Oral Presentation Guidelines

• The Presenter Ready Room is located in the Bacchus Boardroom of the New Orleans Marriott. Please check the map of the venue in the program and signs on-site for the exact location.
• Oral presenters may view their already loaded presentations on the computers. Changes and updates to the presentations cannot be made on-site. Presentations can be made from handouts, which will be the responsibility of the presenting author. If a presentation is missing, please immediately notify staff.
• The Presenter Ready Room is available for use during the following times:
  • Friday, 22 February: 8:00 a.m.-3:50 p.m. (0800-1550)
  • Saturday, 23 February: 8:00 a.m.-4:15 p.m. (0800-1615)
  • Sunday, 24 February: 8:00-9:25 a.m. (0800-0925)

Oral Presentations

• Each concurrent session is 45 minutes in length. Two presentations will be scheduled within each session. Presenters should prepare to present at least 15 minutes and leave an additional five minutes for questions from the audience.
• Session moderators are instructed to terminate presentations which exceed their allotted time.
• Please refer to your presenter letter for the date and time of your presentation. Presenter letters with scheduled presentations will be sent to all accepted presenting authors by the end of September 2018.
• It is recommended that only one author present per oral presentation; however, if multiple authors present for a single presentation, the time allotted must be split between those presenters.
• On-site, some sessions may have fewer presentations due to last minute cancellations. 

Working With Your Moderator

• All session rooms are equipped with:
  • LCD projector for PowerPoint presentations
  • Lectern microphone
  • Computer with built-in speakers
  • Projection screen
• All PowerPoint presentations must be given on the provided computer and projector. Presenters CANNOT use personal equipment or attach personal equipment to the equipment provided by the audio/visual vendor.
• Only provided equipment and software are available for use during presentation. Specialized software (Flash, QuickTime, etc.) will not be supported on-site.

• All presentations will be pre-loaded and linked by Sigma in order to reduce downtime due to technical problems and ease the transition between presenters.
• Presentations must be uploaded via the Speaker’s Corner site no later than 11:59 p.m. (2359) Eastern Time on Thursday, 24 January 2019. Presenters not meeting this deadline will need to present their presentation by handout or be prepared not to use the provided equipment to present.
• If unable to upload the presentation, contact abstracts@sigmanursing.org to make arrangements.
• Changes CANNOT be made to presentations once the deadline has passed.
• Changes CANNOT and will not be made on-site.
• Audio and video files are not permitted and will not be supported on-site.
• PowerPoint is not required to present; however, no other equipment will be available for presentation except what is stated above.
• If PowerPoint will not be used to present, please email abstracts@sigmanursing.org no later than 11:59 p.m. (2359) Eastern Time on Thursday, 24 January 2019. Presenters not meeting this deadline will need to present their presentation by handout or be prepared not to use the provided equipment to present.

• Presenters wishing to provide handouts should direct session attendees to access their presentation and PDF materials through the Virginia Henderson Global Nursing e‑Repository. This will allow authors to quantify their impact and attendees will be able to access the information at any time. For more details please visit the website.
• The hotel has a business center where handouts can be made on-site for a fee.
• Sigma will NOT provide handouts for the concurrent sessions.

Adapted from a compilation by the ASAE International Section Listserv, May 2008

• If the audience does not have English as their first language, speak slower than usual, and use simpler/smaller words, and simpler/shorter sentences. Long, compound sentences will confuse the audience.
• Avoid ‘nation-centric’ expressions, idioms, or slang.
• Do not use sports or war analogies.
• Limit the use of acronyms or internal lingo and jargon unless previously described/explained.
• Do not tell jokes! Feel free to use humor, preferably self deprecating – and even then, not too much of that. There is humor we all share; look to what makes us human and you cannot go wrong. Pay very close attention to the audience. Are they laughing when you think they should be laughing? If they are NOT laughing, immediately start cutting back on the humor you are using.
• Adapt all geographically variant measurements and influences (such as seasons, distances, currencies, etc.) to the local situation, unless the differences are important to the discussion.
• Presentations should be ‘timeless’. Remove references such as ‘last week’ or ‘this afternoon’; this helps if the session is recorded in any fashion. For live webcasts broadcast in different times zones, do not start with ‘good morning.’
• Avoid using graphics or photos on your PowerPoint presentation that may be nation-centric or that could be offensive to other cultures. Keep it simple!
• Remember that your PowerPoint should only serve as an aid to your presentation with limited number of words. However, if your audience does not have your language as their first language, the PowerPoint may help aid comprehension so either add slides with some of the important concepts or consider distributing a handout. If needed, have the slides/handout translated by local contacts.
• Consider that a picture is worth a thousand words so use a picture/image to tell a story, if you are sure the message behind it is universal. Be careful, however. It rarely is!
• Find out in advance what the dress code for the event is and dress accordingly.
• Regardless of your allotted time and when you were supposed to start or actually started, finish according to the original schedule. You might get away with finishing late in North America, but not in Finland or Germany.
• Make every attempt to learn more about your audience, their culture, and their preferred learning style. This will help you interpret their verbal feedback during a question and answer session or non-verbal response to your presentation. Consider these general examples:
  • In India, do not worry if they shake their head; rather, remember this means they agree.
  • In Japan, do not be concerned if they occasionally close their eyes.
  • In Japan, do not single out someone to answer a question. They prefer not to speak as individuals, as they assume the speaker (sensei/teacher) is to be respected and listened to.
  • In Finland, do not expect audience feedback.
  • In the Netherlands, expect to be challenged during your talk. They value debate, even when they agree with you.

General Information

• Your audience will be multinational. Be sure to explain/define any slang terms, acronyms, etc.
• Slides should not have more than five lines of information.
• Be aware of time limitations.
• Information should be spaced evenly on the page.
• Speech is not written, but highlighted, on the page.

Color/Font

• Use the option for ‘Font TrueType’.
• Maintain consistent fonts throughout, using no more than two fonts on one slide.
• Use traditional bullets (i.e., circles or squares), instead of ‘fun’ bullets. Depending on the version of PowerPoint used, some bullets may not transfer.
• Background and font color are easy to read at a distance.
• Font should be easy to read (no smaller than 24-point).
• Headers are in the same font and font size throughout the presentation.
• The body of the slides should be in the same font and font size throughout the presentation.
  
   

Animation

• Limit animations.
• If using animation, be sure that animation is timed and transitions do not occur on the click.