Tips for room hosts

A few tips for room hosts:

• Introduce the speaker: Before the talk, briefly introduce the speaker. If you are unsure how to present the speaker, ask them before the talk. Be brief.
• Start on time, not before: It may be tempting to start before the set time, but try to avoid that, in order to minimize the risk for stragglers interrupting the speaker.
• Prepare a question for the speaker: After the talks there is generally time for questions. Questions from the audience is a good way of showing interest and appreciation for the speaker, but being asked to provide this feedback can sometimes come as a shock to the audience, who may not have formulated their questions yet. It can also be agonising going first, and it is therefore a good idea as room-host to have a question prepared, in case the audience have none. A silly question is better than no question at all - the point is to break the ice for the audience. See this as part of your job as room-host.
• Thank the speaker: Invite the audience to thank the thank the speaker before and after the questions, by way of a round of applause.