Volunteers’ How-To Guide 2024

Thank you for your interest in being a volunteer for JPDS 2024! This year we are hosting the symposium online on Thursday, March 7th, and on campus on Friday, March 8th. Your help is greatly appreciated in assisting with Zoom Room logistics, or moderating sessions in person or online! Below is a guide for your role as a JPDS 2024 volunteer.

Questions?

Email us at sjpd-jpds@uottawa.ca

Contents of this guide

What to do before the Symposium? 2

Volunteer Instructions for Online Sessions 3

Before Your Scheduled Event(s) 3

During Your Scheduled Event(s) 3

Step-by-Step Guide for Presentation Moderators 4

Step-by-Step Guide for Zoom Room Co-hosts 5

Dos and Don’ts 6

Volunteer Instructions On Campus Activities 8

Before Your Scheduled Event(s) 8

During Your Scheduled Event(s) 8

Step-by-Step Guide for In Person Volunteers 8

Tasks for Volunteers at the Registration Table 9

Tasks for Volunteers at the Food Table 10

What to do before the Symposium?

Check out the volunteer schedule.
- For Thursday, March 7th, please sign-up to be a Session Moderator or a Zoom Room Co-host when you are available.
  - Please note that in some sessions, there will be presentations conducted in French. If you do not speak French, we kindly ask that you sign-up to volunteer in one of the other time blocks.
- For Friday, March 8th, please sign up to be a Session Moderator
For online volunteers (Thursday)
- Find your Zoom Room link and save it in an easily accessible location.
For on-campus volunteers (Friday)
- Take note of the room number(s) and save them in an easily accessible location.
Know your role for each session.
Carefully read this guide before the event.

Volunteer Instructions for Online Sessions

Presentation Moderator	Zoom Room Co-host
Tasks include:Welcoming speaker(s) and attendeesIntroducing the speaker(s)Timing the presentationProviding time updatesModerating the discussion after the presentationsEnding the presentation at the time limit	Tasks include:Admitting speaker(s) and attendees to the conference sessionManaging the chatMonitoring audio/visual delivery of the presentationAssisting the Presentation Moderator if they are dropped from the conference session

Before Your Scheduled Event(s)

Join your assigned conference session 15 minutes prior to the start time. All Zoom rooms will be open prior to the start time of the conference for you to prepare.
Volunteers assisting in a Zoom Room will be paired with a JPDS committee member and another volunteer. Please introduce yourself to your colleagues in the same Zoom Room. You will form a “Zoom Room Team”. Know who you will be teaming up with, and for which session(s).

During Your Scheduled Event(s)

A Zoom Room will have a team of at least two volunteers for each presentation time slot.
- The “Presentation Moderator” oversees welcoming the speaker(s) and attendees, introducing the speaker(s), timing the presentation, providing time updates, moderating the discussion following the presentations, and ending the presentation at the time limit. Please see the Step-by-Step Guide section for Presentation Moderators for more details.
- The “Zoom Room Co-host” manages the chat, monitors audio/visual delivery of the presentation, and serves to assist the Presentation Moderator if they are dropped from the conference session. Please see the Step-by-Step Guide section for Zoom Room Co-hosts for more details.

Step-by-Step Guide for Presentation Moderators

Once the speakers have been admitted to the conference session (by the Zoom Room Co-host), welcome them, and introduce yourself and the rest of the Zoom Room Team. The Zoom Room Co-host will test out video, sound and screen sharing with the presenters.
Once the presenters are ready, the Zoom Room Co-host will admit attendees to the conference session.
Welcome everyone and introduce the Zoom Room Team.
Let attendees know that there will be time for questions at the end of the presentations. Also, if attendees have technical problems, please inform them that they can message the Zoom Room Co-host (please name this person).
The Co-host will then ask the presenter(s) to share their screen and ensure that their audio is working well.
Once their screen has been shared, introduce the speaker(s).
- It is recommended that you read over the names and presentation titles prior to the session’s beginning.
- Privately message any presenters about the correct pronunciation of names and/or title words
  - For example, “May I ask you how to pronounce your first name?”
- You should also ask what pronouns they use, to ensure that you are addressing them appropriately.
Prepare your timing device and inform the presenter that they may begin.
- The Zoom Room Co-host will also be keeping track of time in case you are dropped from the conference session.
Begin your timer when the presenter begins speaking. It is recommended that you take note of the time that the presentation begins if your timing device malfunctions.
- Timing: The time limit for each presentation type is the following:
  - Paper Presentation: 15 minutes
  - Virtual Give Me Five Presentations: 5 minutes
- You are responsible for verbally ending the presentation within 60 seconds of this elapsed time.
Provide the following time warnings verbally:
- Paper Presentation (15 minutes): give 5 minutes remaining warning at the 10 minute mark, and give the 1 minute remaining warning at the 14 minute mark
- Virtual Give Me Five Presentations (5 minutes): give 1 minute remaining warning at 4 minute mark.
Once the session has ended, thank the presenter(s), and ask if there are any questions. The Zoom Room Co-host may announce questions that came up in the chat during the presentation. We have built in approximately 15 minutes for discussion in each session.
- Continue to keep the time during the discussion period to ensure the session ends at the scheduled time.
- If you are lucky, someone will ask an interesting question but it is possible that the audience will be silent. You can avoid the awkward silence or a series of narrowly framed questions by taking three preparatory steps:

While you are listening to the presentations, prepare a question or two of your own.
If you know a friend or colleague will be in the audience, ask them to prepare a question or two to get the discussion started.
As a moderator, you (or the presenter) may call on people in the audience who have their hands raised.
Ending the Session: Let the presenters and audience know that the session is coming to an end by announcing, “We have time for one last question.” Be alert to the substance of a response to a good question. Sometimes a good response can serve as a summation of a major theme in the panel. If that occurs within a few minutes of the end, you might want to say, “That seems to be a wonderful/wise/constructive note on which to bring this panel to an end. We thank you all for coming, and we thank our speakers,” and then lead a round of applause. It’s always better to end a little early than a little late.

Step-by-Step Guide for Zoom Room Co-hosts

Once the speakers have logged into Zoom, admit them to the conference session.
- Please keep all participants in the waiting room until the speaker(s) are ready.
- Speakers may want to test out screen sharing, their video and sound.
When the speakers are ready, admit the participants to the conference session.
The speakers and attendees will then be welcomed by the Presentation Moderator. This person will also inform attendees that questions may be asked at the end of each presentation and that they should message you if they encounter technical problems.
Invite the presenter(s) to share their screen.
Communicate with the presenter to ensure that their audio is loud enough for them to begin.
- If you are unsure if the audio connection is strong enough, privately message the Presentation Moderator about their ability to hear the presenter.
- If needed, you could politely ask the attendees to indicate if the volume is at the right level.
Once this is done, the Presentation Moderator will introduce the speaker(s) and the presentation will get started.
Begin timing and take note of the time the presentation began in case the Presentation Moderator is dropped from the conference session.
Start monitoring the chat, the presentation, and ensure that time keeping is not interrupted.
- To monitor the presentation, ensure that the presenter’s screen is being shared properly and that audio can be heard.
- Regularly check that the Presentation Moderator is still present in the Zoom room. If not, we ask that you become the timekeeper and let presenter(s) know when to wrap things up (see the Step-by-Step Guide for Presentation Moderators for more details).
- Check the chat for any concerns and/or inappropriate commentary.
  - You may notice raised hands or questions occurring in the chat during the presentation. If a hand is raised, you can privately message the user about their concern.
  - Attendees with content questions can be reminded that they will be answered during the discussion period.
  - Raised hands or chat messages could be a notification of a technical issue. If the technical issue with listening to the presentation cannot be resolved by repeating the volunteer tasks completed above, help can be reached by emailing sjpd-jpds@uottawa.ca.
  - In the case of inappropriate chat messages, privately message (or email if need be) the member of the JPDS organizing team that is responsible for your Zoom Room.
    - Zoom Room 1 – Tessa Natale (tessa.natale@uottawa.ca) Nabila El Bizri (nelbi027@uottawa.ca)
    - Zoom Room 2 – Paul McGuire (pmcgu011@uottawa.ca)

Sarah McAllister (smcal019@uottawa.ca)

You may need to remind a presenter to click “Stop Share” if they forget to do so after their presentation.
If any questions were asked in the chat during the presentation, please announce them once the question-and-answer period has started.
Near the end of the session, moderate the waiting room as you will need to admit the volunteers for the next session.
- Please do not leave the conference session until a volunteer from the next session arrives and is admitted.

Dos and Don’ts

How to share a screen

Ask presenters to click on the “Share Screen” which is found near the bottom of the Zoom window (see image below).

After the presentation is complete, the presenter may need guidance in un-sharing their screen using the following button in the upper part of the window (see image below).

Direct Messaging

Direct messages can be sent between colleagues in the Zoom Chat by selecting the user in the following blue drop down menu:

JPDS is an academic conference, and your professionalism is expected. Please be mindful of the content being sent when using the ‘Private Message’ or direct message feature.

Volunteer Instructions On Campus Activities

Thank you for volunteering to moderate a session at the 2024 JPDS conference. Please find below a task description for each role for the event.

Before Your Scheduled Event(s)

Arrive at your assigned room 15 minutes prior to the start time. All rooms should be unlocked
Volunteer moderators will be the only JPDS committee representative in their room

During Your Scheduled Event(s)

An on campus session will have a team of at least two volunteers for each presentation time slot.

Step-by-Step Guide for In Person Presentation Moderators

A good moderator can establish a friendly atmosphere in the room, make the speakers feel welcome, and go a long way toward ensuring that interesting questions are asked and a solid discussion ensues. Here are some of the steps a moderator can take to encourage an effective session:

Room Check: Make a concerted effort to be the first one to arrive in the room. Check to be sure everything is in order and working. A room monitor will come by to check your room. Tell him or her if any of the AV equipment is not set up or the sound equipment is not working.
Welcome and introduction: Welcome everyone and introduce yourself. Let attendees know how many presentations there will be in the session and that there will be time for questions at the end of the presentations.
Next, introduce the first presentation and the presenters.
- It is recommended that you read over the names and presentation titles prior to the session’s beginning.
- Privately message any presenters about the correct pronunciation of names and/or title words
  - For example, “May I ask you how to pronounce your first name?”
- You should also ask what pronouns they use, to ensure that you are addressing them appropriately.
- Repeat for each of the presentations/speakers.
Running the Clock: It is your responsibility to keep the presentations and the session on time. Each presentation has a maximum of 15 minutes. Please use the provided time sheets to notify the presenter(s) 5 minutes and 1 minute before the end of their allotted time, and again when time has run out. Thank them once they’ve finished and then introduce the next presenters.
Conducting the Discussion: Once the presentations have finished, it is your role as a moderator to welcome questions. If you are lucky, someone will ask an interesting question but it is possible that the audience will be silent. You can avoid the awkward silence or a series of narrowly framed questions by taking three preparatory steps:
- While you are listening to the presentation, prepare a question or two of your own.
- If you know a friend or colleague will be in the audience, ask him or her to prepare a question or two to get the discussion started.
- As a moderator, you (or the presenter) may call on people in the audience who have their hands raised.
Ending the Session: Let the presenters and audience know that the session is coming to an end by announcing, “We have time for one last question.” Thank the presenters and the participants for attending and then lead a round of applause. It’s always better to end a little early than a little late.

Presentation Formats:

Workshops – Maximum 60 minutes

Oral presentations – 15 mins each presenter (5 min and 1 min warning), approximately 15 mins for questions

Table arrangement format (Oral presentations and workshops): All tables facing the front unless otherwise stated by the presenter.

Tasks for Volunteers at the Registration Table

Volunteers at the registration table will always be working with a Committee member to do the following tasks:

Welcoming participants
- Handing out name tags
- Confirming attendance on Excel sheet
- Signing in participants

Giving information
- Directing attendees to room locations
- Providing information on the schedule
- Answering questions from participants

Tasks for Volunteers at the Food Table

Volunteers at the food table will:

Point participants in the right direction of the food areas
Answer any related questions.
Encourage participants to get their food and promptly exit the room to make space for others.
Refill food platters as necessary.
Clean up any garbage seen around the food area.