“Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle, is a species of vice.”
-Thomas Paine
(Letter Addressed to the Addressers on the Late Proclamation, 1791)
As an ARVO moderator, I have been reflecting about what makes a scientific session run smoothly. First, there is no doubt that a good scientific session is a mutualistic relationship between the moderators, the presenters, and the audience. So, even if you are not planning on doing anything but sitting in the crowd at ARVO, I have a few thoughts to share about that too!
Moderators
- First, and foremost, it is important as a moderator to keep the session on time. Indeed, that is the one thing that I noted was in boldface in my letter from ARVO about moderating. No need be draconian if the person really is on their conclusion slide, and the timer runs out; otherwise, one needs to be firm.
- Spend time reviewing the abstracts in your session and developing one or two questions for each. That way, if there is extra time and no questions from the audience, you can get the ball rolling. Even so, let the audience ask questions first!
- If a speaker finishes early but there are no more questions (or as very rarely happens a speaker does not show up due to illness, etc.), do not move directly to the next presentation. This allows those who are trying to mix and match presentations from different sessions the opportunity to move around and know when the paper they want to hear will be. Some ideas for filling the time:
- Asking for questions from the audience on other presentations for which there was inadequate time in the allotted slot.
- Develop a relevant question of your own addressed to the audience – you have a room full of experts who wouldn’t want to pick their brain?!
- Let the speaker who had a 30 minute talk planned say their peace :).
- Be familiar with the policies and procedures of the meeting at which you are moderating, in this case: ARVO’s Guidelines for Paper Session Moderators.
Speakers
- Practice your talk and time yourself! Know that your talk is under 15 minutes, but aim for 10-12 minutes if possible. Everybody, except you, likes the opportunity for questions. Also, don’t forget that a little bit of your time will be taken by getting the slides up on the screen, introductions, etc.
- If you do run over, be respectful and stop when asked by the moderators.
Audience
- Avoid compound or complicated questions. The speaker is nervous and usually can only remember one part of your question at a time anyway.
- If you have two or more unrelated questions that do not directly follow upon each other, pass the mic on to someone else to offer time to others. You can always talk to the presenter more after the session.
- If you have serious criticism for a presenter, talk to the presenter after the session. Don’t embarrass them on the podium. You do not want people to cringe every time they see you approaching the mic from that day forward.
Let’s all do our part!
I pledge to do my part in each of the roles above, how about you? What thoughts do others in the ARVO community have about running and participating in scientific sessions?