Session Chair Guidelines

● If you are interested in being the session chair, kindly send us your CV for further confirmation and validation. Confirmation results would be notified after the detailed program is confirmed about one month prior to the conference.
● List of speakers, profiles, speech titles, time schedule and other necessary information would be provided to you in advance.
● For the best oral presenters’ selection, you can have three votes in final vote calculation process.
● If any problems arise and you are unable to handle while continuing to chair the session, alert the conference committee secretariat of the problem.
● To acknowledge your kindly support, session chair certificate would be delivered to you.

Duties for Session Chair

Before Your Session

● Check the Program
Prior to departure for the meeting, check with conference committee secretariat the number and order of the oral speeches to be presented, the time allocated to each abstract, and if there are any supplementary oral speeches assigned to the session you are chairing. We will hold a voting for each oral session, participants will get an evaluation form to select the best 1-2 oral presentations in each session.

● Arrive Early
If possible, arrive at the meeting room about 15 minutes prior to the start of the session and familiarize yourself with the controls for microphone, etc. If you encounter problems, immediately alert the conference committee secretariat.

● Bring Own Seal for Signing Certificates
Please bring your own seal with your name on it if possible. If you don’t have a seal, please sign certificates for every speaker.

During Your Session

● Introductions
At the start of the session, briefly introduce yourself and explain the timing system to the audience, and as often during the session as you think necessary. Please introduce the presenters by name and title of presentation at the start of each presentation.
● Stick to the Schedule
Please adhere to the time schedule listed in the conference program so that simultaneous sessions are as closely synchronized as possible. Many attendees move from session to session in order to hear specific oral speeches.
● Allotted Times
The normal allotted time for invited speakers is 25 minutes (including 3-5 minutes’ Q & A), and that for regular oral presentations is 15 minutes (including 3-5 minutes’ Q & A).
● Timing Speakers
Speakers must be asked to stop when their allotted time is up in a courteous but firm manner. Keep in mind that the session must end on time, and that the last speaker has just as much right to an audience as does the first speaker.
● Absent Speakers
Should a speaker fail to appear, please help to arrange a short free discussion according to the presented topics or topics that are related to this session.
● Q&A after Each Presentation
Please encourage discussions after the presentation. Try to give chair’s comments at the end of each presentation.
● Oral Presentation Assessment
Before the end of the session, kindly remind the participants to fill in the Oral Presentation Assessments. After the session, please stay for about 5 minutes and help us confirm the best presenter according to the assessments.

We sincerely appreciate your assistance with ensuring that your session runs well. If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact us in advance (msam@msamconf.org), or to check with conference committee secretariat during the conference itself.