STAF 2023
Tue 18 - Fri 21 July 2023 Leicester, United Kingdom
STAF 2023 (series) /

Instructions for Presenters, Participants, and Chairs

Please find below some comprehensive instructions for presenters and participants (whether physically on-site or online) as well as session chairs.

Remote Participants and Presenters

Prerequisites

  • You do not need a Zoom account, and you can use either a Zoom app on your computer or the Zoom web app.
  • There is a separate link for each session of your conference or workshop: Locate this link and be ready to join 5 mins before the posted start time of the session.
  • If you are a presenter, make sure before the session that you can unmute your microphone, activate your camera, share your screen and go into full screen presentation mode.

Joining a Session

  • To be admitted into the Zoom session, click the link in the programme and follow the instructions 5 min before the posted start time of your session.
  • After completing a form asking for your name, email and affiliation, the host will let you in.
  • Your microphone will be muted by default to avoid disruption, but you can use the chat to ask questions.
  • Do not activate your microphone or camera or share your screen unless asked to do so by the host, because this may disrupt the ongoing presentation.
  • We will try to display the chat alongside the presentation in the room, but the host and session chair will manage the interaction with the local and remote audience.
  • You can leave the session at any point but avoid joining and leaving repeatedly because you will require admission by the host each time and this may show up as an alert on the presentation screen.

Presenting

  • See above on how to join and behave during a session.
  • When it is your turn to present, and only when asked to do so by the host, unmute your microphone, activate your camera, share your screen, and start presenting.
  • The session chair will manage the interaction with the local and remote audience and may ask you questions from the chat or the audience during or after your presentation.
  • We may display the chat alongside your presentation in the room but there is no need for you to monitor it.
  • When you have finished presenting and answering questions, stop sharing, mute your microphone and deactivate your camera, but stay in the session if you want to follow other presentations.

Local Presenters

There are two options to present locally. Contact your chair 5 mins before the session to tell them how you would like to present.

Option A. By following the same process as a remote presenter, you can use your own computer without making a physical connection to the projector or screen in the room. This is the only option to use your own computer for the presentation.

  • Check your prerequisites and join the session as for a remote presentation, but without computer audio. We will use a microphone, camera and speaker bar connected to a fixed computer in the room, so it is essential that you keep your laptop’s microphone and speakers switched off.
  • When asked to do so by the chair, share your screen and start your presentation on your own laptop.

Option B. By emailing your slides to the email address posted in the programme for your conference or workshop, they will be available on the fixed computer in the room for you to present.

  • This computer will have presentation software installed and will run a zoom session for remote participants.
  • When asked to do so by the chair, share your screen and start your presentation on the fixed computer in the room.

As a fallback, we strongly advise to be prepared for option B even if you are planning to use option A. The email accounts to submit your presentation files are as follows.

Session Chairs and Hosts

A local helper will act as Zoom host in support of every session listed in the programme. Both hosts and session chairs should familiarise themselves with the instructions for online and local participants and presenters, but the host (local helper) will take care of all technical matters.

A fixed computer (laptop or desktop) with Zoom installed will be provided in every room. Local or remote presenters can join a Zoom session running on this fixed computer from their own computer; local presenters can use this computer directly by emailing their slides to a dedicated email address (see instructions for presenters).

Hosts

All participants will be asked to email their slides to the address associated with their conference or workshop. Hosts will have access to these accounts on the fixed computers in the room.

Zoom registration links have been created for all sessions of relevant conferences and workshops. They will be posted in the programme for participants; make sure you are able to direct participants on where to find them.

Hosts should

  • Log into the fixed computer using the details provided;
  • Log into the relevant email account for the conference or workshop on the fixed computer using the details provided;
  • Start Zoom from the Windows start menu and log into the Zoom required using the details provided;
  • At least 5 mins before each session,
    • start the Zoom meeting by pressing “Start” in the Meetings tab in Zoom next to the meeting they wish to start. Meetings are sorted by date and time, so the upcoming meetings are always on top.
    • join the session as a host on their own laptop or mobile device without audio or video (i.e., with muted microphone, camera and speakers switched off);
    • Locate and download the presentations for the session from the email account onto the fixed computer;
    • Ask local presenters if they want to present using Zoom (option A) or on the fixed computer (option B);
  • During the session
    • Admit remote presenters and local presenters using option A to the Zoom session based on the list of registered remote participants provided;
    • Support the session chair in instructing presenters to share and unshare their screen, present, mute and unmute their microphones etc as required;
  • At the end of the session, or when asked to do so by the chair end the Zoom meeting or when asked to do so by the chair.

Session Chairs

Responsibility for all technical process is with the hosts, but it helps to be familiar with them.

Session chairs should

  • Check with hosts and presenters before the session that all presenters are present or connected / available remotely and have their presentations ready as required;
  • Monitor the Zoom chat (which should be displayed on the screen in the room) and manage the conversation online and in the room;
  • If they want to participate / manage the chat directly, join the session on their own laptop or mobile device without audio or video (i.e., with muted microphone, camera and speakers switched off);
  • We advise that regular participants (that are not presenters, hosts or chairs) do not join the Zoom meetings to avoid issues with bandwidth and feedback.