Evaluation and Quality
All workshops are evaluated by the delegates. The ICS Education Committee reviews these evaluations and attends the workshops themselves to conduct further evaluation. It is the Chair’s responsibility to control the quality of speakers, handouts and PowerPoint presentations. Failure to do so may result in any future workshop applications being declined.
Special Requirements
If you have special requirements (such as equipment) then it is vital that you arrive at least ½ day to 1 day before your workshop begins in order to check the arrangements with the ICS congress company (currently, Kenes International).
Timekeeping
Try to arrive at least 30 minutes before the session starts to check everything is OK in the room. Ensure to keep to time with the session and, as chairperson, ensure that speakers keep to time.
Breaks
Please note that for the 60 and 90 minute workshops there will be no break. Breaks for 3 hour workshops are to be set at fixed times; 1.5 hours into the workshop for 30 minutes.
Speaker Non Attendance
If a speaker fails to attend, please ensure there is material available which can be used to replace that part of the session.
Audience Feedback
Please use microphones for feedback from delegates where possible. Encourage participants to introduce themselves before speaking. Try to leave sufficient time for questions and answers.
Tips for Good Chairing
- Ensure your speakers keep to time, including yourself.
- Give speakers a 5 minute warning, a 2 minute warning, and then a 1 minute warning. Then tell your speakers to wind up.
- When taking questions, make sure you look around the whole room.
- Ask the questioner to stand up and give their name and what country they are from.
- Make sure you keep to the time limit for questions and then stop taking questions.
- Do not let the questioner ask more than one question.
- Remind the audience that if they have questions that have not been answered because of time limits then they can ask the speaker at the end of the session.
Teaching Tips
- Maximise action and interaction - This is the classic way to keep people’s attention and build their commitment to your session.
- Group workshop content into ½ hour – 1 hour sections
- As attention rises at the beginning and end of sessions, it is good practice to build plenty of beginnings and ends into your sessions.
- Surface objections - when participants have objections to the training, those objections need to be heard by the trainer so that they can be addressed and the group can move on without leaving people behind.
- Design in feedback - people learn more through feedback than via anything else. It grips their attention.
- Design for closure - make sure participants will leave the training with a sense of completion and achievement.