Conference session-chair briefing and one-session run sheet

Download the editable one-session chair sheet

Download the one-session chair briefing and run sheet (Markdown, English)

Copy the English worksheet for each chaired session. It holds the programme version, contacts, speaker and timing grid, live actuals and an issue-return box in one place. The organizer fills the confirmed fields with the chair and gives the sheet a revision and time zone. An empty cell is a question for its owner, not permission to invent a speaker order, access arrangement or AV capability.

Name the chair, backup and decision route

Assign a named chair and a backup, then identify the programme owner who can approve changes, the room or show lead, and the AV operator. If online questions are part of the format, name the person watching that channel as well. IAIA asks chairs to understand the session format and connect with presenters; AEA puts advance presenter contact and the room check into the chair role. Translate those role expectations into names and contact routes for this event.[1][2]

Convert the published slot into a usable timing grid

Start with the session’s published start and end in the room’s time zone. Subtract the agreed opening, introductions, speaker segments, transitions, discussion and closing. If the sum does not fit, the programme owner resolves it before the chair receives a final sheet. There is no universal number of minutes per talk or per question: the accepted format, room changeover and event programme set this allocation.

Give every segment a row with a planned start and end, a named speaker or moderator, the intended title and a reference to its current deck or AV handoff. Mark a panel, discussant, audience exercise or remote speaker separately, because each changes who holds the microphone and clock. AEA’s checklist has chairs verify presenters and manage time; IAIA stresses keeping presentations within their allotted time and preserving discussion. The grid makes those responsibilities operational without importing either organization’s example timing.[2][1]

Agree the cue method with each speaker: a visible card, discreet signal or production cue, plus who issues it. Record the cue timing relative to that speaker’s allotted segment rather than assuming a standard warning. When a speaker asks for a change, the chair checks the effect on the whole session and routes any programme adjustment to the owner. A printed clock is useful only if the person watching it knows the approved response to an overrun.

Check the room and people before admitting the audience

Set a check-in point that fits this event’s access and setup schedule. The chair verifies the room, session title, speaker presence, pronunciation and order against the current sheet. The room lead confirms seating and any approved access arrangements; the AV operator confirms microphones, presentation source and the tested handoff method. AEA and IAIA both place room and presenter checks before the session, but neither checklist can certify this particular equipment or venue.[2][1]

If questions come from the floor, confirm the microphone route and whether audience members must identify themselves under the event’s format. If questions come from a platform, confirm the monitor, selection method and backup communication route. ICANN asks chairs to think about audience participation and coordination with session speakers. Use the event’s published recording, conduct and access instructions; route specialist or venue decisions to their assigned owners rather than asking the chair to adjudicate them.[3]

Give the chair a small live moderation script

At the published start, the chair introduces the session’s purpose and format using the confirmed title, introduces the first speaker accurately, and explains when questions will be taken. Avoid reading a long biography unless the programme has allocated that time. IAIA recommends concise introductions and active timekeeping; ICANN frames the chair as a facilitator who keeps the discussion moving. A short, prepared opening frees the chair to watch the room and clock.[1][3]

For each handoff, compare the actual time with the next planned row. Give the agreed cue, capture the actual end and introduce the next item from the current programme. If a speaker stops early, the chair can use the assigned discussion time only within the event’s rules; an early finish is not automatic permission to bring another speaker forward. If a talk runs long, apply the preagreed intervention and alert the show or programme lead when the published end is at risk.

During Q&A, invite clear questions, direct each one to the relevant speaker and keep an eye on the available discussion time. The chair may group similar questions or move from one speaker to another to keep the session balanced. AEA’s checklist describes managing the question period and ending on time; IAIA encourages participation without letting one exchange consume the slot. Use the event’s conduct route for difficult interactions. The chair does not need to improvise a policy.[2][1]

Make exception decisions visible before they happen

A missing speaker, late arrival, overrun or reordered panel can change what the audience sees. Preassign the decision owner and the chair’s immediate action for each likely case. The chair may hold a transition, take approved questions or tell the audience that the programme team is confirming a change. A replacement or revised order becomes official only when the programme owner confirms it and the public-facing channel is updated.

For an AV failure, the operator diagnoses playback and the show lead decides whether to pause, switch to an approved fallback or change the schedule. Record the tested fallback and the person who authorizes it. Do not write “use the backup deck” unless the backup exists, matches the accepted version and has been tested. The chair’s job is to give the audience a clear, truthful transition while the technical owner works.

If a question or incident needs a conduct, access, security or venue response, use the event’s assigned escalation route. Keep those specialist procedures out of a generic chair checklist; the chair needs the contact and immediate event-approved instruction. For a disputed factual claim or recording permission, refer to the programme or rights owner. Neither a chair brief nor a successful rehearsal is specialist clearance.

End the slot and return a short factual record

Protect the published end so the next room user can start as planned. At the agreed final-question cue, close discussion, thank speakers and audience, deliver only approved announcements, and release the room to the show lead or next chair. AEA’s checklist specifically calls for ending the session on time; IAIA also treats timekeeping and audience participation as chair duties. The closing words should serve this event’s programme, not a stock script.[2][1]

Consider a three-talk session ending at a published time. The second talk starts late after a microphone change. The chair marks the actual start, gives the agreed cue, and asks the show lead whether the remaining Q&A allocation changes. The programme owner confirms a shorter discussion; the chair announces the revised question window and still closes at the published end. Those actions follow this session’s assigned decision route, not a universal rule that every late talk must lose questions.