Education Session Moderator Guidelines

Thank you for volunteering to serve as Moderator at AIHA Connect 2025. Moderating is a great opportunity to serve in a leadership role, develop relationships with fellow colleagues, and contribute to the overall success of the conference. Moderator Guidelines are detailed below. For questions about moderator responsibilities, contact Diana Kane at 703-846-0753.    

Speaker Ready Room

Presenters must upload their presentation into the Presentation Management System located in the Speaker Ready Room at least one (1) hour prior to their session. These uploaded presentations will be digitally sent to the computers in the proper session rooms. As such, presenters may not use personal computers in the session rooms for their presentations.

Speakers can review, update, and practice their session in this room until one hour prior to their sessions. Workstations and a projector will be available for practice. Staff will be available to answer questions and offer technical assistance.

In the Speaker Ready Room, Moderators should:

• Confirm that presenters in their sessions have checked-in to the Speaker Ready Room and uploaded their presentation(s).
• Check with staff for messages, program changes, and other updated information.
• If not done prior to arriving on-site, get to know the presenters and their content to develop a cohesive flow between presentations. The Speaker Ready Room is a good place for a quick meeting with the speaker(s). This is also a good place to learn how the speaker(s) would like to be introduced. Bios/CVs are posted on the program webpage.

Presentation Room

In the session room, Moderators should:

• Arrive to their assigned room at least 15 minutes prior to the session start time. 
• Locate lighting controls and emergency exits in case of an emergency. 
• Locate audiovisual (AV) technicians (in black shirts) roaming between rooms as the sessions turn over. They will be available to troubleshoot any problems. 
• If the session is part of the virtual program, introduce yourself to the staff member monitoring the virtual stream in case there are any last minute updates. 
• Locate the speaker(s) and inquire how they would like you to keep them on-time. Remind them that shuffling papers and having conversations, etc. will be picked up by the microphones and distract the audience.
• Remind speaker(s) that all presentations will be recorded for OnDemand unless a speaker opts out. All speakers, including Moderators, should log in to Online Speaker Center to read and sign the Speaker Agreement.

Presenter Absences

If a presenter cancels, other speakers in the session will be permitted to present for additional time or to end the session early. This means that for a one-hour session with three presenters at 20 minutes each, the two speakers would get 30 minutes each. Alternatively, the presenters can choose to keep their talks to 20 minutes and end the session early after 40 minutes. The additional time can also be used for further group discussion or Q&A.

In a Research Roundup where two speakers give separate presentations, if the first speaker does not show, the second speaker must begin at the session start time; this would mean the second presenter will speak 30 minutes earlier than he or she originally planned. This speaker may keep the presentation to 30 minutes or may extend the session to a full hour with group discussion and Q&A.

For a session to count for 1 CM, it must last the full hour.

Announcements at the Start of the Session

• Welcome the attendees; if the session is part of the virtual program, welcome them as well.  
• Identify the session title to assure the attendees are in the correct room. 
• Introduce yourself. 
• Remind the attendees: 
  • Where the emergency exits are located.
  • To silence all electronic devices.
  • Not to stand in the back of the room or in the aisles (this is prohibited as advised by the fire marshal unless it is to accommodate individuals with disabilities).
  • Personal recording is prohibited. AIHA is recording the session, and if the speaker has granted permission, it will be available on OnDemand after the conference.
  • Questions and comments are encouraged and should be asked/stated using the audience microphone. This enables everyone, including the virtual attendees or those listening to the OnDemand recording, to hear the question or comment.
  • Complete the session evaluation at the end of the session.
• Briefly introduce each speaker (bios for these introductions are posted on the AIHA Connect website).

During the Session

• Assist in getting the microphone to attendees asking questions/making comments. Additionally, remind attendees to ask questions/comment only when using the microphone.
• If the session is part of the virtual program, remind the speaker to encourage the virtual audience to ask questions.
• If an audience member asks a question/makes a comment without using the microphone, repeat the question/comment (or ask the presenter to) using the microphone. This is important so the entire audience, including those joining virtually or listening to the recording, can hear the question.
• Monitor the time; let speaker(s) know when 5 minutes remain using the timing cards in each room.
• When a presenter’s time has expired, politely thank him or her and firmly move onto the next presentation. It is important that each presenter stays on schedule.

At the Close of the Session

• Remind attendees to complete the session evaluation. Evaluations provide valuable information on suitability of topics and are used by staff and volunteer groups to future conference planning.
• Be sure all microphones are returned to the front of the room.
• Personally thank the speaker(s).

Session Recordings

• Personal recording of any session (both audio and video) is prohibited.
  
• Audio recordings of education session presentations will be available after the conference IF permission has been granted by the presenters. Presenters who do not grant permission to record their presentations will be edited out of the recordings.
• The room must be kept quiet to ensure the quality of the recording.

AV and Computer ​Equipment

• AV and computer equipment will be provided for presenters in all meeting rooms.
  
• Personal laptops may not be used in education session presentation rooms; however, they may be used to review slides and practice in the Speaker Ready Room.
  
• Presenters must use the microphone(s) provided to ensure high-quality audio recording. Presenters wearing a microphone should avoid shuffling papers or having conversations "offline" as these noises will be picked up by the microphone(s) and will distort the recordings.

General Information

• Expect questions to be asked and answered professionally. AIHA encourages scientific debate, open communication, healthy discussion, and respect for a diversity of opinions. Ensure any session you moderate is conducted accordingly.
• All session presenters (including the moderator) and attendees should conduct themselves in a professional manner. In the unlikely event of a disagreement, disruption, or emergency, contact the staff team in the Speaker Ready Room to request assistance.