Information for Hosts

  • A few minutes before start, ask the speaker to show their title slide and thereby test if the audio/video setup works. Ask the seminar organizers for help if there are problems.
  • At the start time, introduce the speaker. Feel free to stall for a few minutes if there are many latecomers.
  • If it is a virtual seminar, ask people to stay muted with their camera switched off.
  • Remind attendees that questions should go into chat in most cases to avoid people talking over each other. If the speaker is open to questions throughout the talk, ask people to indicate if a question should be asked then and there. If this happens, the host (you!) should keep an eye on the chat and interrupt the speaker, as the speaker often can not see the chat while talking.
  • After the talk, thank the speaker and moderate the Q&A session. If it is a virtual seminar, remind people that they can say thanks in the chat if they liked the talk.