Tips for being a session chair or Microphone wrangler

Tips for a Session Chair

Since this is a hybrid conference, Session Chairs should have some way of accessing discord during the talk to field questions from the online audience, and potentially pause the talk if there's a technical problem.

Just before the start of the session

• Check with the person running the video that everything is setup correctly.
• Check that the speakers are around.
• Discuss with the speakers how you are going to signal that they are close to time (use whatever method works best for you).

At the start of the talk

• Introduce the speaker (you use the website speaker bio for crib notes if desired)
• Remind discord attendees to @ your user with questions so they're easier to find at the end of the talk.

During the Talk

• Monitor time to make sure the speaker doesn't overrun too much
• Keep an eye on discord for any questions and issues from the online audience.

After the Talk

• Manage the process of asking questions
  • For questions from the audience, make sure the person asking the question uses a microphone so it is clearly audible to the online audience
  • The Session Chair is also responsible for asking any questions from the online audience.
• While some followup questions can be useful to clarify some points, the Q&A session is not suitable for extended discussions - if that seems to be happening, suggest those involved continue the discussion at the next break.

Microphone Wrangler

In the large rooms, we need someone other than the Session Chair to ferry microphones to people in the audience (so the session chair can manage interactions with the speaker). The microphone wranglers are responsible for carrying the mic to the right place and then retrieving it after the question has been asked.

Ideally, keep the microphone off until you hand it to the person asking the question.