Instructions for ISH21 attendees, presenters & chairs:

  • CSHL has been managing a lot of online conferences and aims to make the mechanics of presenting as easy as possible. To attend or give a talk, simply log in to the zoom link for the meeting and then select the relevant breakout room listed on the program. Once in the breakout room, presenters will be able to share their slides once they are introduced by session chairs. Zoom and other relevant links will be released closer to the start of the conference.
  • For sessions without designated chairs (primarily the ‘individual papers sessions'), we are asking presenters to self-chair as follows: 3rd speaker chairs for the 1st speaker, 1st for the 2nd, and 2nd for the 3rd.

Other tips, tricks, and instructions for attendees, presenters & chairs:

  • Chairs will not have to manage the technical side of things; that’s CSHL’s job.  Chairs should focus on a more traditional role, i.e., introducing sessions and speakers, helping manage time (with gentle reminders as time is running out), helping with Q&A, etc.
  • For regular sessions, talks should run 15 minutes plus 10 minutes for Q&A. There will then be a 5-minute break before the next talk begins. [Download the program for a more detailed breakdown of when talks are scheduled.] We’ve learned that building in a little time between talks is wise in a virtual conference.
  • Chairs should ask presenters to state their preference for whether their talks may be discussed on social media, and any constraints or restrictions they might request of those who do, e.g., speakers might be happy for people to post about their talks but ask that no images or recordings of their slides be shared. For that, please read and keep in mind our ISH2021 Social Media and Recording Etiquette Guide. Social media can be a fun and great way to promote scholarship, but we ask you to respect speakers’ preferences on this. If a speaker grants permission to discuss their talk on social media, please follow our social media style guide. We have attached an image speakers may include on their slides if they do not want them posted on social media.
  • At the beginning of Q&A chairs should ask the audience to either post questions in the chat or to electronically ‘raise’ their hand using the Zoom reaction feature. Chairs should help the speakers manage Q&A by offering to monitor and read questions that come up in the chat, and by managing the queue as hands are raised ‘electronically’.
  • During Q&A please keep in mind the ISHPSSB tradition of prioritizing questions from junior scholars, and aim to include questions from a diverse group of people.
  • Please mute your feed while others are presenting; you should only unmute when you are the speaker in a session, chairing a session (i.e., introducing a speaker or session or helping manage Q&A), or asking a question.
  • Speakers are encouraged to include a Welcome/ Acknowledgement of Country/Land statement in their talks, reflecting their local institutional customs. The example from the University of Utah is here.
  • To help promote collegiality, we encourage you to turn on your video during talks and Q&A if you are comfortable doing so.