What are the Chair’s Roles and Responsibilities?
Role of a Chair: Chairs are responsible for the overall planning and execution of sessions to facilitate the sessions’ success. Chairs are expected to orient the audience to the session. Chairs need to be attentive to time allocations, but the role involves much more than keeping time. A session’s success may depend on the chair’s ability to limit the time of presentations and temper discussion from the floor to allow sufficient time for interaction.
Responsibilities of a Session Chair: Chairs are responsible for the overall planning and execution of their session and to facilitate the sessions’ success. Before the session, chairs are expected to contact any discussants to begin a conversation about shaping the session. At the session, chairs should (1) commence at the scheduled time and orient the audience to the context with brief introductory remarks, (2) introduce participants before their presentations, (3) limit time for each presenter and discussant, (4) raise issues that can facilitate audience engagement, and moderate panel or floor discussions, and (5) adjourn the session in time to allow the room to clear before the next session.
Some other tasks for chairs include:
- Ensure that everyone’s PowerPoint presentations are loaded onto the laptop in the room (individuals will do this on their own, but the chair should make sure this happens before the session starts).
- Establish the line-up of presenters (generally based on the order they appear in the program).
- The time allotted to each presenter should be equally distributed.
- Presentations must be carefully timed and no presenter should be allowed to exceed it.
- Allow for 5-10 minutes after each presentation for questions, or allocate equivalent time after all presentations.
What are the Discussant’s Roles and Responsibilities?
How do I know if my session has a discussant?
My session has a discussant – where can I find contact information to e-mail my paper or presentation?
When is the latest I can request changes to the program?
Can I register on-site?
I am having trouble with registration. Who can I contact?
When is the deadline for conference attendee registration?
What do I do if I am no longer able to attend the conference?
How do I become a member of CIES?
When and where is the 2016 Conference?
How long should my proposal be? What information should I include in my proposal?
How do I submit a proposal?
Can I submit more than one proposal? Can I present more than one paper?
When will the conference program be available?
When are pre-conference workshops being held?
Do I have to register for pre-conference workshops?
What sponsorship, advertising and exhibitor opportunities are there at CIES 2016?
If questions still remained unanswered, who can I contact?
