Interactive Session Proposals
Instructions, Requirements & Criteria
Interactive Sessions
NACCB will accept Interactive Session proposals for a minimum of 60 minutes and maximum of 2 hours.
Interactive Sessions can take a number of forms. They do not conform to any single structure, and may for example include a series of brief presentations, break-out groups, open-ended or facilitated discussion, or any combination of these. They may span a variety of topics, from generating new curricular resources for educators and students, to developing plans for food sustainability in an urban area, to integrating new tools into species monitoring, to creating a fellowship program for diversity training, etc. This session type focuses on the real-time, interdisciplinary practice of conservation science. This is an opportunity for facilitators, invited speakers, and attendees to generate solutions together, and draw on each other’s collective expertise through mixed methods of active listening, discussion, presentation, and other creative interactions. It is designed to give organizers freedom and flexibility to craft a unique session that will provide meaningful results, and carry forward work beyond the conference. See below for session requirements and examples of session structures.
*How is an interactive session different from a workshop? While pre- and post- congress workshops are designed to develop professional skills in topics of key relevance to conservation science, interactive sessions will take place during the days of the scientific program, concurrent with oral talks & symposia, and will highlight the mutual development of tools and/or shared learning among facilitators, speakers, and attendees alike.
Requirements and Examples
Session Requirements:
At least half of the allotted session time must be dedicated to an interactive activity other than presentations.
Presentations must not exceed 7 minutes/speaker, with a maximum of 4 speakers/session at this length. See the Call for Symposia if interested in including additional speakers at the 7 or 15-minute length.
Sessions must be open to all conference attendees.
Session facilitators must share a 1-page wrap-up report, or 5-10 minute video or audio file to conference organizers, summarizing activities, outcomes, and future plans for sharing material or building on the session outcomes beyond the conference, by September 1, 2020, via email to mail@scbnorthamerica.org.
Session Structure Examples:
Knowledge Cafe/Break-out & Discussion: The majority of the time in a knowledge café is spent in conversation, with no one individual presenting to a group, beyond the facilitator’s introduction and guidance throughout the session. The value of this session is the conversation itself, and learning that each individual takes away. It starts with any format of introduction and presentation on a particular topic or question. The group breaks into small groups of 3-4 and discusses the question for about 1/3 of the allotted time. Optionally in the small group sessions, people change tables every 15 minutes to broaden the number of people they interact with, diversifying the perspectives of each group. The full group comes back together as a whole for the last 1/3 of the time where the individual groups share their thoughts, lessons learned, and steps & opportunities following the conference.
Ignite or Pecha Kucha-Style: Facilitators pose an open-ended question, and speakers have 5 minutes to present 20 slides that advance every 15 seconds. Presentations tend to be in a conversational or story telling-style, and emphasize no more than 1 to 2 main points. Slides contain limited to no text. Facilitated discussion follows.
3×5 Speed Presentations: Similar to Ignite-style presentations, but presenters have just 3 minutes to present 5 slides.
Create Your Own!
Suggested Tools for Facilitation:
Small break-out groups, Improv exercises, Talking Sticks, Notecards for polling, Flip Charts, Powerpoint, Presi, Music, Film, etc.
Proposal Format
Proposals must contain the following information:
- Session title (150 character limit)
- Organizer(s) name, affiliation and complete contact information, including email address
- Desired duration of session: 60 min, 75 min, 90 min, or 2 hours
- Proposed theme and justification for why the topic is appropriate and significant for this conference (300 word limit)
- An abstract describing the session.This abstract will be used to advertise the session. Please include the session structure/format (e.g., Knowledge Cafe, Pecha-Kucha, etc.) in your abstract (300 word limit).
- Detailed description of the session including a list of proposed topics, and/or questions and issues, session structure/style, a list of confirmed facilitators, presenters (if any), and your session schedule. For facilitators and presenters, include affiliation and field of work (800 word maximum).
- You will be asked to provide 3 keywords to assist in reviewing and placement of proposals
- Commitment on behalf of all session organizers, moderators, and presenters to participation policies.
Review Criteria
All proposals will be peer-reviewed by at least two reviewers selected by the NACCB 2020 Scientific Program Committee. Applicants will be notified about the status of their proposals and any requested revisions by early winter 2019. We encourage proposals that prioritize diversity among invited speakers and organizers, from individuals or groups involved in cutting edge conservation science or practice. Broad or specific relevance to the conference theme, Crossing Boundaries: Innovative Approaches to Conservation, is encouraged but not a selection criterion for interactive sessions.
To increase the probability that your proposal will be selected, please consider the following criteria carefully:
- Merit of the proposal: contribution to field of conservation, quality of the work
- Compatibility of proposal with an interactive structure that encourages mutual development of tools and/or shared learning among facilitators, speakers, and attendees
- Likelihood that session will provide meaningful results and carry forward work beyond the conference
- Relevance to North American conservation issues
- Novelty of the topic
- Diversity among invited speakers and organizers
- Demonstrated concordance with at least one of the four goals of the Society for Conservation Biology North America: science, management, policy, education, or a coherent linkage among these 4 areas, described below:
Conservation Science – The scientific research and knowledge needed to understand and conserve biological diversity is identified, funded, completed, disseminated and applied to research, management and policy.
Conservation Management – Conservation practitioners and managers are provided the scientific information and recommendations needed to conserve biological diversity at all scales.
Policy – Policy decisions of major international conventions, governments, organizations, and foundations, are effectively informed and improved by the highest quality scientific counsel, analysis, and recommendations so as to advance the conservation of biological diversity.
Education – Education, training, and capacity-building programs, including but not restricted to content focused on communications & behavior change are identified, strengthened, and developed to inform the public, education leaders, and support current and future generations of conservation scientists and practitioners.
We greatly appreciate your flexibility in some cases as we will need to reduce the allocated time of a proposed Interactive Session for scheduling purposes. We will communicate any anticipated changes as soon as possible to session organizers.
For additional questions, contact: megan.keville@scbnorthamerica.org