Instructions for Attendees, Presenters, Organizers, and Moderators

  • ALL attendees will have access to all of the traditional elements of NACCBs: Plenaries, Symposia, Contributed Speed & Oral Sessions, Interactive Sessions, Receptions, Posters, Field trips, Workshops and more.
  • ALL registrants will have access to the online platform to attend any virtually available session that they wish and will have access to select recordings of sessions and presentations for 6 months after the conference. The online platform will become available in late early-to-mid July to all attendees. 

Code of Conduct

All NACCB attendees must follow the Code of Conduct as a participant of the congress. Please remind yourself of these policies in advance of the conference.

Attending an Interactive Session? NACCB interactive sessions are designed to be just that – interactive. These sessions are designed to be attended from start to finish. If you choose to attend an interactive session, out of respect for organizers and in an effort to take part in a productive and uninterrupted session, please commit to the entire interactive session and arrive on time. Read more about the session format. Interactive Sessions are open to all congress attendees and will primarily include round table settings rather than a theater setting.

Session security – Do not share links or record sessions unless you have permission from NACCB organizers to do so. Links to sessions will be made available via the NACCB virtual platform, once available. This policy is imperative for security purposes, to ensure viable and safe conference sessions.

Instructions by Session Type

Interactive Sessions

Session organizers 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, 2024, via email to mail@scbnorthamerica.org.

Symposia

Symposia organizers/moderators are responsible for keeping sessions on time and may follow NACCB’s moderator instructions (below) for additional guidance. Symposia speakers should follow the relevant instructions below for full length presentation & upload. Moderators may NOT skip ahead, change order, or move up talks in a sequence. This is highly frustrating to attendees planning to attend for a specific talk.  Discussion time or a pause must be used in place of late cancellations/no-shows.

Presentations: 15-minute & Speed

Full Length & Speed presentations are grouped by topic or symposium assignment, with day/time information available in our online scientific program. You are responsible for knowing the date, time and location of your talk, and arriving at least 15 minutes before the start of your assigned session. Oral presentation rooms will be equipped with a PC capable of running presentations saved as PowerPoint presentations, a projector, a slide advancer, and a microphone. Laptops in session rooms will have a high speed internet connection. You may NOT bring your own laptop nor will you be allowed to upload your presentation file in the session room. Presentation files must be uploaded online no less than 48 hours prior to the start of your session (see instructions below).

15-Minute/Full Length Talks

Timing – Oral presentations are limited to fifteen (15) minutes: twelve (12) minutes for presenting and three (3) minutes for questions. (Symposium presentation times may differ based on the organizer’s designated format – see session in online program for individual speaking times). Time will be strictly enforced by session moderators to keep concurrent sessions in synchrony.

Speed Presentations

Speakers should upload their presentations according to the process and timeline described below. Speakers will be given four (4) minutes each to present (typically 4-5 presentation slides), and one (1) minute for questions. Speed Sessions are grouped according to topic, and include sub-groups of typically 3-5 presentations, with a 15-minute break for Q&A for all speakers in the subgroup. The session moderator will then introduce/facilitate the next subgroup and group Q&A.

Timing: The 5-minute time limit will be strictly observed. Some presenters ask a question as a prompt for the group discussion to follow, i.e. “my question to you is … “. If you like this idea, please do ask a question, however it is not a requirement of the format of the speed presentation. See below instructions on how to prepare, save & upload your presentation.

Accessible Presentations and Files – we strongly encourage you to read the Resources for Accessible Presentations & Posters Tab below. We encourage you to also upload a presentation transcript file or accessible pdf/ppt file of your slides with alternate text/image descriptions and other accessibility features added via the Adobe Accessibility tool, Microsoft Accessibility Checker, or similar tools for the software you use. See the resources listed on the resources tab for tips on this. There will be a button called Accessible File Upload when you log into upload your presentation recording, slide deck and/or poster. Follow the instructions upon clicking on the button to upload a file.

Individual Presenter Instructions

Presenters

Presentation Prep: How to prepare your file: To ensure your presentation runs as expected, we ask that the following steps be taken while preparing to save your file:

We strongly recommend you also save your presentation on a back-up medium and bring that to the conference as well. (e.g., a flash drive, or emailed to yourself)

Upload your Presentation Slide Deck (PPTx files only): Log in to the NACCB main profile page, click on the abstract button,  and upload your slides file directly into this portal. You may not delete this file once uploaded, rather you will have the option to again upload your presentation file, which will override the previous one if you make changes. Presentations MUST be uploaded at least 48 hours in advance of your talk.

Onsite Upload: We strongly recommend uploading your presentation slides online via the method above. There will be very limited capacity for uploading of presentations via computers onsite. Presentations may NOT be uploaded in the individual session rooms. Presentations that are submitted onsite should be uploaded at the Help Desk in the Silver Baron Boardroom. There will be NACCB volunteers to assist with presentation submission during hours listed in the online program. Presentations MUST be uploaded at least 48 hours in advance of your talk.

Posters

The poster session will be held the evening of Tuesday, June 25 (location TBD) from 5:30 – 7pm to allow in-depth discussion between authors and attendees. Presenting authors are required to attend this session to take advantage of opportunities to discuss their work with Congress participants.

Poster Specifications: Each poster presenter will be provided with a surface and pins on which to mount their poster.

  • In order to accommodate two posters on each side of the board, each poster is limited to a rectangle within 42” (106.7cm) wide by 36” (91.5 cm) tall.
  • The title of the paper, the authors, and author affiliations should appear near the top of the poster in letters approximately 1” (25 mm) high.
  • Poster materials must be legible from a distance of 6.5 feet (2 m).
  • Please print your poster in advance of the conference.

Poster Session Timetable:

Tuesday, June 25, 8:00am-4:00pm Set up posters in (location TBD). Place on any vacant board, using no more than ½ of one side of the board (4 posters/board)

Wednesday, June 26, 5:30-7:00pm Poster Session/Reception (Presenters mandatory attendance)

Thursday, July 27, by 4pm Poster removal/clean-up. If you do not remove your poster by 4:00pm, it will be discarded.

Making an Accessible Presentation

Assembled by the NACCB Attendee Resources and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee (Brendan Reid, Chair)

Adapted from:

In your PowerPoint presentations and Posters:

  1. Do not use color as the primary means for distinguishing information. For instance, in plots, use both shape and color to distinguish groups. Label points if possible.
  2. Anytime that color is used to convey information, confirm that you are using a colorblind-safe palette. High contrast colors are preferred. There are many useful resources to help with this:
    1. Use online simulators to see how your visual aids might look to someone with color blindness.
    2. When making plots, use color schemes and plotting techniques that are designed to be colorblind-safe.
  3. Use large, simple, san-serif fonts (e.g. Arial, Helvetica). To emphasize text, use bolding instead of italics, underlines, or font changes. Avoid all-caps.
  4. Minimize the amount of text on slides and posters.
  5. Make sure any video you use is captioned and audio described.
  6. Provide alternative text descriptions for images, figures, and other forms of media.
  7. Use a light background with a dark font on your slides and posters.
  8. Do not overlay text on a busy background pattern.
  9. Keep it simple! Avoid unnecessary images, animations and font changes.
  10. Number your slides.
  11. Resources to make your presentation accessible –
    1. National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities – Inclusive Meetings, Presentations, and Materials (many useful sections, be sure to read ‘Powerpoint Presentations’ and ‘Guidelines for Presentations’)
    2. How to Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the Visually Impaired
    3. Designing for Accessibility

For All Presenters:

  • Upload a presentation transcript file or accessible pdf/ppt file of your slides/poster with alternate text/image descriptions and other accessibility features added via the Adobe Accessibility tool, Microsoft Accessibility Checker, or similar tools for the software you use. See above resources for assistance, and the NACCB presentation and poster instructions for file upload instructions
  • Upload a PDF outlining your presentation slides

During your presentation:

  1. Always use the microphone for speaking, even if you think you have a loud voice! Instead of asking, “Can you hear me in the back?”, ask, “Can you raise a hand if you can hear me?”
  2. After advancing a slide, try to wait a few seconds before speaking. This allows people to read the slide before you start talking.
  3. Do not rely on your audience to read all the text on your slide. Instead, aim to cover the key concepts from all bullet points on your slide verbally. This allows people with visual impairments to know what is on the slide. This does not mean you must read verbatim from your slide!
  4. Similarly, do not assume that your audience can see or understand your images – always describe what is displayed in an image, figure, or multimedia.
  5. If you have videos in your presentation, describe what is in the video before you play it. This helps audience members who are blind establish context for what they are about to hear. Include closed captions whenever possible for videos shown.

Moderators (Contributed & Speed Sessions)

General Information

  • All contributed session speakers have 15 minutes (12 minutes for presentation, 2-3 minutes for Q&A) & all speed session speakers have 5 minutes (4 minutes for presentation, 1 minute for Q&A).
  • All sessions are scheduled in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
  • Contributed & Speed Sessions are not recorded; however, virtual presenter recordings (for hybrid sessions) will be available on demand after the session and in-person presenters have been encouraged to upload a recording of their presentations, which will also be available on demand after the session, or once uploaded.
  • In case of major AV failure, please call the number provided on your printed session list to reach the audio visual tech on-duty directly. They will then send an AV technician to that room.

Day of Instructions 

  • Arrive 10-15 minutes before the session starts. Please bring own watch or clock (or use your phone) Check that all speakers are present before start of the session. Consult speakers about any questions regarding pronunciation of names. 
Speakers are in bold on schedules (printed list will be in the session room).
  • Make sure all equipment is working properly. If any equipment is not working properly, report it to an AV technician, or volunteer. Each room should contain:
    • Laptop
    • LCD projector and screen
    • Podium with microphone
  • Check the lights and projection, adjust as needed. Try to have dim lighting in the back of the room that can be left on during the presentation. This aids note-taking and safe movement of people in and out of the room during talks.
  • The presenters’ PowerPoint presentations should be pre-loaded onto the computer in the room. Familiarize yourself with how to select pre-loaded PowerPoint presentations, how to begin a presentation, etc. Instructions are on the computer.
  • Brief each presenter on how the session will be conducted, including when and how time warnings will be communicated.   e.g., use a visual (time cards) or vocal signal when there are 3 minutes remaining, stand-up when there is one minute remaining, and walk to the podium and politely indicate that their allotted time has come to an end. Encourage speakers to leave a few minutes for questions at the end of their talk.
  • Remind presenters they must speak into the microphone.
  • Start on time! even if it appears that not all speakers have arrived. This is extremely important to ensure each presenter has their allotted time and has time for questions and answers. 
  • Introduce all presenters in the order listed in the program. Be sure to mention each presenter’s name, affiliation and presentation title.
  • Announce any canceled talks. You can use the time from a canceled talk for questions but do NOT move the program forward when a presentation is canceled. 
Keep track of all canceled talks on the paper list provided to you in the room and give it to a volunteer at the end of the session/leave it in the room.
  • During the Q&A period, presenters/moderators should always repeat the question for the audience. Try to have at least one question ready for each talk in case there is time for questions and none arise from the audience.
  • End the session on time. Close the session by thanking the presenters.   

Additional Info for Speed Talk Session Moderators:

    • Sessions are grouped according to topic and will consist of a subgroup of ~3-5 presentations (4-minute talk, 1 minute QA), with a 15-minute break for Q&A for all speakers in the subgroup. The session moderator will then introduce/facilitate the next subgroup and group Q&A.
    • The brevity of speed presentations creates a culture of tight timing that affects the moderation of the session too. For example, time can be saved if the speakers introduce themselves while the volunteer opens the next computer file. Transition time can also be minimized if all the speakers are asked to sit in the front row in the sequence in which they will speak.
    • Give presenters a clear signal when they have 30 seconds left; stand up when they have 10 seconds left so that you are ready to displace them from the podium when their time is over.
    • If the full 15-minute discussion time is not used, do not advance to the next subgroup. Pause until the scheduled start of the next talk series.