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eLightning Session Chair Guidelines

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eLightning Session Chair Guidelines

To prepare for your eLightning session, please review all the information below.

Before the Meeting

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  • Check the online program for any changes or updates. If a presenter withdraws from an in-person eLightning session, the session conveners can request that a poster presentation from the accompanying onsite poster session be moved to replace the withdrawn eLightning presentation. This can only be done to and from accompanying sessions and only with the poster presenter's explicit consent. Please send an email to the Scientific Program Team with the details of the withdrawn abstract, the details of the abstract that will be moved into the eLightning presentation slot, and the email or message where the poster presenter has given consent to being moved to an eLightning presentation.
  • Note: New abstracts CANNOT be added to fill empty slots in oral, eLightning or poster sessions.

  • Select one primary chair to introduce and moderate the entire session with co-conveners/co-chairs as back-ups (if needed).
  • Practice pronouncing all presenter names and affiliations.
  • 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 before presenters move to individual monitors.

  • Please view the online program to view the schedule of your session and check for any changes or updates.
  • Review the FIHM Code of Conduct.
  • Meetings Guidelines on Photography and Social Media.
    • Photos are allowed for personal use in all settings, including scientific sessions, unless the presenter indicates otherwise. Presenters can do this by displaying a digital “No Photo” image on their slides or poster. This image is available for download from the presenter guidelines.

Day of Your Session

  • eLightning discussion sessions will occur in a dedicated eLightning theater area within the poster hall. Arrive 15-20 minutes early to talk with your presenters.
  •  Each session contains three minutes time to start of the session.  Each presenter will then give a three-minute overview of their poster. 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.
  • Chairs can briefly introduce all presenters so that individual introductions don’t take away time from the presenters’ three minutes.
  • The chair can use a small amount of 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 [not required] or at the individual presenter’s monitor following the group time).
  • Encourage your presenters to ask questions of the group or ask prepared questions of the authors.
  • 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.
  • Interrupt speakers to ask them to speak more audibly, slowly or clearly, if needed.
  • 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.
  • 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 order in the session. Presenters will be sent instructions on how to locate their monitor.
  • Encourage participation at the monitors by introducing individuals in the area to specific authors and performing “crowd control” as necessary.
  • 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.
  • Technical support will be available to help with any technical issues, assist in managing the theater presentations and assist with the presentation monitors.