Thank you for presenting your work at PAA 2022. Presenters will be sharing their knowledge and expertise through over 1,000 oral presentations on the program. Below, are tips to assist presenters in pre-conference planning and some guidelines on presenting at the conference itself. We hope you find this helpful.
Pre-Conference Tips
Prior to the conference, we suggest the following:
- Please send your paper to the session chair, discussant(s) and other presenters before your session. Sessions typically will have one discussant (though a few have two) and for four papers. Final papers were due to be uploaded by March 16, so that the discussant has time to read all the papers and prepare their comments. Some chairs/discussants may allow a later date, but this must be directly arranged and not assumed.
- Please note the amount of time allocated to your presentation. PAA sessions this year are just 75 minutes long; as such, most presentations will only be 12 minutes long. The chair of your session will inform you of the exact time allocated to your presentation; if you have not heard from the session chair, assume that you will have 12 minutes. The time you are allotted will not include Q&A unless otherwise indicated by your chair; typically, session chairs reserve 10 or so minutes at the end of each session for questions and discussion.
- Plan for your presentation. A good conference presentation provides a clear and succinct overview of your paper. Consider the time available and the multiple learning styles of attendees (auditory, visual, etc.) to create a valuable presentation.
- Prepare visual aids.The vast majority of presenters use slides, either in PowerPoint or PDF, as visual aids for their presentation.
- Type: Please use at least 20-point type so that audience members can easily read the print on your slides.
- Please do not include large tables in your slides: Please summarize your key results rather than presenting large, dense tables.
- Bullets: Please limit yourself to 3-4 bullets per slide and 10 or fewer words per bullet.
- Number: A rough rule of thumb is to prepare no more than one slide for every minute you will be presenting.
- Try to avoid the use of acronyms, jargon, and abbreviations: Past conference evaluations have clearly indicated that one frustration, in particular for new and international attendees, is the use of ‘insider’ language, acronyms, and abbreviations that make it difficult to comprehend a presentation.
- Consider livening up your slides with graphics and pictures: Graphics can be very effective in capturing the audience’s attention and focusing them on the point you want to make.
- Contact information slide: Please include a slide that you put up at the beginning with your presentation title, name, and contact information.
- Please proofread and spell check: Thank you!
- Practice: Please practice your presentation to ensure that it highlights key points, that your delivery is clear, and that you finish within the time allocated.
- Email your slides: Please email your slides to the session chair in advance of the session whether you are presenting in-person or virtually. In-person presenters will have a clicker to advance slides.
- Virtual Presenters. If you are presenting virtually, you will do so via the Confex online platform that opens a Zoom meeting, so make sure you have the latest version of Zoom installed. Make sure that the name on your Zoom account matches the name you have in the program as Zoom techs will be looking for you to make you a co-host.
- In-Person Presenters. Your session chair will have already collected your slides and given them to the tech in the session room. You will be given a clicker to advance them. The front row of each session room will be reserved for session participants.
Presentation Checklist
At the session, please:
- Arrive early. Please arrive at the session 10 minutes early and connect with the other presenters and session chair, so that the session may start on time.
- Give your presentation. You are ready!
- End on time. You will be warned by the chair as your time draws to a close (typically 5 minutes, 2 minutes, and stop). It is essential that you end on time to ensure that all participants have the opportunity to present their work.