How to be prepared

The Oral Presentations session format aims to provide an opportunity to present and discuss the findings of your work.
Presenters are required to prepare an 8-minute PowerPoint presentation. After each presentation, there is an opportunity for 7 minutes of discussion. In order to ensure adequate time fairly to all speakers and adequate discussion time, slide presentations will have to stop at 8 minutes. Therefore, please adjust your presentation length accordingly.

Before you proceed, make sure that you have read:  
-  the  below Presenters' information
-  the Virtual Meeting Policy

As an oral presenter, you will have some additional features when you log in to the platform compared to regular attendees.

Presentation Practice/ Rehearsals

When preparing your presentation, you should keep in mind that attendees will be watching from a variety of devices and screen sizes, therefore you are advised to opt for a larger font size and clearer picture than you would use to present on site. You are also encouraged to place the official Meeting logo at the bottom right of each slide. 

All Oral / Video / Case Presentations & Invited Sessions will be rehearsed beforehand

Rehearsals will be scheduled well in advance, where you will be able to test your presentation and familiarize yourself with the virtual platform. If you are unable to attend the rehearsal, you are advised to contact us at secretariat@echsa.org to request a short test session with our staff at another time. If you choose not to attend any test sessions before the opening, the organizers will not be held responsible for any difficulties you may face during the Meeting.

Recording

If you are unable to present live at the Meeting, you also have the option to record your presentation, upload it to a file sharing service (such as WeTransfer) and send it to secretariat@echsa.org. Should you decide to do that, we will play the presentation for you when it is time. Please make sure to make a video of 720p quality, and no longer than 10 minutes. You can also choose to send a recorded presentation even if you intend to present it live, as a backup option in case you have internet/computer problems on the day. If we do not receive a recorded presentation from you until 2 May 2022, we will assume that you intend to present live at the Meeting.

Tips & Tricks

Below are some useful tips you may want to pay attention to when presenting in front of a camera (recording or live):
- Use a soft light source from the front. Cameras capture better-looking video when there is a good light source. Try to avoid locations with low light or too much backlighting.
- Mind your webcam placement. Some camera angles can exaggerate your facial features and distort your appearance. Make sure that the camera lens sits at or above eye level, no higher than your hairline.
- Prefer a laptop computer if possible, otherwise the fan noise may distort your audio.
- Use a USB microphone. Even a low cost microphone offers better audio quality than a laptop's built-in mic.
- When broadcasting live, avoid using wireless internet and ask everyone who shares the connection to not use the bandwidth at the time of your presentation.
- Mind your surroundings and inform people not to enter the recording room.

Going Live

During the Meeting, in the Timeline, look for the date and time of the Session where you are presenting. Click on the Preview button. A few minutes before the session begins, click on the Join as Panelist button to launch your Zoom client.

If the host has started the session, you will join it, otherwise you will need to wait until they have.

Note that clicking on the Join as Panelist button opens a new tab on your browser which refers to Zoom Meetings. You will not be needing that tab, therefore you can close it. In addition to Zoom, you will need to keep an eye on the Online Platform. Therefore, we suggest arranging the windows so that they are both visible, at least when you are not presenting.

It is imperative that you keep an eye on the timer. Even though you and the rest of the panel are already in the session, the session is not broadcasted to the rest of the attendees before the countdown reaches zero. At that point, the chair will begin addressing the delegates and introducing the first speaker. When it is your turn to present, you will use the Unmute and Start Video buttons on Zoom to address the audience, and then click on the Share Screen button to share your screen.

Please be sure to keep your camera and microphone off when other panelists have the floor.

During the session, attendees will be sending their questions via the Q & A panel. Those questions will be displayed on the left side of your browser. As soon as all presentations are finished, the chairs will address some or all of the questions to the speakers. If you wish, you can also decide to answer some of the questions that are addressed to you in writing.

There are two more panels on the Platform screen during a session, that are only visible to the panelists. The Presenter Chat is a chat box where the chairs, presenters and room technician can converse. Post here if you require assistance or if you wish to bring something to everyone’s attention.

The Control Room Chat is similar to the Presenter Chat, with the exception that it is also supervised by the Technical Manager.