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Instructions for Session Chairs and Moderators


Responsibilities and Guidelines

Session chair responsibilities are slightly different this year, given the hybrid format of the conference. Responsibilities include session chair training before LPSC, session and presenter introductions, advancing slides for remote presenters (in-person session chairs only), moderation of in-person and Zoom webinar questions and answers (with the assistance of a moderator), session timekeeping, and session closure.

Moderators are a new addition to oral sessions this year. The primary responsibility for moderators is to assist session chairs with the management of Zoom webinar Q&A during the oral session.

Session chairs and moderators must contact each other before LPSC to discuss the management of tasks. In particular, the management of in-person and Zoom webinar questions should be arranged.

Before the Oral Session (Session Chairs)

  • All session chairs are required to watch a training video and participate in a virtual Q&A session. Find links to the training video and Q&A session video and the training slides in email communication.
  • All session chairs are required to attend a morning meeting on the day of their assigned session.
    • Day of assigned session (March 7–11), 7:30 a.m.–8:00 a.m. CST
    • 7:15 a.m. CST: Breakfast
    • 7:30 a.m. CST: Meeting start
    • In-person location: Alden Bridge and Creekside Park rooms (conference venue)
    • Virtual connection information will be emailed before the conference.
  • Contact the co-chair and moderator for your session, introduce yourself, and coordinate session management tasks, including setting session ground rules, introducing presenters, monitoring and moderating in-person and Zoom webinar Q&A, and time management.
  • Consult name pronunciation guides (if provided by presenters) using this link. The information is dynamic as new registrations occur. Check back often for updates.
  • If a speaker contacts you about a cancellation, email Walter Kiefer ([email protected]) and [email protected] immediately.
  • Do not allow presenters to change the order of presentations as listed in the program. Attendees rely on the posted program schedule.
  • Familiarize yourself with presentation titles and speakers’ names to avoid mispronunciations. Before the conference, session chairs will receive a link from Houston Meeting Info to download pronunciation guides for speakers who have provided them.
  • Remote session chairs should plan to join their sessions at least 20 minutes before the start.
  • In-person chairs should introduce themselves to the audio/visual technicians assigned to the session room. Make arrangements for signaling the A/V technicians to cut off a speaker’s microphone for those occasions when speakers exceed their time limit.

Before the Oral Session (Moderators)

  • All moderators are required to watch a training video and participate in a virtual Q&A session. Find links to the training video and Q&A session video and the training slides in email communication.
  • All moderators are required to attend a morning meeting on the day of their assigned session.
    • Day of assigned session (March 7–11), 7:30 a.m.–8:00 a.m. CST
    • 7:15 a.m. CST: Breakfast
    • 7:30 a.m. CST: Meeting start
    • In-person location: Alden Bridge and Creekside Park rooms (conference venue)
    • Virtual connection information will be emailed before the conference.
  • Contact the chairs for your session, introduce yourself, and coordinate Zoom webinar Q&A management tasks.
  • Remote moderators should plan to join their sessions at least 20 minutes before the start.

Oral Session Introduction (Session Chairs)

  • Kick off the oral session with an introduction of both session chairs, the moderator, the ground rules for the oral session, and an overview of the session timeline.
  • Work with the AV technician in the room if computer or AV issues arise. If a remote speaker has difficulty connecting to the webinar, alert the AV technician.

Oral Session Format

Oral sessions will include in-person and remote presentations with panel-style Q&A.

  • All presentations have a hard cutoff time at 10 minutes.
  • In-person presenters will advance their presentation slides using the remote slide advancer (clicker) provided in the oral session room.
  • One of the session chairs in the room will advance slides for remote presenters.
  • Remote presenters will not display their own slides.
  • Remote presenter slides will be displayed from the session room with accompanying audio. The remote presenter’s video will not be displayed.
  • One Windows laptop will be available at the session chair/moderator table to connect to the Zoom webinar and track online Q&A. Session chairs are also allowed to use their own devices with the conference venue Wi-Fi connection.
Oral Session Timeline (full session, 180 minutes)
Session introduction/virtual participants join
(1st presentation begins after 5-minute session introduction)		 5 minutes
4 in-person or remote presentations 10 minutes each
Panel Q&A 15 minutes
4 in-person or remote presentations 10 minutes each
Panel Q&A 15 minutes
4 in-person or remote presentations 10 minutes each
Panel Q&A 15 minutes
Panel Q&A final discussion (concluding unanswered questions) 7 minutes
Session closure 3 minutes
Oral Session Timeline (half session, 90 minutes)
Session introduction/virtual participants join
(1st presentation begins after 5-minute session introduction)		 5 minutes
6 in-person or remote presentations 10 minutes each
Panel Q&A 20 minutes
Transition to next session/session closure 5 minutes
Oral Presentation Timeline
Presentation duration 10 minutes
Timing alert/warning At the 8-minute mark
Panel Q&A Reference the oral session timeline

Remote session chairs and moderators: Although you are not responsible for sharing your screen, you are required to test your connection, webcam, and audio in the Zoom webinar platform.

Please email [email protected] if you missed the testing sessions on February 15 and 16.

Online Session Chair Report

The session chair report will be available online during the week of the conference. Only one of the chairs needs to complete the form. Please take a few minutes immediately following the conclusion of your session to complete the form. Input from session chairs is appreciated and helps us improve the conference.