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Presenter Guidelines

BEFORE YOUR PRESENTATION

  • Prepare an access copy of your presentation, whether print or digital. An access copy should provide a transcript of your talk or paper; however, if you do not read from a paper directly, you can provide access to your slides or an outline of your talk instead.
    • You are welcome to distribute printed access copies at the start of your talk. You may choose to collect them again at the end.
    • Electronic access copies should be hosted on the individual’s preferred cloud platform (Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.). Share the link (please use a shortened URL and/or QR code) at the start of your talk.
    • To address concerns about unauthorized distribution of access copies, note that on most cloud platforms, you can restrict viewers’ ability to download, print, or copy-and-paste text from your shared file; for example, please see these instructions for restricting sharing options on Google Drive files.
    • If you’d like to share your access copies digitally but are not sure how to start, please view this tutorial video on using Google Drive and TinyURL (created by the Accessibility Committee).
    • Attendees should also take note that all access copies are under the sole copyright of their respective owners and should not be shared without the express permission of the presenter. 
  • For designing slides:
    • Do not use Prezi or other media with motion, zoom, or strobe effects, as these pose accessibility problems. PowerPoint or a similar slide program is recommended.
    • Use a high-contrast color scheme, i.e. black background with white font or the reverse.
    • Use a sans-serif font, such as Arial. Maintain a font size of 18-point or larger.
    • Provide minimal text on each slide. 
  • If you want to provide any additional links or resources, you should provide them in your access copies.

DURING YOUR PRESENTATION

  • Please use the microphone provided, regardless of room size and the volume of speaking voice. Please ensure that your microphone is close to your mouth when speaking. Presenters have the choice to sit or stand, and microphones will accommodate either option.
  • When speaking, always face the audience.
  • Presenters may mask or unmask while presenting.
  • Speak at a moderate pace, neither too slowly nor too quickly. 
  • Verbally describe all images, graphs, charts, or video included in your slides.
  • If you think your presentation may contain potentially sensitive content, consider giving a trigger or content warning.
  • During Q & A, either you or the panel chair should repeat each question from the audience into the microphone before answering.