Presenter + Moderator Guidelines

So you've been accepted to present at the Arts & Letters Symposium.  Great! Now what?

Key Questions:

Q. How long should my presentation be?

A. A presentation session lasts about 40-50 minutes, and it generally has three main components: 1) The moderator's welcome and introduction of the presenters (~5 minutes); 2) the individual presentations; and 3) a discussion of the presentations (~10 minutes). Thus, there are around 45 minutes, total, for presentations. Each presenter should get the same amount of time, so divide 45 minutes by the number of presenters for a rough estimate. Ask your moderator for more precise details on how much time you get. Also, not all presentations will follow the model listed above (group presentations, creative readings, etc.), so your moderator can help you and your fellow presenters determine whether a different presentation model works better for your presentation.

Q. I wrote the paper I am presenting for a class. Do I just read it to the audience? Do I need to change anything in order to present it?

A. While your presentation will probably be very similar to the paper you wrote, you should keep in mind that you are doing an oral presentation. Your listeners don't have the luxury to reread your thesis, go back and review the organization you predicted, and so on. Thus, while you may certainly read your paper, you will likely want to revise it into an "oral presentation" version in which you use very big signposts. By "big signposts" we mean you make your organization very obvious to the audience. You might (for example) have a thesis that announces , "In this talk I am going to prove three key ideas: Idea 1, Idea 2, and Idea 3." Then, as you move through the paper, tell us something like "As I noted earlier, I have three main ideas. Here is Idea 1." As you finish with Idea 1, you then might say, "Now that we have looked at Idea 1, I will move on to Idea 2, which is __________." And so on. The more help you give your listeners regarding your organization, the easier it will be for them to follow you. 

Other strategies might include providing a handout that outlines your presentation or using a PowerPoint that highlights each key idea.

Q. Wait. Are you saying we have to create handouts and PowerPoints?

A. Nope. You don't have to.

Q. OK, but what if I want to use a handout or PowerPoint? Any suggestions?

A. If you think a handout or PowerPoint will make your presentation more effective, then go for it! Keep in mind that, on the one hand, the handout or PowerPoint can help your audience visualize your ideas more effectively. An outline, timeline, image, graph, quote, etc. at their fingertips (in a handout) or projected boldly on a screen (via a PowerPoint) can augment your presentation. BUT, on the other hand, listeners can't multitask well. Any words that you put on a handout or on a screen compete directly with the words coming out of your mouth. If the audience is reading one set of words, they won't be able to hear and process another set of words—from you!—very well. A good rule of thumb: use as few words as necessary on a handout or PowerPoint. If you have more than, say, 25 words on a PowerPoint slide, ask yourself: WHY? 

Also: if you do plan to use technology, get to your session early to set it up and make sure it works. The tech setup shouldn't generally take place during the presentation.

Q. I'm excited but nervous about presenting. Any suggestions?

A. Those are very typical reactions. You are presenting to a friendly audience of your peers and professors, but that doesn't mean the nerves disappear. (Your professors generally feel that way too when they present!). While there are lots of tips out there about how to calm your nerves when public speaking ("Picture everyone in their underwear! Deep breaths! Have a bottle of water so you can pause to take a drink!"), perhaps the most helpful tip is to practice, practice, practice. Feel confident that you know your material. Even if you...lose your handout...or the power goes out...or whatever unlikely event occurs, you will have a good grasp on what you want to say. Be prepared enough that you don't have to read everything to us word-for-word—you know your material well enough to make eye contact with your audience, smile, and have fun. 

And also: take some pressure off yourself. For many of you, this is your very first time presenting at a symposium. You are a learner, not an expert. And that's great! Look for ways you can learn from the good and the not-so-good (whether for you or others). How can you take what you learned and do a half inch better next time? How can you grow from this experience, no matter what happens?

Q. I'm not sure what to wear. Help!

A. We encourage you to wear business casual attire. While you likely will want to build your wardrobe of professional attire at some point, you don't need to go shopping for a presentation outfit for this symposium. If you don't have something in your closet already, check out the CBU Career Center, which has clothing available for students to borrow.

Q. Any last advice for presenters for the day of the symposium?

A. Sure. Keep in mind that, any time a speaker steps in front of an audience, the audience is wondering what's in it for them. Why should they care? So—the sooner you can show your listeners why your presentation should matter to them, the quicker you will have them eager to listen to you.

Also, while the nerves can make it hard to concentrate on others' presentations while you are waiting to do yours, you might want to take notes so that you can ask your fellow presenters questions during the Q&A portion of the session.

Lastly, be sure to congratulate your fellow presenters and thank your moderator!

So you've agreed to moderate a session at the Arts & Letters Symposium. Thanks! Now what?

Key Questions:

Q. What are the main roles of a moderator?

A. The moderator's main jobs are 1) communicating with presenters ahead of the symposium to help ensure everyone is on the same page about the session; 2) introducing the session/panel as well as the session presenters to the audience (~5 minutes); 3) keeping an eye on the clock to ensure presenters don't use more of their allotted time (~35-45 minutes, total, depending on the session); 4) moderating/leading the Q&A portion (~10 minutes) after the presentations, including asking questions to the presenters if the audience or presenters don't generate discussion questions themselves; and 5) general troubleshooting as needed.

Q. Prior to the symposium, what do I need to do?

A. Please contact the presenters in your session to let them know you are their moderator. You will want to find out some information from them. For example, what do they envision their presentation will be like (if it isn't clear from their abstracts)? Will they be using technology (in which case you will want to ensure they set up all their tech before the session starts)? You should also ask them for brief bios (whatever info you want: hometown, major, when they will graduate, their research interests, their favorite flavor of ice cream) that you can read as part of your introduction to the session's presenters. Also, remember that there are ~45 minutes, total, for presentations during the roughly hour-long session. Depending on the number of presenters in your session, divvy up those 45 minutes and inform presenters how much time they have for their individual presentation. (Since you will help ensure no one goes over his or her allotted time, you also might want to inform presenters how you will let them know if they are close to being out of time: will you hold up notecards that list how many minutes are left? hold up fingers? give oral warnings? etc.) You may also ask presenters for (rough) drafts of their presentation ahead of time in order to help you draft potential discussion questions for the Q&A time.

Also, if your session doesn't already have a session/panel title, please come up with a title and send it to Laura Veltman (lveltman@calbaptist.edu). Similarly, if there isn't a title for the student's presentation listed in the schedule, please find out the title and send it to Laura Veltman. Lastly, you and the presenters should decide on the order of presentation. If you opt to change the order from what is currently listed on the schedule, let Laura Veltman know and she can update the order.

Q. At the symposium, what do I need to do?

A. Arrive a few minutes early to the assigned room for your session. Ensure that the room layout is in order for the presentation. (Typically the presenters should be near the front. If there is room, it is helpful if presenters sit together in a row facing the audience. They should generally sit in the same order as they will present. Presenters may choose to stand and present from the podium or while seated.) If there are tech issues, you can help troubleshoot. If there are handouts, you can pass them out.

During the session itself, your role is typically to introduce the session (give the title and perhaps a general overview) as well as the presenters (give their names, the presentation titles, and their bios). You can opt to do these introductions all at once or individually introduce each presenter before he or she presents.

During the presentations, keep an eye on the clock.  You can determine what approach to use for telling presenters that they are almost out of time, but you should ensure that no one goes over (unless, of course, another presenter goes significantly under time, in which case you have some leeway).

After all presenters have gone, you can thank them for their presentations and then open the floor for questions. If questions are slow to come, then you should get the ball rolling. You can ask questions about individual presentations or ask a question that could pertain to any of the presentations. You could also invite presenters to ask questions of each other.

Q. Do I have any role after the session ends?

A. There isn't a large role at the end of the session. You might wish to individually thank presenters. You can tidy up the room as needed. You can add your work as a session moderator to a resume, grad school application, or annual self-review.

Q. Anything else I should know?

A. Please know that we are very grateful for your willingness to moderate your session, a key role that is crucial to the session's success!