Plenary and Concurrent Speaker Guidelines

All plenary presentations are 25 minutes: 20 minutes for the talk and 5 minutes for a question and answer period.

All concurrent session presentations are 20 minutes: 15 minutes for the talk and 5 minutes for a question and answer period.

Please arrive 45 minutes before the start of your session.  Bring your presentation on a flash drive to load on the MAC conference computer. Label your presentation with your last name and time of talk ie Smith10.45, for easy retrieval.

The following equipment will be available in the session meeting rooms: MAC, data projector, laser pointer, lavaliere microphone and a speaker timer. You do not need to bring your laptop to the meeting room. However there will be connections for presenters to use their own laptops. Speakers using their own laptops must have a VGA HD 15pin female output.

Each of the conference computers will have the 2010 version of Microsoft Office.

Computers will be at the podium for the concurrent sessions and with the technical operators in Merrill Hall. Speakers will have a slide advancer and laser pointer at the podium. If you use your own computer, please be sure to disable all screen savers, system sounds and passwords.

Technical Specifications

• Power Point version that will be available on AV laptop is 2010. Please verify your presentation is compatible.
• If you use your own computer, please be sure to disable all screen savers, system sounds and passwords.
• Make sure presentations are viewable in screen resolution size 1024x768 (4:3 Format). If your presentation was created in a 16:9 format ie. 1920x1080, images and fonts may not display properly.
• MAC USERS: Please make sure that all inserted pictures are either JPEG or PNG file-types. QuickTime files are also an accepted video format.
• Although American AVC will have Mac adaptors available it is recommended that you bring the correct display port to VGA video adapter for your particular Mac model.
• Acceptable formats for presentations: PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx), Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), Flash (.swf), Keynote.
• Video Formats: The recommended video format for presentations is Windows Media (.wmv) or Quicktime (.mov).

Detailed information regarding fonts, sound, video, and general compatibility.


Advanced specifications if applicable,

• Using one of the codec's from the following list will ensure proper performance, Microsoft - RLE, Video1, Windows Media Series 8 and 9 Divx 3/4/5 Intel Indeo Video <= v.5.11 TechSmith Screen Capture Codec Huffyuv Lossless Codec Asus Video Codec, On2VP3, ATI VCR and YV12 Codecs Cinepak, MJPEG.
• There is a trade-off between high quality videos and large files. Use short video segments when needed, and try to keep the file to less than 20 MB.
• PowerPoint embeds image files directly into the file when you save them, while video files are not embedded. Only a link is made to the video file. Copy the video clips you want to insert into the same folder as the PowerPoint file. This will eliminate the problem of PowerPoint losing the link to the file. Be certain to bring the video files and the PowerPoint files to the meeting.
• Fonts: Arial and Helvetica are recommended for clarity and compatibility. Confirm a font size of AT LEAST 24 points for body text and 36 - 40 points for headings. Light colored text on a dark background is revised. Avoid using red or green. Confirm that the maximum number of lines in text slides is no more than 6 or 7.

Bring a Backup: Be sure to bring a backup copy of your presentation with you to the meeting.

For specific technical questions, please contact Jason McIntosh at Jason.McIntosh@americanavc.com.

Tips for Effective Powerpoint Presentations

Your PowerPoint presentation should help clarify ideas, emphasize key points, show relationships, and provide the visual information your audience needs to understand your message.

Remember the basics of good design: Plan a template. Use colors consistently with light fonts on a dark background. Keep text clear and easy to read.

Consider the following as you plan your presentation:
A. Keep visuals clear and easy to read. Abbreviate your message. SIMPLE graphs, charts and diagrams are much more meaningful to an audience than complex cluttered ones.

B. Avoid using too many patterns and graphics in one frame.

C. Use a minimum of words for text and title frames. Five to eight lines per frame and five to seven words per line are the maximum-fewer is better.

D. Use upper and lower case lettering, which is more legible than all capital letters.

E. Vary the size of lettering to emphasize headings and subheadings, but avoid using more than three sizes per frame.

F. Select sans serif type (example: Arial) which projects better and is easier to read than serif type.

G. Maintain the same or similar type sized from frame to frame, even if some frames have less copy than others.

H. Keep all type horizontal, even in charts.

I. Consider color with care. A dark background with highly contrasting text and graphics is most readable. Cool colors (example: deep blue, turquoise, purple) appear to recede and make white or light colored text more readable. In one study, blue was found to be the most effective background color for projection. Do not use red for text; it is extremely difficult to read.

J. Highlight your main point or heading with a dominant color (example: yellow for the heading, white for body text). Avoid the use of intensely bright or saturated colors that compete with the text.

K. Maintain a consistent color scheme. Use no more than six colors throughout your presentation.

L. Select backgrounds to enhance your text or graphics. A background that transitions smoothly from lighter to darker shades of the same hue can be effective. A textured background can be effective, but it should not detract from or compete with text or images.

M. Consider photographs for added interest. Combined with simple, straightforward graphics, illustrations, and photos can bring another dimension to your presentation.

N. Remember the basics of good design: Plan a template. Use colors consistently with light fonts on a dark background. Keep text clear and easy to read.

If you know in advance of the conference that you must cancel your presentation, or if you must change presenters, please contact Anne Marie Mahoney, at Mahoney@genetics-gsa.org or (301) 634-7039 by March 11, 2015.