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Each session is divided into parts. Please refer to the program grid for the structure and times of your session.
The program is full, please respect your colleagues and ensure you stay to time (10min). In the morning, check with staff or a conference notice board for last-minute changes in program.
Language is powerful - especially when discussing alcohol and other drugs and the people who use them. Stigmatizing language reinforces negative stereotypes. “Person-centred” language focuses on the person, not their substance use. Find out more here.
In the unlikely event you had any concerns about your session, please contact the Conciliation Officer Gillian Shorter to discuss.
The chair should confirm at least 10 minutes before the session commences that all speakers and discussants have arrived. You may rearrange the order of the session presentation to ensure that time is not wasted waiting for a speaker, though if possible each speaker should be kept within the half of the session for which they were scheduled. Please make sure you know the name, place of work and title for the speakers and discussants before the session starts. Make sure that speakers have loaded their presentations onto the computer prior to the start of the session.
Briefly introduce the name of the speaker, where they come from, names of co-authors and the title of the paper. Each presenter and discussant have a maximum of 10 minutes. You will be provided with cards that show "3 minutes remaining", "1 minute remaining" and "time is up". In a four-paper session, the first two papers, the commentary on them, and further general discussion after the commentary should be completed by 45 minutes into the session. Please do not allow your sessions to overrun. Sessions should not be extended into the breaks. A polite statement is: "If you want to talk further please find the person during the breaks."
Sessions should not extend into the scheduled breaks. If discussions need to continue, the chair may politely suggest that participants continue the conversation during the break. For example: “If you would like to continue the discussion, please feel free to find the speaker during the break.”
A common challenge during sessions is that presenters sometimes spend too much time responding in detail to the discussant. The chair may gently remind the authors to focus on the key points raised by the discussant and to keep their responses concise in order to allow time for questions and comments from the audience. The chair should aim to reserve at least five minutes for audience questions. If necessary, audience members may also be asked to keep their questions and comments brief.
To ensure that multiple perspectives from the audience are heard, it is recommended that the chair first invite several questions from the audience before asking the author to respond. If the author responds after each individual question, the first exchange may consume all the remaining time in the session. Collecting several questions first helps maintain a balanced and efficient discussion.
Make sure you arrive at least 10 minutes before the session starts and introduce yourself to the chair. If you have not already done so, upload your presentation onto the computer provided.
Label your presentation with your last name, followed by an abbreviated title. Please note that the slide with the COI statement should follow the title slide of your power point presentation. Disclosures should relate to the substance of the research being presented, declaring any relationships and potential conflicts as part of the presentation you make.
Note: Please ensure your presentations are created in 16:9 screen configuration.
Please be considerate of your colleagues and stick to the time limit for the presentation (10 minutes) to allow all speakers the same opportunity to present without running into the next session’s time or break.
When the chair indicates your time is up, finish the sentence you have started and close your presentation. After the discussant's comments, you will have 2-3 minutes to respond.
Please confirm the session in which you are a discussant when you arrive at the conference, as occasionally assignments and times have to be rearranged in the last minute. Make sure you arrive at least 10 minutes before the session starts to introduce yourself to the chair and presenters and to check your comments. The main role of the discussant is to identify comparative or contrasting themes in the two presentations and raise questions to open the discussion. Constructive comments will be helpful to authors in improving papers before they are submitted to journals and will enhance the quality of the discussion. Take time before the session to make sure your comments will take a total of no longer than 10 minutes.
It is commonplace but not obligatory to shortly comment key commonalities and differences between the papers before commenting each paper separately. In the comments, emphasis should be on issues that may be of interest also to the audience. If there are more detailed comments, they can be passed on to the authors over coffee break or by e-mail. Many discussants find powerpoint slides helpful, but this is not necessary.
