Guidance for Speakers and Chairs

Logistical Information for Speakers

All sessions take place synchronously and are assigned a physical space in the Armstrong Building.  However, we expect around 35% of delegates to attend online, and so we shall also relay the in-person proceedings online via Zoom:

  • We shall position a camera and microphone in front of the lectern, and these will feed to Zoom, while remote speakers will be projected onto the display screen to in-person delegates.
  • Questions will be taken from both the floor and the Zoom room; the chair of each panel will repeat questions asked by in-person delegates through the microphone, so that questions are audible to online listeners.
  • All conference sessions will have a technician in attendance, and sessions involving online speakers and/or chairs will also have a conference assistant.
  • We shall record all presentations (but not Q&A) via Zoom, except where speakers have requested otherwise;
  • We shall open each Zoom room at least 10 minutes before the session starts, to allow for sound checks etc.

 

INFORMATION FOR ONLINE SPEAKERS

You will participate ‘live’ via Zoom. Each of the five main conference rooms in the Armstrong Building will be assigned a Zoom address for each day of the conference; these addresses will be emailed to registered delegates 24 hours in advance.

Technical requirements:

  • You will need reliable internet, preferably wired connection: if you don’t have reliable internet, see below, under ‘Pre-Recorded Presentation Option’;
  • Check your settings when logging on, to ensure that you have shared your AV and thereby avoid disappointment: see the downloadable file '2021 RMA guidance for speakers';
  • Log into the Zoom room early (up to 10' before the start of your session) in order to run sound checks;
  • Slide show format: select slide size of 16:9 aspect ratio;
  • Avoid using the top RH corner of slides for text or images.

Handout: if you wish to share your handout in advance of your session, please save it using ONLY the following filename: ‘[session]_[surname]_handout’ (for instance, 10a_Jones_handout) and then upload it before 5.00pm BST on Thursday 9 September to the following OneDrive folder: RMA 2021 handouts and slides.

***Caution: please delete nothing from the OneDrive folder!***

 

Pre-Recorded Presentation Option

If you have an unreliable internet connection, you can send us a recording of your presentation as a back-up.  In which case, please save it as MP4 or MOV file, with resolution of at least1280x720 (or ideally 1920x1080) and with aspect ratio 16:9.  If you choose this option, we ask you to save your presentation using ONLY the following filename: ‘[session]_[surname]_presentation’ (e.g., 10a_Jones_presentation),  and upload it by 5.00pm BST on Thursday 9 September  to the following OneDrive folder: RMA 2021 recorded presentations.

If you have a good internet connection, however, you shouldn’t need to send us a pre-recording and are under no obligation to do so.

 

INFORMATION FOR IN-PERSON SPEAKERS

Your paper will be live-streamed to Zoom listeners in real time. Audio-visual pick-up will be via a camera and microphone at the lectern, so you will need to speak clearly into the microphone.

Technical requirements:

  • Optimize your slide show format: select slide size of 16:9 aspect ratio;
  • It is easiest if you embed sound clips in your presentation whenever possible, rather than bring lots of different devices;
  • Each conference room is fully networked PCs with USB ports for stick drives and laptops, as well as data projector and a piano or keyboard;
  • If you are a Mac user, please bring a USB connector!

Handouts: because a number of delegates will be attending remotely, it is probably easiest to be selective with handouts or not to avoid using them if possible.

  • Print-outs: please bring 25 copies for in-person delegates;
  • Electronic copy: if you wish to share your handout with online listeners in advance of your session, please save it using ONLY the following filename order: ‘[session]_[surname]_handout’ (for instance, 10a_Jones_handout) and then upload it to the following OneDrive folder: RMA 2021 handouts and slides.

There is enough time between sessions for delegates to save their slide shows onto the lectern desktop.  As a failsafe, you can also send us an electronic copy of your slideshow in advance via the RMA 2021 handouts and slides folder (saved with filename ‘[session]_[surname]_slides’).

***Caution: please delete nothing from the OneDrive folder!***

 

Guidance for Panel Chairs

There will be a mixture of online and in-person chairs throughout the conference.  However, we have given preference to in-person chairs for sessions at which some or most of the speakers are also present in person; we are generally relying upon online chairs for sessions at which most or all of the speakers are online.

To this effect:

  • a technician will be present for all sessions in rooms G.08, G.11, G.15, G.17, and 1.06;
  • a conference assistant will attend sessions involving online speakers or and/online chairs;
  • the conference assistant will support the chair by way of time-keeping, picking questions from online participants, et cetera; for online chairs, the conference assistant will relay to you any questions from the floor;
  • for in-person chairs, the conference assistant will draw your attention to any online questions in the Zoom chat; we ask you, please, to immediately repeat each question asked by in-person delegates into the lectern microphone so that online listeners can hear them;  this is simpler and more hygienic than handing a microphone from speaker to speaker;
  • make sure you speak at the lectern and into the microphone when repeating questions and introducing speakers.

PDF
Guidance PDF 334Kb

This file summarises information given above and gives information on setting up Zoom to play back audio and AV clips.