Chair Instructions

Thank you for agreeing to the important role of session chair or discussant at Cancer Survivorship 2021. Your contribution and commitment to making our virtual event a success is greatly appreciated.

CHAIR & DISCUSSANT RESPONSIBILITIES 

Most sessions will have two facilitators; a chair (responsible for introducing and thanking speakers) and a discussant (responsible for Q&A at the end of the session).

In many ways, chairing a virtual conference is very similar to a face-to-face event, with the following key responsibilities remaining the same: 

  • Familiarise yourself with the session speakers (check name pronunciation and current affiliation. Speaker photos and bios can be found on the Speakers page

  • Keep the session running on time (you will be provided a run sheet for your session, and receive time prompts from an ASN Events staff member) 

  • Facilitate audience Q&A at the end of the session (we recommend preparing at least one question for each speaker in case the audience are feeling shy) 

The biggest differences between in-person and virtual events are access to the conference and engaging with the audience.  

Delegates will be viewing the conference on a virtual platform called Pheedloop. As a session chair/discussant, you will be joining a backstage broadcast studio called StreamYard – this is where the magic happens! 

PREPARING FOR A VIRTUAL EVENT 

Please ensure you have access to the following technical requirements: 

  • Computer or Laptop (ensure you are connected to power) 

  • Google Chrome browser    

  • Headphones (highly recommended to avoid echo from computer speakers) 

  • High speed internet connection (capable of at least 2mbps up and down) 

  • A quiet room with a plain background (virtual backgrounds are not an option) 

  • Second monitor screen or personal device to view questions from the audience  

ACESSING THE BROADCAST STUDIO 

  • You will be sent a calendar invitation with a link to join the broadcast studio.  

  • The calendar invitation start and end times represent the entire time we require you to be online and dedicated to the conference. This includes an AV check and introduction to speakers and the IT technician just prior to the session commencing.  

  • When you join the broadcast studio, it may look like you are alone, but you can chat to the technician and speakers via the private chat function on the right-hand side. Delegates will not see these communications.  

  • Once everyone required for the session has joined the broadcast studio, the ASN Events technician will make all presenters and chairs visible to each other on the main video screen and enable two-way verbal communication.  

  • This will be followed by a summary of how the session will be run and ASN Events will answer frequently asked questions.  

COLLECTING QUESTIONS DURING THE SESSION 

  • Questions will be submitted from the audience via the Engage tab on the virtual platform (Pheedloop) using an app called Slido.  

  • We recommend opening the virtual platform (Pheedloop) on a second screen so you can monitor the questions and public chat. ** 

  • If you do not have a second screen, open the Slido website on your mobile phone or other personal device by clicking this link https://app.sli.do/ and entering the event code: Surv21 

  • Questions posed by delegates are visible to all, and delegates can ‘like’ a question that someone else has asked. This feature is particularly useful for avoiding repeat question and ensuring questions that are broadly supported get asked first.  

  • Questions with the most likes will appear at the top of the list, making it easy for you to identify them.  

 

** If you have Pheedloop open, it is crucially important you pause the live stream. There is a 20 second delay between what is said in the broadcast studio and what delegates hear on Pheedloop, which can not only cause confusion for chairs but create audio feedback and disrupt the live stream. 

GOING LIVE TO THE AUDIENCE 

The ASN technician will make sure everyone is ready and then being the broadcast.  

 

  • First a holding slide that says ‘We’re going live now’ will display. 

  • This indicates you have 60 seconds until your camera will be live to the audience.  

  • When you see your face appear on the main window, you are now live to the audience! 

(You will also a see a red ‘LIVE’ icon in the top left corner indicating that that everything in that main window is live to the audience) 

 

ONCE YOU ARE LIVE TO THE AUDIENCE 

  • Introduce yourself as the chair/discussant 

  • Acknowledge the sponsors/exhibitors as per the run sheet 

  • Encourage the audience to submit questions via the Engage tab, located above the main video display. Remind them to ‘like’ questions that others have asked to increase the chances of the question being asked live.  

  • Keep an eye on the chat in StreamYard, as this is where the ASN team will send prompts and time warnings.  

  • If you have any issues or questions for the Technician, write them in the StreamYard chat 

  • IMPORTANT: It is very important that Chairs and Discussants adhere to the Runsheet (that will be included in your calendar invitation). The ASN technician will send messages to you in the Virtual Broadcast Studio via chat and with 2-minute, 1 minute and 30 second warnings to ensure the session stays on time.  

 

CHAIRS 

  • Session chairs are responsible for introducing each speaker.  

  • Please have a clear handover cue when you have finished your introduction, so the ASN Technician knows when to transition to the speaker’s presentation.  

  • Once a presentation has concluded, the Technician will bring the chair back into the live stream to thank the speaker and introduce the next presentation.   

  • Note: In most cases, speaker presentations have been pre-recorded. Please do not make mention of this to delegates.  

 

DISCUSSANTS 

  • Q&A will be held at the end of the session, facilitated by the Discussant.  

  • We recommend having a question prepared for each presenter in case the audience have not submitted any/many questions.  

  • Once questions have been answered, or time runs out, the Discussant will conclude the session.  

  • Please have a clear concluding statement so the Technician knows when to display a holding slide and remove you from the live stream.