As a speaker, your expertise and talents are invaluable to the educational experience. You were selected to provide the most current and accurate scientific and clinical information and present it in a way that engages your audience. The ACR is charged with encouraging objectivity, inspiring independence and promoting balance in the consideration of this data.
Please use the information in this section as a reference and a guide and contact your ACR staff liaison Karol Flowers at (404) 633-3777 ext. 317 or should you have questions.
We are delighted that you have chosen to share your expert opinions with the international rheumatology community at the 2011 ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, Illinois and we look forward to working with you.
GO to the premier meeting in rheumatology in CHICAGO!
Speaker Agreement
The speaker agreement is the official document that communicates all essential details and requirements of your talk. It is necessary to provide all requested information during this process and complete the agreement(s) to confirm your speaking engagement. Each agreement is based upon a specific talk on a specific date. Therefore, you may need to complete multiple agreements in order to confirm identical talks with different dates.
In addition, you are required to complete a disclosure agreement for each talk. The disclosure agreement requires you to reveal all relevant financial relationships with commercial entities. This requirement is in compliance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) standards and guidelines for providing CME credits.
Speaker agreement essentials
You will find the following information in your speaker agreement:
- Contact details (Your name, degree, institution, city, state, country and biography information will be used to reference you in the printed publications or introduce you prior to your talk)
- Preliminary session agenda
- Session and/or talk objectives
- Honorarium and/or syllabus details (where applicable)
- Statement of any covered expenses
- Audio recording, media coverage and copyright terms
The speaker agreement is an online document housed on a secured Web site. All invited speakers, oral abstract presenters and moderators will receive an e-mail notice with a link to the Web site along with a unique username and password to access the speaker agreement. If you were invited to speak or moderate and have not received this information, contact Karol Flowers at , to request this information.
Disclosure agreement
In compliance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Standard for Commercial Support, anyone in a position to influence educational content must disclose all relevant financial relationships with commercial interests occurring within the last 12 months.
Speakers, oral abstract presenters, moderators and all committee volunteers participating in an ACR/ARHP-sponsored activity are expected to disclose to the ACR/ARHP planning committees and the audience any financial commercial relationships.
NOTE: You are only required to disclose those relationships which are relevant to that particular talk.
Examples of commercial relationships include:
- Stocks, stock options, or bond holding in a for-profit corporations or self directed pension plan
- Research grants
- Employment (full or part-time)
- Ownership or partnership
- Consulting fees or other remuneration (payment)
- Non-remunerative positions of influence such as officer, board member, trustee or public spokesperson
- Receipt of royalties
- Speaker’s bureau
Disclosure information for annual meeting faculty is published in the program book. Disclosure information for abstract presenters is published in the abstract supplement to Arthritis & Rheumatism.
As with your speaker agreement, the disclosure is an online document housed on a secure Web site. All speakers will receive an e-mail notice with a link to the Web site along with a unique username and password to access the disclosure. If you were invited to speak and have not received a username and password, contact Karol Flowers at to request this information.
Registration, Housing, and Travel
Speakers and moderators are required to register for the annual meeting and secure hotel and travel accommodations for their participation. Please review the “benefits” portion of your speaker agreement for detailed instructions on how to make these arrangements.
Syllabi Preparation
Your syllabus speaks volumes. Typically, the syllabus is the printed version of your slide presentation and is designed to reiterate the main ideas of your presentation and reinforce data provided during your talk.
Meet the Professor, Workshop and Pre-Conference Course speakers (excluding Basic Research Conference speakers) are required to submit a syllabus by Monday, September 19, 2011.
All other speakers are asked to provide their PowerPoint presentations on-site in the Speaker Ready Room. These presentations will be converted to PDF format to be used as your syllabus and made available to attendees online during and following the meeting.
Syllabi play a vital role in the overall educational experience of attendees. They serve as tools for referencing key points and gathering the details of your presentation that may have become confused in a stream of data. In addition, syllabus content is used to help resolve potential commercial bias as identified in the disclosure process.
View the ACR/ARHP syllabus guide in PowerPoint.
Slide content
- Slide #1 must be your title slide.
- Slide #2 must be your disclosure slide. Your disclosure statement should list all commercial relationships relevant to your specific talk.
- Slide #3 must be your Evidence-based Medicine (EBM) slide. You are required to list three (3) references supporting the key points of your talk. This is separate from any footnotes or bibliography that you may want to include.
- Do not include product/brand names and logos in your presentation body. However, institution logos (i.e., non PhRMA related logos such school names, associations and government agencies) are allowed in the body of your presentation.
Guide
- Use the syllabus guide above to help you prepare the “Perfect Syllabus.”
Syllabus format
- PowerPoint® and Word®
- Limit to 80 slides or 20 document pages.
- Use black text on white background.
NOTE: Slides will not be accepted as PDFs. However, other documents (e.g. scanned or Word® documents) may be submitted as PDFs.
Submitting your syllabus is as easy as 1-2-3…. In early August you will receive instructions to access the speaker presentation Web site. This is a secure location used to upload your syllabus materials for review by ACR Annual Meeting staff and coordinators.
The deadline to submit syllabi is Monday, September 19, 2011. You are welcome to make minor changes to your presentation up until the day of your presentation. However, your syllabus should very closely follow your final presentation.
Syllabi for pre-conference courses, Meet the Professor and Workshop sessions will be printed and provided to registered session attendees on-site only.
NOTE: If you do not wish to make your syllabus available to registered attendees, you may submit an alternate syllabus removing all data that you do not wish to be made available.
If you have additional questions regarding your syllabus preparation, try the Syllabus FAQ.
Presentation Preparation
All eyes are on you, or at least gazing in your general direction while you are speaking. After all, you are the main attraction and everyone wants to hear your important data and key opinions, see your fantastic visuals full of color and graphics, and witness your witty discourse that just keeps the crowd spell bound.... Okay, so maybe you have some more work to do. Do not fret, we can help.
Keep in mind, your presentation is designed to inform and instruct. The audience should be able to comprehend and recall the key points of your talk. More intimate settings such as Workshops and Meet the Professor sessions, offer a setting conducive to demonstration, questions and one-on-one exchange of ideas.
Remember time constraints
Most commonly, you are one of several speakers and have limited time to present. In this case, remember the following:
- Be concise – stay on point and avoid overwhelming the audience with too many details
- Be engaging – speak clearly, use humor and pace yourself
- Be prepared – use your visual aids (PowerPoint® slides) to focus your audience
Use visual aids
WOW the audience with eye catching visual aids that:
- Promote interest and attentiveness during your presentation
- Clarify or emphasize key ideas and details
- Increase audience recall of presented information
Color and graphics
Unlike your syllabus, you are encouraged to use color, graphics and even short videos in the slides used during your talk.
- Use a color pallet of five or fewer colors
- Use dark text on a light background in bright rooms (small group setting)
- Use light text on a dark background in dark rooms (large group setting)
Brand Names
In preparing your visual aids, remember:
- Do not reference company/product brand names during your presentation. Only scientific or generic names should be used. However, institution logos (i.e., non PhRMA related logos such as school names, associations and government agencies) are allowed in the body of your presentation.
- If it is necessary to reference a commonly used brand name or product, the scientific or generic name should be referenced next to it. Example: Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
View the ACR Presentation Preparation guide in PowerPoint.
Slide content
- Slide #1 must be your title slide.
- Slide #2 must be your disclosure slide.Your disclosure statement should list all commercial relationships relevant to your specific talk.
- Slide #3 must be your Evidence-based Medicine (EBM) slide.You are required to list three (3) references supporting the key points of your talk. This is separate from any footnotes or bibliography that you may want to include.
Acceptable software formats
- PowerPoint® 2007 or earlier version on the PC
- PowerPoint® 2007 or lower on the Mac
- Operating System: Media should be PC Formatted
- Web Browser: Internet Explorer 6 SP-2
- Plug-Ins: QuickTime 6*, Adobe Acrobat 6
- Video Playback: Windows® Media Player 10; QuickTime 6*
- PDF Reader: Adobe® Acrobat 6
- Unix Users: Bring HTML Files or Adobe® Acrobat 6
NOTE: Mac presentations must be converted to PC format in the speaker ready room because all presentations in the rooms are done on PCs.
*Quick-Time users: Due to additional processing time presentations must be submitted to the Speaker Ready Room AT LEAST 24 hours in advance.
You should bring your presentation with you on a zip drive, CD-ROM or Memory Stick.
Your final presentation will be made available online during the meeting to registered attendees only.
NOTE: If you do not wish to provide your syllabus to registered attendees, you may submit an alternate syllabus removing all data that you do not wish to be made available.
If you have additional questions regarding your presentation preparation, please review the presentation preparation FAQs.
At the Meeting: Final Instructions
Registration and Speaker Ready Room
The Speaker Ready Room is a room set aside for speakers and moderators only. All speakers, moderators and oral abstract presenters should check-in to the speaker ready room at least 3 hours prior to your scheduled talk.
Go to the registration desk and Speaker Ready Room prior to your presentation:
- When you arrive on-site, go to the registration desk to pick up your badge and meeting materials.
- At least 3 hours prior to your presentation, report to the Speaker Ready Room to upload your final slide presentation and retrieve a speaker ribbon.
- You will be assigned to a computer station to review your slides and make any last minute changes before your presentation.
- Presentations will be uploaded to a central server and sent to the appropriate meeting room on a secured Intranet circuit prior to the start of the session. All slides will be checked for adherence to ACCME policies by ACR staff prior to uploading your presentation.
Media formats
Bring your presentation in one of the following media formats:
- 100 MB Zip and 250 MB Zip
- CD –ROM (a.k.a. CD-R)
- CD-RW (not recommended)
- Floppy (if multiple floppies for PowerPoint®, please use Pack and Go)
- Memory Cards (Memory Stick, MicroDrive, Secure Digital, Multimedia, Smart Media, Compact Flash)
- USB Mini Drives- Any brand as long as they do not require drivers.
Equipment
Session rooms will be furnished with the following standard equipment:
- Dedicated presentation 800 mhz Pentium III PC *computer at the podium
- Data projector
- Screen and microphone
- Laser or electric pointer
- Audio and computer/visual technician(s)
NOTE: Any equipment not listed above (including 35 mm slide projectors and videotape players) is strongly discouraged. Overhead projectors cannot be provided. However, if you require non-standard equipment or services, please submit a detailed request in writing to the ACR Annual Meeting staff liaison Karol Flowers at . Requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and you will be contacted by ACR staff.
Podium computer configurations
Each podium computer will have the following configuration:
- Processor: a minimum Pentium IV 2.5 GHz
- 512 MB RAM
- 10274 x 768 at 24 bit color depth
- Microsoft® Windows XP Professional
- Microsoft ®Office 2007
- Windows® Media Player (latest version)
- QuickTime (latest version)
- Adobe® Flash® Player (latest version)
- Adobe® Reader® (latest version)
Arrive 10 minutes early
Arrive at the lecture hall 10 minutes before the session begins.
Slides (when applicable) should be controlled from the podium. A remote control at the lectern, laser pointer, speaker’s timer, and a lavaliere microphone will be provided.
Questions?
Contact Karol Flowers (ACR) at or 404-633-3777, ext. 317.
Moderator Information
Moderators have responsibilities to both speakers and the audience. In general, moderators have been selected to set the atmosphere, command the pace, and uphold the educational integrity of the session.
A completed speaker agreement and disclosure of commercial relationships is required to confirm participation for all moderators. However, a syllabus and evidence based medicine references are not required (unless a brief talk is being provided).
Familiarize yourself with the following:
In compliance with ACCME Standards for Commercial Support for CME, Standard 4, educational materials that are part of a CME activity including slides, abstracts and handouts, cannot contain any advertising, trade names or product-group message. Institution logos (i.e., non-PhRMA related logos such as school name, associations and government agencies) may be included in the body of the presentation. However, product/brand names are not allowed anywhere in the presentation, and must be removed. If it is necessary to reference a commonly used brand name or product, the scientific or generic name should be referenced next to it or in conjunction with it. Example: Acetaminophen (Tylenol).
Speakers were instructed to bring their presentations to the Speaker Ready Room at least 3 hours prior to their presentation. All slides were checked on-site in the speaker ready room by ACR staff for adherence to the above referenced policies. However, as a moderator, you will need to inform an ACR staff member immediately of any violations to these policies.
Before the Session:
- Remind speakers to announce any updates concerning their disclosure of activities since the submission of their disclosure statement to the ACR and emphasize the importance of staying within the allotted talk time.
- Speakers should have included their final disclosure statement on the second slide of their presentation. In compliance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support, Standard 6, ‘Disclosure’ must never include the use of a trade name or
product-group message. Speaker PowerPoint® presentations will be sent to the appropriate meeting room on a secured intranet circuit prior to the start of the session. - Speakers have been instructed to arrive in the lecture hall 10 minutes before the session begins. If you have not previously spoken with your speaker(s), introduce yourself and verify their introduction bio and how they would like to conduct questions and answers for their talk (if applicable).
- Speaker bios (if provided, by the speaker) will be emailed to you one week prior the annual meeting.
- Please ensure that speakers have their microphone adjusted properly for maximum projection to the audience.
- The orderly conduct of the session is also your responsibility. Help to control the room flow by instructing people to be seated. If the room is beginning to fill, instruct people to move forward and fill rows where seating may be available. Sitting in the aisles is not allowed as it is a fire hazard and a liability.
Meet the Professor and Workshop Speakers
Meet the Professor and Workshop sessions provide an opportunity for interaction and consultation with highly respected professionals who have expertise in a particular area. Workshops are specifically designed to foster hands-on learning. For this reason, Meet the Professor and Workshop attendance is limited.
These sessions offer a more customizable setting for learning and allow the presenter to engage the audience and structure their time to encourage demonstration, questions and one-on-one exchange of data and ideas. Attendees pay an additional fee for this type of learning environment. Therefore, it must be emphasized that attendees expect a greater learning experience.
Structure your session
Time for intermittent audience participation is important. Your opinions and expertise are vital to the attendees of these sessions. Many attendees are expecting a one-on-one consultation. They may have particular questions or scenarios for which they are seeking your advice and direction. Therefore, please avoid didactic talks that do not allow for audience dialogue. Instead, structure your session in a way that encourages question and answer, as well as conversation among you and the class participants.
NOTE: Some participants may be less interactive and engaging than others. In anticipation of this, prepare materials that will allow you to keep the session moving even if attendees do not ask questions.
Prepare your syllabus and handout materials
Keep the needs of your audience in mind. Printed syllabus and handout materials will be provided to registered attendees at the meeting ONLY for each MTP and Workshop session. The syllabus/handouts and visual aids play a crucial role in your session. Attendees rely on these materials to help them recall and reference key information and instructions from your session. Your syllabus should reflect the primary points and details of your talk. Handouts should provide additional references and data that may be too detailed to cover during your session, but will serve as a tool for independent research.
Attendees will remember your session not only by the details provided during your talk, but also for the printed materials available to them following your session.
NOTE: Copyrighted materials are not allowed for reprint and/or distribution without prior written consent from the proprietary party.
Room arrangements
Meet the Professor session rooms are generally small and have standard U-shape style set-up. Workshop session rooms vary some in set-up style based upon the session needs and equipment being used. If you need to have a particular room arrangement this must be communicated to Karol Flowers at by June 27, 2011. Every consideration will be given to accommodating room set-up requests. However, room arrangements cannot be guaranteed.
Equipment
All MTP and Workshop session rooms will be furnished with the following standard equipment:
- Dedicated presentation 800 mhz Pentium III PC computer laptop
- Data projector and Screen
- Microphone
- Laser or electric pointer
- Wireless computer remote (Workshops only)
- One flip chart (Workshops only)
