Moderator Guidelines

Please review all this information carefully

PRELIMINARY PREPARATION:

  1. To be a moderator you must register for the Annual Meeting in advance.
  2. Several educational programming events will be filmed during the conference. If you do not wish to be filmed, please send an email to Velma Meza at velmam@nata.org immediately.
  3. Contact your speaker(s) no later than Monday, June 11, 2012 to introduce yourself and establish a rapport with your speaker(s) prior to their presentation. Request a CV from your speaker(s). (NOTE: For Learning Labs you will only need to introduce the primary lecturer. Once the lecture is over and prior to splitting into two groups, please welcome the other lab leader. You do not need to introduce the Lab Assistant(s).)
  4. Familiarize yourself as much as possible with the subject matter areas to be presented by the speaker(s) (i.e., background reading, etc.).
  5. Prepare a general introduction to start your event which is no longer than two minutes in length. Your general introduction should include:
    a. Welcome to attendees, introduce yourself (name, title, position) and give a brief introduction of the major “theme” for the event.
    b. Event format (i.e., 3 presentations with a Q&A period/panel discussion at the end)
    c. Speakers (names only)
    d. Overview of event/objectives including rationale for presentation of topics, relationships among individual presentations, relationship of event to other events, if any (i.e., related events on rehabilitation).
  6. Prepare an introduction for each speaker. You will introduce each speaker when it is their time to speak. Your speaker introductions should include the following and be no longer than two minutes in length:
    a. Name
    b. Title/current position
    c. Place of employment
    d. Involvement in sports medicine, ATC, etc.
    e. Contributions and accomplishments (i.e., publications, Olympic AT, etc.)
    f. Major honors and awards, etc.
  7. The event will conclude with a Q&A period/panel discussion. In the event the audience has no questions you should prepare at least three (3) relevant questions for each speaker.
  8. You must dress in a professional manner. Business dress is recommended attire – shirts, slacks, skirts and blouses (no jeans, shorts). One of the primary purposes of the NATA Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposia is to promote professionalism, so your cooperation in helping to improve the professional image of athletic trainers is greatly appreciated.

ON-SITE INFORMATION:

If you have any questions on-site, please go to the NATA Office (America’s Center, Room 255)

IMPORTANT!!! The day of your event you should:

  1. Go to the NATA Office, Room 255, to check-in and pick-up your speaker gifts at least 45 minutes before the scheduled start of your event.
  2. Arrive at your meeting room at least 30 minutes prior to the schedule start of your event.

CONDUCT OF SESSIONS:

  1. Upon arrival, introduce yourself to the AV technician in the meeting room.
  2. NATA utilizes a Presentation Management System and speakers are asked to submit their presentation on-site four hours before their presentation (two hours for Advanced Tracks). Ask the AV Tech if the speaker(s) has/have already submitted their presentations. If any presentations are missing, please locate the speaker immediately and direct them to the AV tech table to have their presentation loaded right there in the room.
  3. Greet presenters as they arrive and review the event plan (general introduction, each speaker will be introduced before presenting, Q&A/panel discussion at the end, etc.) to make sure you are all on the same page.
  4. IMPORTANT!!! Time is critical. It is your responsibility to ensure the event starts and finishes on time. Be sure to work out a “signal” system to let your speakers know when their time is up.
  5. Call the event to order by reading the “Announcements” portion of the Moderator Script provided to you.
  6. To officially begin the event, deliver your general introduction (see “Preliminary Preparation” above)
  7. Introduce speakers individually at beginning of each presentation.
  8. (Not applicable to Learning Labs) Conduct a Q&A session/panel discussion at the end of the event – not after each speaker. Instruct attendees to use the question cards provided. Cards should be passed to the center aisle. Volunteers will collect the cards and hand them to you. Ask your prepared questions while the cards are being collected and/or when there are no audience questions. Try to stimulate discussion among panelists (compare and contrast speakers comments and remarks, ask thought provoking questions, stimulate controversy, etc.).
  9. Present speaker gifts individually at end of panel discussion, i.e. “NATA is pleased to present the speakers with this token of our appreciation for....” (Learning Lab speaker gifts should be presented after the Lab.)
  10. Thank audience for attendance and remind attendees to complete the online speaker evaluations.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS:

The introduction sets the tone for the speech that follows. The purpose of an introduction is to help the speaker you are introducing get off to a fast and comfortable start. The best way to accomplish this purpose is to make sure the answers to these four simple questions are in your introduction:

  1. Why this subject?
  2. Why this audience?
  3. Why this time?
  4. Why this speaker?

Your skillful introduction should create a pleasant harmony between subject, audience, occasion and speaker.

Here are some other tips to keep in mind:

Be brief. The whole thing should take one to two minutes (at most).

Avoid stale phrases, such as “It is indeed a pleasure…”, “a man who needs no introduction...”, ”we are gathered here today…”

Don’t embarrass the speaker with over-florid predictions of the treat that awaits the audience or exaggerated descriptions of his or her qualifications.

Get it right. Make certain you know the speaker’s name and how to pronounce it. When in doubt, ask him or her before the event, and while you’re at it, make sure the biographical information you have is also correct.

Don’t be too familiar. Avoid phrases such as “you guys” and “you all.” Informal styles of communication should not be used.

Don’t try to steal the spotlight. Your purpose is not to steal thunder from the person you are introducing. Nor is it to give the audience a sample of what it is missing because no one had the good judgment to schedule you for the main speech as well as the introduction.

Avoid giving the speaker false starts, such as “. . . and so I take great pleasure in introducing Mr. John Doe. … (Mr. Doe rises) . . . a man who is eminently qualified in many ways . . . (Mr. Doe drops nervously into his chair).

Finish clearly. At the end of the last sentence of your introduction, with a climactic intonation of unmistakable finality, announce your speaker’s name – clearly and with sharply increased volume. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you (slight pause) Ms. Catherine Stone.” Continue to face your audience as you deliver this last sentence, so the speaker’s name is not lost through a premature turn of the head. Then swing about and face your speaker with an alert expression of friendly welcome on your face. Remain standing in this position until the speaker rises and acknowledges your introduction. Then sit down. Your work is done.

Correctly identify who we are. Refer to members of our profession as Certified Athletic Trainers when you speak. Please remind all speakers as well. If you have any questions or concerns regarding moderating, please contact the Knowledge Initiatives Department at 972.532.8850 or knowledgeinitiatives@nata.org.

I have read and accepted the Moderator Guidelines.