New! Interactive Session Proposals: Requirements & Instructions

NACCB will accept Interactive Session proposals for a minimum of 60 minutes and maximum of 2 hours.

Format:

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 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.

Session Requirements:

Atleast 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, 2018, 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 mins to broaden the number of people they interact diversifying 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.

Please include the following information in your Interactive Session Proposal:

  • 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 with consideration (broad or specific relevance) to the theme, Conservation Science, Policy, and Practice: Connecting the Urban to the Wild (300 word limit)
  • An abstract describing the session. This abstract will be used to advertise the session. (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. (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.

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: jamie.hogberg@scbnorthamerica.org