Guidelines for Session Chairs / Moderators

30th World Congress of the World Association for Medical Law (WAML)

• Arrive early. Please be in your assigned room at least 10 minutes before the session begins. Introduce yourself to the speakers and confirm the order of presentations and the pronunciation of their names.
• Ask speakers to sit in the front row before the session starts. This avoids delays when changing speakers and keeps the programme running efficiently.
• Start on time. Welcome the audience briefly, introduce the session topic, and introduce each speaker with a short biography (name, institution, and country).
• Emphasize the time limits. Before the session starts, remind all speakers that presentations are limited to 15 minutes. Inform them that a warning bell will ring softly after 10 minutes, giving them five minutes to conclude. At 15 minutes, they should finish immediately so that the programme remains on schedule.
• Keep the session on schedule. Please enforce the time limits consistently and politely. Starting late or allowing presentations to overrun reduces the discussion time for everyone.
• Facilitate discussion. Encourage questions from the audience after each presentation or at the end of the session, depending on what works best for your session. Ensure that there is sufficient time reserved for discussion.
• Prepare at least one question. Please come prepared with at least one question for each presentation, in case the audience is hesitant to ask questions. A lively discussion is an important part of the Congress.
• Encourage participation. Invite questions from different parts of the audience and, where possible, encourage contributions from junior researchers and first-time participants.
• Keep questions concise. If audience members begin making lengthy comments instead of asking questions, politely ask them to formulate a brief question so that more participants have the opportunity to contribute.
• Manage the discussion fairly. Give speakers sufficient time to answer, but avoid prolonged exchanges between a single audience member and the presenter.
• Conclude the session on time. Thank the speakers and audience, briefly summarize any key take-home messages if appropriate, and ensure the room is ready for the next session.

In case of technical issues

• Stay calm and ask the technical support team for assistance.
•  If a technical problem cannot be resolved immediately, consider moving to the next speaker and returning to the interrupted presentation later if time permits