session's presentations; in other words, announce
all of them upfront, in the right sequence. At this point, however, it is not necessary to
mention the speakers' names or the exact titles of the presentations. Instead, show the
internal logic of the session by announcing the topics. Here is an example:

This session on the rheology of polymer extrusion will bring together presentations on
both measurements and numerical simulations. The first two presentations will report on
extrusion experiments with novel screw designs: the first for simple extrusion and the
second for coextrusion. Then, the remaining three presentations will show advanced
finite-element simulations of the flow of material around the extrusion screw: the first of
these three will . . .

Before or after announcing the theme and previewing the presentations, show how the
session fits into the overall conference by relating it to other sessions. That is, show
how the session continues, or departs from, themes already covered in previous
sessions so the audience can form a global view of both the session and the conference
as a whole. You might say something like this:

This morning, we heard about polymer rheology in general and about . . . In this first
afternoon session, we are focusing on the rheology of one specific type of polymer
processing, namely extrusion.

At some point in your introduction, let the audience know how the session is going to
take place. Typically, the audience wants to know how long the session will be; whether
there will be a break and, if so, at what time; how many speakers there will be; how you
plan to take questions (that is, after each presentation or at the end of the session); etc.
You may also remind attendees to turn off their mobile phones, fill out evaluation forms
for each speaker, and so on. Reassuring the audience about such practical details will
help them give their undivided attention to the speakers.

Introducing the speakers

Introducing a speaker is much more than reading his or her name and the title of his or
her presentation out loud from a piece of paper. Typically, this information is shown on
the speaker's first slide (projected on the screen at that moment), and attendees can
read it for themselves. Therefore, your introduction will be more useful to the audience if
you add something about both the speaker and the topic that they cannot read on the
screen.

Conferences are networking opportunities: They are about meeting people as much as
they are about learning about the latest developments. As a chairperson, you can help
the networking process by introducing speakers usefully. Do say the speaker's name
out loud, if only to show the audience how it is pronounced, but do not stop there. Place
the speaker in context; for example, say which institution he or she comes from (and,
within this institution, perhaps which or whose research group), which degrees he or
she holds from which universities, or what his or her research interests are. Here is an
example:

Our next speaker is Markus Grossgrabenstein. Markus is originally from Germany. He

graduated two years ago as a mechanical engineer from Heidelberg University, and he
is now conducting research on combustion-generated nanoparticles in Albert Wang's
group at Stanford University.

Depending on the context, it may be appropriate (and appreciated) to say something

more personal about the speaker, especially if you know him or her personally. You
might mention an anecdote that reflects positively on the speaker, shows him or her in a
different light, or is amusing without being disrespectful. Such anecdotes, if kept short
and good-humored, help break the ice and create a connection between the audience
and the speaker. In fact, speakers are usually willing to provide interesting personal
details or stories if you press them gently. For example, you might say this:

Markus is not only a combustion expert — he is also a juggler: He can keep any four
things in the air for as long as you want. I had the chance to see him in action at last
year's conference banquet, where he suddenly started juggling four dessert plates —
very impressive. Right now, however, he is not here to demonstrate juggling, but rather
to tell us about . . .

If you are introducing someone well-known or, more generally, if you expect applause at
the mention of the person's name, consider saying the name last, not first, to avoid
interference. In addition to doing this for speakers, you might do so for laureates or
nominees, as in the following example:

Our next award winner is from Argentina. She has been in the field for more than 25
years, has delighted you with her witty presentations at our conferences, and has
impacted generations of students with her now famous textbook on . . . For a lifetime of
achievements in . . . , our society is pleased to present the K. Chang Award to Ofelia
Quino Mendieta. [applause]

In this video, Wout De Cort is introducing both the afternoon session of a \"Ph.D.
day\" and the first speaker at this session (Marie Verbist). Given the composition
of the audience (mostly Ph.D. students) and the purpose of the day (to create
links among students from different departments in science and engineering),
Wout is not afraid to add some personal information about Marie or to use humor.
However, he did check with Marie ahead of time to make sure what he planned to
say was okay with her.
Transcript
When introducing speakers, it is often difficult to choose the appropriate level of
formality. Should you refer to Susan Johnson as Dr. Johnson, as Susan, or even
as Sue? The answer depends on many factors, including the conference tradition (what
do other chairpeople do?), the atmosphere you are trying to create in your own session
(formal or informal), and the relationship you have with the speakers. One defendable
option is to refer to speakers in front of the audience in the same way you would
address them in private. For example, if you know Susan Johnson well and normally
address her as Sue, it is natural to refer to her in that way. Still, say her full name first,
possibly with her title ("Our next speaker is Dr. Susan Johnson") before going on ("Sue
and I both graduated from the University of Sydney . . . "). If you are unsure what to do,
being more formal is usually safer than being less formal.
Finally, besides introducing the speaker, introduce the topic of the talk. Doing so
requires more than just saying the title of the talk out loud. Rather, you must connect
this topic to other topics in your session — just like you connect this session to other
sessions at the conference. Consider the following example.

Thank you again, Ana, for this eye-opening toxicological study. Now that we know how
toxic combustion-generated nanoparticles can be, the question we all have in our head
is, "What do we do about them?" This is a question that the next presentation is going to
try to answer. Our next speaker is . . .

Managing time
As session chairperson, you are responsible for managing time. To avoid stealing time
from the audience, you must ensure that the session ends on schedule. To this end,
and to avoid stealing time from other speakers, you must ensure that each speaker
stays within the agreed-upon time limit — for both the presentation itself and the
question and answer period.

Keeping speakers within their time limit is no easy task. Most speakers plan to include
too much information and, when reminded of how little time they have left, they try to
say everything as quickly as possible instead of being selective. To help prevent this
from happening, be gentle but firm. Just before the session, remind speakers of their
time limit and agree with them on time signals. For example, to indicate when they have
two minutes left, you might raise your hand with two fingers up from the back of the
room. This visual signal is less disruptive to the audience than an auditory signal, such
as saying out loud "two minutes left." When the speaker's time is up, indicate this by
standing up. If a speaker tries to continue, press him or her to finish, for example by
saying "Can you please come to your conclusion?" If all else fails, interrupt the speaker,
such as by saying "Your time is up; I must ask you to stop." Interrupting someone is an
unpleasant — but important — task. Do it respectfully, but do it.

If the session is falling behind schedule for any reason, you unfortunately have few
options to remedy the situation. Asking speakers to speak for less than the time they
prepared for is unrealistic and will be experienced as unfair. If necessary, reduce the
time foreseen for questions and answers, and encourage the audience to delay any
questions for private conversations with the speakers. You might also reduce your
introductions of the speakers by eliminating nonessential details. Sometimes, but not
always, you also have the option to shorten any breaks.

When planning the time of your session, keep in mind not only the presentations
themselves and the questions and answers, but also the time you need to introduce the
session and the speakers and to wrap up the session. These durations may be short,
but they are nonzero: Added up, they definitely impact the overall length of your
session.

Managing questions and answers

As chairperson, you can handle questions and answers more or less authoritatively.
You can designate who may ask a question and when, repeat or rephrase questions as
needed, and so on. You can also let the speaker manage the questions himself or
herself. The choice depends on your own preference and on the speaker's capacity to
manage the situation; it may even be different for different speakers in the same
session. No matter which option you choose, however, you remain responsible for three
primary tasks: encouraging questions, managing time, and tackling any issues.
At the end of the presentation, let the audience applaud first (give the signal by
applauding yourself). Then, if there is time, encourage the audience to ask questions.
Do not assume too quickly that there are no questions: After listening passively for a
while, attendees may need a few moments to think of a question — and to build the
courage to ask the first question. Instead of saying something such as "Well, since there
are no questions, let's move on," gently press the audience for questions. Show that
you mean it: Leave a silence for them to think, or use humor (perhaps with a cheerful
"Ah, come on now: Who is courageous enough to ask the first question?"). In contrast,
resist the temptation to ask the first question yourself. Even if you mean to set an
example for the audience, you will actually be keeping the focus on the speaker's area
instead of shifting it to the audience.

Once the question and answer process is launched, you might get many questions —
too many for the time allotted. Keep track of time, and announce the end of the period in
advance, such as by saying "We have time for two more questions" or simply "Last
question." If some attendees did not get a chance to ask their questions, encourage
them to talk to the speaker after the session. As the speaker is gathering his or her
belongings and going back to his or her seat, feel free to thank him or her with a nice
word and a second round of applause: "Thank you again, Vân Anh, for this enlightening
presentation."
Even if you let a speaker handle questions mostly on his or her own, you are
responsible for the process as a whole. If anything goes wrong, be ready to intervene.
For example, if there is little time for questions and the first attendee asks five questions
at once, say something such as "We need to give other attendees a chance to ask
questions, too," and encourage the speaker to answer only one of this person's
questions at this point. Similarly, if attendees end up starting a speech of their own
under the guise of asking questions, feel free to interrupt, asking them "So, what exactly
is your question?"

Wrapping up the session

After the last presentation, wrap up the session with a pattern similar to the one used to
introduce it. Just as you previewed the presentations, recap them; for example, restate
the main message of each presentation, or draw overall conclusions from the session
as a whole. Once again connect the session to the rest of conference, in part by
announcing upcoming sessions ("If you are interested in polymer extrusion, then do not
miss Wednesday's session on . . . "). Provide the final pieces of practical information to
the audience, such as where to submit the filled-out evaluation sheets or where the
coffee break will take place. End on a positive note, with a sentence such as "Enjoy
your lunch" or "I hope to see many of you at our awards ceremony tonight."

eBooks

This page appears in the following eBook

esi di sebuah konferensi melibatkan lebih dari sekadar membaca sketsa biografi dengan suara keras atau
menyela pembicara ketika waktunya habis. Seorang ketua yang efektif menciptakan perasaan koherensi
sepanjang presentasi (terkadang beragam). Dia membawa pembicara lebih dekat kepada audiens
dengan memperkenalkannya dengan hangat, memastikan bahwa semuanya berjalan dengan lancar, dan
mengakhiri sesi dengan cara yang membuat semua orang merasa senang tentang hal itu.

Menurutnya, memimpin sesi bukanlah sesuatu yang Anda improvisasi. Sebaliknya, itu adalah sesuatu
yang Anda persiapkan dengan hati-hati - sama hati-hati dengan presentasi. Bagaimana Anda bisa
memperkenalkan pembicara dengan cara yang tulus dan menarik jika Anda belum pernah bertemu
mereka? Bagaimana Anda bisa mengucapkan nama mereka dengan benar jika Anda belum meminta
pengucapan pilihan mereka? Dengan dipersiapkan, disambut, dan antusias, Anda membuat sesi yang
lebih menarik.
Mengepalai sesi bukanlah tentang terlihat pintar: Ini tentang membuat orang lain terlihat cerdas - baik
pembicara maupun peserta. Bersikap tegas ketika Anda perlu, tetapi selalu konstruktif, hormat, dan
profesional. Ketika berbicara, terlihat, tetapi diam-diam begitu. Tempatkan diri Anda di satu sisi
daripada di tengah panggung. Jika pembicara berdiri di satu sisi, tempatkan diri Anda di sisi yang
berlawanan. Buat kontak mata dengan siapa pun yang Anda ajak bicara (terutama audiens). Ketika tidak
berbicara, jangan terlihat jika Anda bisa: Duduk atau berdiri di belakang ruangan saat pembicara sedang
presentasi. Jika Anda berdiri untuk mengelola pertanyaan dan jawaban, menjauhlah ketika pembicara
menjawab pertanyaan. Yang paling penting, lihat siapa pun yang berbicara, apakah orang itu adalah
peserta yang mengajukan pertanyaan atau pembicara yang menjawab.

FAQs and Tips For Panel Chairs

What duties are expected of me as a panel chair?
Panel chairs have three primary duties: 1) introducing the presenters in a session, 2)
keeping time during the session, and 3) facilitating the Q & A at the end of the session.
Panels are generally groups of three or four presentations, with each presenter allotted
15 minutes. (Please note: this amount includes time for reading the paper and playing
clips, etc.) Presenter pairs (two people presenting a co-written paper) are allotted the
same amount of time as an individual presenter.

Should I give the presenters time signals?

Yes. Some chairs do so verbally, and some do so using small note cards. Generally,
chairs alert presenters when they have 5 minutes remaining and again when 2 minutes
remain, although you may indicate other times at your or a presenter’s preference.
Chairs should advise presenters ahead of time that at the 2-minute warning, the
presenter should start to wrap up his/her argument. Please convey to presenters how
and when you will give them time signals before the panel starts.

Who keeps time for me?

You may keep time for yourself if you are comfortable doing so. However, many
individuals find it easy to lose track of time while presenting and ask a friend in the
audience or another panelist to give time signals during their presentation.
If a presenter runs out of time but has not finished presenting, what should
I do?
You don’t have to stop the presenter at exactly 15 minutes. However, if you have
indicated to the presenter that her/his time is expired but s/he does not immediately
conclude (say within a minute or so), you can and should kindly interrupt the presenter
and verbally ask her/him to finish quickly so that the other panelists will have time for
their presentations. If you are the presenter who runs out of time, please adhere to the
time guidelines.

Can presenters in my panel switch the order of their presentations?

We prefer if presenters stick to the printed order of presentations in a given panel. This
allows individuals moving between panels during the session to have a better idea of
when a given presentation will occur in the session. Of course, if a presenter is
late/absent or there are extenuating circumstances, you may switch the order with the
other panelists’ agreement and at your discretion.

Before the conference, do I need to obtain information about the

presenters on my panel?
A week or two before the conference, you should email your panel’s presenters and ask
them to email you a few biographical sentences or bullet points for you to use in
introducing them to the audience. Introductions should include presenter name,
position, affiliation, and paper title – but they may also include very brief statements
regarding the presenter’s research/teaching interests, major publications, etc. If the
presentation is part of a larger project, like a dissertation or a book in progress, that
could also be useful information for the audience.

How should I introduce my panel’s presenters to the audience?

At the conference, you should plan to arrive at your presentation room at least 10
minutes early so that you can meet the other panelists and make sure you know how to
pronounce their names, titles, etc. (The preceding panel should dismiss 15 minutes
prior to the scheduled start of your panel.) Introductions should be brief. Some chairs
introduce all presenters at the start of the session, but we encourage you to introduce
each presenter right before s/he speaks – to help audience members joining the
session late to easily understand which presentation is underway at a given time.
What do I do if a presenter does not show up?
If the area’s Area Chair is attending the panel, ask him/her if the presenter previously
emailed to cancel. If not, after the panel, let the area chair know (in person or by email)
that the presenter did not attend. Please also inform conference staff at the registration
desk, for our records.

What is my responsibility in relation to presenters’ media needs?

You are not expected to have any specific technology-related skills or abilities. Each
presentation room will be equipped with an LCD projector and screen, and the
conference staff will be available for tech help. Presenters will need to bring their own
laptops or iPads to connect to the projector. (PCs can connect directly, but Mac and
iPad users will need to bring the appropriate adapter to hook to the projector cord.). See
the conference’s A/V page for further information. If one of your presenters needs tech
help when setting up before the panel starts, please let registration desk staff know.
If a presenter’s DVD/CD/media clip malfunctions, what should I do?
Encourage presenters to test their tech before the session starts. If it malfunctions
during a presentation anyway, instruct the presenter to continue with the presentation
as best s/he can. Also alert the registration desk staff.

Should the Q & A occur after each presentation or at the end of the
session?
At the end of the session! Please ask the audience to hold all questions until all
panelists have presented. This provides a richer discussion time, and it prevents
enthusiasm for discussing one presenter’s paper from causing other presenters to run
out of time.

What is expected of me during the Q & A session?

Given that all the presenters keep to time constraints, there will usually be 25-30
minutes at the end of each panel for questions. As chair, you will moderate the Q & A,
which means you will call on audience members who have questions. You should also
prepare a backup question or two about each presentation to ensure that all presenters
are included and addressed in the Q & A. Sometimes the audience will be very excited
about one presentation and ignore the others. It is appropriate for you to ask if there are
questions for other presenters (and ask your own if there are not), even if there are
remaining questions for the presentation that has already received questions. Further, if
an audience member or panelist begins to dominate the Q & A, you should thank that
person for their contributions and then redirect the conversation to ensure all are able to
participate.

What do I do if the session time ends but the Q & A is still going strong?
Please be aware of the starting time for the next session. There is a scheduled 15
minute break in the program between sessions. Even if your session started late or
there is great enthusiasm during the Q&A, you need to dismiss the panel at its
scheduled conclusion time. This helps clear out the room for the next set of panelists to
set up and prevents attendees at your session from being late to the next session.