Consulting Journal: Conferences - Chairing conferences: breaks

This article is reprinted from The Consulting Journal
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Conferences: Chairing conferences: breaks

by David Blakey

The fourth article deals with the end of each presentation and taking breaks.

[Monday 8 July 2002]

The conference is running. A speaker is about to finish.

After each presentation

These are the things that you should do after each presentation.

Thank the speaker

You should thank the speaker.

This should be done quickly. I stay in my seat and say ‘Jennifer, thank you’ and smile at them. Do not add anything. If the first speaker gives a witty, amusing and illuminating presentation, do not say ‘Thank you, Andrew, for your witty, amusing and illuminating presentation,’ because you are going to be in trouble if the next speaker is boring and crass. Just avoid any kind of comment at all.

Encourage applause

In some conferences, the audience may applaud. You may decide to lead them in applause by raising your hands as if you are about to applaud while you thank the speaker. The audience may then take its cue from you. Applause is useful to you because it allows you to transfer control of the conference from the speaker to you. The speaker will leave the stage during the applause.

Move to the lectern

As the speaker leaves the stage, you should move to the main lectern. The secret of doing this right is to do it at the same pace as the speaker.

Continue the conference

Wait for the applause to stop.

Unless the next presentation continues the theme of the previous one, make no further references to the previous speaker. Above all, do not summarize what the speaker said. I saw this done once in a conference, and the audience was shuffling impatiently during it.

Breaks

Handling breaks is very important to the smooth running of the conference.

Announcing the break

I announce breaks by saying ‘It's now 10:50. We shall take a twenty-minute break. Please make sure that you are back in your seat ready to continue at 11:10.’ You may add that 11:10 is the time that the conference will continue and not the time at which people should start to come back into the room. If you do, say it lightly and smile as if you mean ‘People have done this at previous conferences but you won't, will you?’

During the break

Check that you are ready for the next session. Then leave your seat and walk out with the audience. You may stop on the way to talk with people who will be speaking next, to check that they are ready to go. The conference organizer's staff may want to speak to you, too. Your aim should be to get out of the room and mingle with the audience during the break.

Some tips:

Try to read name-tags as you approach people. Wear yours on the right, so that it moves forward as you shake hands.
Avoid asking people about the conference and how they think it is going or what they think of the presentations.
Do not mention that you are chairing the conference. They will know that. If you want to convince people that you are a great consultant, you should avoid stating the obvious.
Do not add your own personal reminiscences to any of the previous presentations.
Follow the same rule that you always do in small-talk with potential clients: talk about them. (If this isn't your rule, then it should be.)
If someone asks you a question about yourself, answer it quickly and then change the subject back to them.
Do not join in criticism of a previous speaker. Say ‘You should put that down on your feedback form so that [the conference organizer] knows about it.’

Towards the end of the break

If you can project your voice without seeming loud, then, five minutes from the end of the break, stand near the doors to the conference room and announce ‘Can you start returning to your seats now, please?’ If you can't project your voice, then ask the conference organizer's staff to go round and ask people to return.

Walk back into the conference room and resume your seat.

Resuming after the break

Continue the conference by going to the lectern, reading your reminders and introducing the next speaker.

Change-overs

Sometimes it will take time to set up a new speaker. They may have arrived after the last break or they may be using their own laptop for the presentation. When this occurs, you should announce a short break. Stress that the break will be for three minutes, that people should use it to stand and stretch, and that they should not leave the room unless they have to.

In my experience, it takes five minutes to get everyone back in their places if you announce a full break, with people able to leave the room. If you don't need at least ten minutes for the change-over, then don't announce a full break.

I usually describe these change-over breaks at the start of conference, explaining that they may be needed during the day and that the audience should be ready to resume immediately.

In the next article I shall deal with closing the conference and with what you should do afterwards.