Moderator Guidelines
Live Event
The Chairpeople are the
HEART and SPIRIT
of our
HRcoreEVENTS
Moderating our HRcoreEVENTS involves more than reading bio's out loud or interrupting speakers when their
time is up. Creating a sense of coherence throughout the diverse presentations is key, bringing the
speakers closer to the audience by introducing them warmly and ensuring that transitions run smoothly.
Wrap up the sessions in a way that leaves everyone feeling that the presentations,
networking, interactive sessions and that the entire event added value to their work.
___ Tips & Instructions
COMMUNICATE
-
Start the conference. Make any necessary introductions.
-
Opening: Do a brief 5-10min opening introduction of the conference (basic welcome, market overview, trends, what will be discussed,…)
-
Set the scene. State the objectives of the event.
-
“Break the ice”: ask participants to discuss with others at their table for 1min.; what are you looking forward to learn? What's your biggest HR challenge at the moment? Where are you from?...
-
Introduce each session & speaker; let the audience know what the session is about, how it relates to or differs from other sessions.
-
Facilitate questions, debate and discussions.
CONTROL
-
Keep speakers and sessions ON TIME - sticking to the agenda.
-
Allow flexibility and freedom of expression.
-
Always have a question ready when the presentation finishes.
CHARM
-
Allow your own humour and personality to come through.
-
Draw out quieter members and discourage those who are monopolising the meeting.
-
Be prepared to highlight issues that no one else will, and to be the one who always has to ask the strange and provocative questions.
-
Use clear/plain English - no slang: participants come from various countries and don't all have a high level of English.
-
Making it an enjoyable experience – be courteous, be polite, but be questioning.
CLARIFY
-
Ensure everyone understands what is being discussed.
-
Drawing out, summarising and highlighting relevant aspects.
DEALING with ISSUES
-
Speaker not showing - replace by another session: Emergency Presentation or Interactive Roundtable session (we will let you know).
How does the Interactive Roundtable session work?
During this session, the organiser (Michael) will have prepared a series of
questions (attributed to specific tables).
Participants discuss the question for 10-15min.
The Moderator will then go around to the tables and ask what their answer is.
The most important is that the audience networks! Not the answers!
HOW IT WORKS
-
One week before the event, we will have a Microsoft Teams meeting between co-Moderators & Organisers to discuss preparations etc.
-
Day Before: Confirm Agenda, Speakers and # of Participants: check any late changes. Michael will setup a WhattsApp group to communicate better during the event.
-
Day 1: See ‘Tips & Instructions’ on the left
-
Day 2: Conference opening sum up of 1st day, introduction of the 2nd day.
Remind delegates to fill in the evaluation forms,
chat and play in the App (Quizzes, Polls,…).
End of Conference: sum up the 2 days (take-aways,
lessons learnt, missing topics,…).
Remind delegates that they will receive the
presentations and email addresses of each
participant after the event.
Promote next event.
Thank everybody: the speakers, the organisers, the AV team, and, of course, the attendees.
Division of Responsibility between Moderators:
-
To be discussed, but e.g. Moderator 1 introduces the speakers and Moderator 2 handles the Q&A's. They can then switch roles in the afternoon.
Panel Discussions:
-
They consist of 3-4 speakers (+moderator), last for 30min. and no preparation is needed.
-
Each speaker is asked to introduce themselves by the moderator and give their opinion/ angle (3-5min.) on the main theme. If there's no theme, the focus can be on key take-aways of the day/ event.
-
Questions will come from the audience & moderator.
As always, I will keep you updated regularly and ready to
answer your questions & doubts, Michael