Online Platform Presenter Guidelines
The following instructions are only for Platform Presentations being given online. If you are presenting live at the in-person conference, please visit the In-person Platform Presenter Guidelines. Platform presentations will be conducted using Zoom Webinar (live) and will be presented in Scotland time, UTC/GMT +1. Attendees will view the presentations via the Conference App.
Talk Length
Talks should be 9 minutes, plus 2 minutes for questions and 1 minute for speaker transition. If you have not finished your talk after 11 minutes, the session chair may end your screen share and mute your microphone.
Presentation Time
You can look up your presentation time on the Author Abstract Assignments page. All presentation times are shown in Glasgow, Scotland time, UTC/GMT +1. You should be prepared to present your talk at any time during your session. If a presenter that precedes you is unable to present, the session chair may decide to move your talk to an earlier time within the session.
Registration
You must register for the conference by May 15, 2023 to confirm your participation and receive the speaker access link.
Recordings
All platform presentations will be recorded and made available to registrants on the Conference App through July 19, 2023.
Technical requirements
Connectivity
Make sure your connection speed is 2 Mbps upload/4 Mbps download or better. You can test your internet connection speed at SpeedTest.net. Please run the test in the location where you will be presenting because connectivity may change with distance from your router.
Zoom Client
We strongly recommend that you download or update the Zoom Client for Meetings in advance of your presentation and test your sound and permissions prior to the day of your talk (see below). If you have attended a Zoom meeting recently, you likely already have the client installed. You’ll want to make sure you have the desktop client or mobile app: version 5.9.1 or higher.
Zoom Access Link
To access your assigned Zoom Webinar session as a speaker, you will receive a special link via email from Zoom the week before the conference. This link will not work until 10 minutes before your session. Note that you cannot use the links in the Conference App to access your session as a speaker.
Device
You will use your own device for your presentation. You should use a laptop or desktop computer, rather than a mobile device if possible. If you are using a Mac, you should, in advance of your session, test screen sharing at https://zoom.us/test so that you can confirm you have granted Zoom the appropriate permissions. Doing so requires you to restart the application (which you won’t want to do during your session).
Sound
You should present in a quiet area with as little background sound as possible and use a headset if possible. You can use https://zoom.us/test to test your Zoom audio in advance.
Camera
We recommend that you share your camera during your presentation, so attendees can see you while you present.
Privacy and Recordings
All oral presentations will be available for registered attendees to view online until July 19, 2023. Although sharing of results without permission is a violation of the Code of Conduct, you should be aware that we cannot monitor whether attendees take photographs, screenshots, audio recordings, or video recordings during your presentation.
Code of Conduct
All registrants agree to abide by the GSA Conferences Code of Conduct. Our Code of Conduct was established to communicate a transparent set of standards and guidelines for acceptable behavior at GSA Conferences and to provide a positive, safe, and welcoming environment for all attendees. Note that all sessions will be moderated and actively monitored for disruptive behavior. Any attendees disrupting the session will be removed from the webinar by technical support staff.
Checklist – Before the Conference
- Three days before your talk, you will receive an email with a speaker (“panelist”) link from one of the following email addresses: GSAconf1@genetics-gsa.org; GSAconf2@genetics-gsa.org; GSAconf3@genetics-gsa.org; or GSAconf4@genetics-gsa.org. If you have not received your email two days before your presentation (and it’s not in your spam folder), please email gsaconferences@genetics-gsa.org.
- You will also receive a check-in email from alerts@ATIVsoftware.com with instructions on how to check your technology. Please click the confirm button once your check is complete.
- Set up the Zoom client on your computer (desktop client or mobile app: version 5.9.1 or higher).
- Use https://zoom.us/test to test your sound and app permissions.
- Use SpeedTest.net to test your connection speed.
- Look up the name of your Session Chair on the Schedule of Events so that you are able to send them chat messages during the session if needed.
Checklist – During the Conference
10 minutes before your session (not just your individual talk) starts
- Click the special Zoom presenter access link sent to you via email.
- Turn on your camera and mic.
- Open the chat window.
- Test your sound by unmuting and speaking to your session chair. Mute yourself once you have finished testing.
- Check that all other windows, notifications, and sounds not related to your talk are turned off.
During your session
- Chat window
- Open the chat window so you can send and receive messages from technical support in case of problems.
- Giving your talk
- Unmute your microphone and share your screen when the session chair introduces you.
- Assume that everyone can see your screen and hear you unless the session chair tells you otherwise (no need to say, “Can you see my screen?”)
- When your talk is over, mute your microphone and stop sharing your screen.
- Timing
- To keep the session on time and allow people to move between concurrent sessions, the session chair may alert you as follows:
- After 9 minutes, “2 minutes remain, start Q&A”
- After 10 minutes and 30 seconds, “30 seconds remain, wrap up”
- After 11 minutes, “STOP”
- Answering questions
- Your session chair will select and read attendee questions that are submitted in the Q&A window as well as those posed by the audience. You will answer using your microphone. Remember to mute your microphone and stop your screen share when you are finished.
- Contacting live technical support
- You can reach technical support staff (Zoom Host) during the session via the Zoom chat window. You can also email gsaconferences@genetics-gsa.org.
- Asking questions during other talks in the session
- As a speaker, you cannot enter questions in the Q&A window. If you have a question to ask of another presenter during your session, send it to the Session Chair via the Chat window instead.
After your talk
- Stop sharing your screen and mute your microphone.
- Check your abstract entry in the Conference App for any additional questions you might have received during or after the session.
- Enjoy the rest of the conference!
Creating a recording for remote presenters (optional)
The following instructions are only for online speakers who will be providing a recording. Your recording will be shown during your scheduled presentation time. A complete recording of the session will be available within 24 hours after the session ends until July 19 on the Conference App.
Presentation Length
Your recorded presentation should be 11 minutes long. Because your presentation will be recorded, there will not be a Q&A. However, attendees will be able to contact you with questions and comments through the Conference App.
The deadline to upload your recording is June 15, 2023.
Presentation and Upload Instructions
Please reference the following steps to prepare a .MP4 video file including your slides within the recording. You can create your recording on your computer or using a conference platform like Zoom.
- Create your PowerPoint or Keynote presentation.
- Open your slides in presenter mode.
- For better sound quality, you may want to use a headset instead of your computer microphone.
- Practice your presentation.
- Before recording, consider your lighting and background noise.
- Begin recording.
- Once you complete your recording, save your file with the following name: time, weekday, room, surname for example: 1400 wed Boisdale Clark
- Any issues or questions please contact joepedrazzoli@romaxconsulting.com
Upload your file by June 15 to the url provided in the email you received on June 5.
Additional instructions:
Preparing Effective Oral Presentations
We encourage presenters to use color blind-friendly palettes and accessible fonts. An online tool such as Coblis will help you prepare posters that are more accessible to all.
- Keep visuals clear and easy to read. Abbreviate your message. SIMPLE graphs, charts, and diagrams are much more meaningful to an audience than complex cluttered ones.
- Avoid using too many patterns and graphics in one frame.
- Use a minimum of words for text and title frames. Five to eight lines per frame and five to seven words per line are the maximum-fewer is better.
- Use upper and lower case lettering, which is more legible than all capital letters.
- Vary the size of lettering to emphasize headings and subheadings, but avoid using more than three sizes per frame.
Select sans serif type (example: Arial) which projects better and is easier to read than serif type.
- Maintain the same or similar type sized from frame to frame, even if some frames have less copy than others.
- Keep all type horizontal, even in charts.
- Consider color with care. A dark background with highly contrasting text and graphics is most readable. Cool colors (example: deep blue, turquoise, purple) appear to recede and make white, or light-colored text more readable. In one study, blue was found to be the most effective background color for projection. Do not use red for text; it is extremely difficult to read.
- Highlight your main point or heading with a dominant color (example: yellow for the heading, white for body text). Avoid the use of intensely bright or saturated colors that compete with the text.
- Maintain a consistent color scheme. Use no more than six colors throughout your presentation.
- Select backgrounds to enhance your text or graphics. A background that transitions smoothly from lighter to darker shades of the same hue can be effective. Some software packages permit the gradation from one color to another. A textured background can be effective, but it should not detract from or compete with text or images.
- Remember the basics of good design: Plan a template. Use colors consistently with light fonts on a dark background. Keep text clear and easy to read.
