Thank you for agreeing to serve as Chair on a panel at ACCUTE. The role of Chair is extremely important to ensure that a panel runs smoothly and is productive and enjoyable for all involved. An effective Chair will have a significant impact on setting the tone for a session, introducing the speakers in a manner that helps situate what they will present, keeping the presentations on time, getting the audience engaged, and keeping the speakers focused on the most relevant topics of discussion.

To moderate a good panel, the Chair will need to do some preparatory work in advance of the session, listen attentively and take notes throughout the paper presentations, and keep their head up come question period to be sure that everyone who wishes to contribute to the discussion is seen and heard.

Here are a few guidelines you may use to prepare for your Chairing duties.

Before the conference panel session begins…

ACCUTE will provide you with the email addresses of the presenters on the panel you will be moderating. Once we have done that, please contact them with an email in which you introduce yourself as their panel chair, and request from them an updated biographical statement and (ideally) the abstracts they had originally submitted when applying for the conference. This will allow you to introduce the speakers in the manner they wish to be presented, and to familiarize yourself with the work that they will present. This is also a good opportunity to check in with the speakers about their preferred pronouns, and any questions you have about how to pronounce their names. 

You may find it useful to email all panelists at once in one email, this way they will also get to ‘meet’ each other in advance of the session, and will have each others’ contact information before and after the conference.

Please remind panelists of the time limit they will be expected to abide by in delivering their papers. For a panel of three papers, each paper should be a MAXIMUM of 20 minutes (approximately eight double-spaced printed pages of 12-point font). If a panel has four papers, the time for each paper should be reduced to around 15 minutes each, and for panels with only two papers, they may go a few minutes beyond 20 minutes (but not too much beyond that).

If panelists will be presenting PowerPoint slides, please remind them to bring those files on a USB key so they can be uploaded to the computer in the classroom prior to the session. And request that they appear about 10 minutes in advance of the session so the uploads and other technical matters can be completed prior to the scheduled start time of the session.

In this preliminary work, you can also discuss how to best structure the session, what the preferred order of papers should be, etc. Those decisions will ultimately be up to you. Usually, each speaker is introduced before they speak, and time for Q&A is held after all papers have been delivered. But if there seems to be a good reason, after consultation with your panelists, to proceed otherwise, feel free to do so.

During the conference panel session…

When at the conference, it’s a good idea to check where your panel’s room is located in advance of the session so you can find it easily when the time comes.

You’ll have arranged to meet presenters in the room about ten minutes before the session to meet each other in person, upload PowerPoint slides, check that the equipment is working, and review pronouns use, speaker-name pronunciation, any last minute title or affiliation changes, format, timing and other arrangements before the session begins.

Tell the presenters that you will be timing their papers and will notify them when they have two minutes remaining come up with a ‘subtle’ signal that they will notice. (It’s sometimes a good idea to offer speakers two warnings, one at five minutes and then another at two minutes.)

Once everyone is settled in, please try to start the panel on time (probably a couple of minutes after the time listed on the program).

Welcome the audience, introduce yourself as the Chair, read the title of the panel session (to ensure people are in the right place), briefly state the panel topic, and explain the session format/structure, so people know what to expect, when they will have an opportunity to ask questions, etc.

If there have been any changes made since the last version of the programme was released, please state them, including any last-minute title changes made to papers, or speaker affiliations.

Then proceed to introduce the first speaker by stating their name, providing their bio and reading the title of their paper. And turn the floor over to them.

Keep time, and provide them with a two-minute warning. If a speaker keeps going beyond the time limit, you may gently say their name and state out loud that they should work towards wrapping up their paper in order to leave time for questions and discussion.

Following the presentations, check the clock and indicate to the audience how much time is left for questions and discussion. You may open the floor to questions, inviting audience members to raise their hands, and then calling on them in order. If it takes a moment or two for audience members to begin asking questions, you may wish to pose a question or two yourself to get the ball rolling. And panelists may also, of course, ask questions and engage in discussion with each other.

As the session closes, offer a few closing observations or remarks and thank the speakers and the audience. You can invite the audience to show their appreciation to the presenters with some applause.

General considerations…

Presenting one’s research can be stressful for scholars with all levels of experience. Do your best to make your panelists feel comfortable. Show calm, smile, and do your best to create a welcoming and encouraging environment.

Time management is an important task of the Chair, as this allows time for feedback and discussion. Please do your best to keep your speakers to time. Also, if a questioner or panelist takes too much time in asking or answering a question, feel free to intervene and ask them to get to the point so that you can move on to other questions.

That said, flexibility is also an occasional necessity in running a panel. If your panel gets started late due to technical difficulties or other issues, you may wish to quickly confer with your panelists and come to an agreement about how the remaining time of the session will be used.

Do your best to create a productive and collegial atmosphere for your panelists and the audience, and have fun!