SAEM Annual Meeting – Guidelines for Scientific Session Moderators
Thank you very much for your service as a moderator at SAEM17!
The success of the scientific program is largely in your hands. Here’s how to succeed as a moderator:
1. Study your abstracts in advance. Prepare two questions for each presenter, in case the audience is silent. You can
access your abstracts www.eventscribe.com/2017/SAEM
2. Arrive 10 minutes early. Ensure that the microphone and computer are working. There will be a technical support
person from the hotel and a representative from the SAEM Program Committee at each session to help. If they’re not
and you need help, you may contact any of the following individuals:
a. Maryanne Greketis: 517-204-0388
c. Mark Nagasawa: 773-910-1618
b. Holly Byrd-Duncan: 517-862-1206
d. Jody Vogel, MD, MSc: 734-646-9502
3. Before the session, introduce yourself to each presenter. Remind the presenters of the format for the session:
a. Oral presentations: 10 minutes for the presentation, then 2 minutes of Q&A.
b. Lightning oral presentations: 6 minutes for the presentation, then 2 minutes of Q&A.
c. E-Poster presentations: (i) Moderated portion (60 minutes): for each presentation, 5 minutes to present + 2
minutes of Q&A. (ii) Browsing portion (30 minutes): presenters are expected to remain at their poster for the
browsing portion of the session – please tell them so!
4. Confirm that each presentation is accessible. (All presenters were asked to load their presentations in advance of the
Annual Meeting either to the Cadmium website or on-site in the speaker’s ready room.) If a speaker has not uploaded
their presentation prior to the beginning of the session, they must use their presentation time to upload it.
5. All AV/computer equipment is provided. Personal laptops may not be used to present.
6. Begin on time. Do not wait for late arrivals to be seated.
7. Begin the session by introducing yourself and welcoming everyone. Ask the audience to silence their cell phones.
Ask the audience to hold all questions until the end of each presentation.
8. While each new presenter is approaching the platform, announce his/her name, institution, and presentation title. The
most successful moderators say a quick word about the talk to follow, such as, “This next talk is about X, and I found
it particularly interesting because of Y.” Whatever you say, if it models enthusiasm and demonstrates your
familiarity with the material, it will be a winner.
9. Give each presenter a warning 2 minutes before the end of his/her presentation.
10. Be polite but firm about keeping all presenters on the timeline.
11. At the end of each presentation, thank the presenter and initiate applause. Encourage questions from the audience. If
there are none, ask the questions you prepared in advance to stimulate discussion. As the question-and-answer period
is nearing completion, say, "We have time for one last question."
12. When all of the presentations are complete, encourage attendees to complete the evaluation forms available from the
SAEM Medical Student Ambassadors in the room. Thank everyone for attending and lead one final round of
applause for all presenters.
If you have any additional questions about moderating your session, please feel free to contact our Education Department
at the SAEM office at [email protected] or 847-813-9823 or Jody Vogel, MD, MSc, at [email protected] or
Colleen McQuown. MD, at [email protected] for assistance.
Thank you very much for your service as a moderator at the SAEM Annual Meeting!