Presenter Instructions

On this page, you’ll find information on in-person, virtual, and poster presentation instructions.

In-Person Presentation Instructions

Each session is One hour and 15 minutes long. You should reach out to the other people in your session to talk about evenly dividing the time and leaving 10-15 minutes at least for audience questions. (Some sessions have fewer presenters than others, please allocate the time fairly!)

Quick List of Best Practices for Co-Creating Access

  • Incorporate Access Invitations/Access Checks into the introduction to your panel and/or presentation.
  • Provide Access Copies of your talk and materials.
  • Provide electronic copies of your presentation, slides, and any session materials. We suggest sharing the link on the first slide of each presentation, and giving time for people to enter it on their devices.
  • Use the microphone if there is one, even if you have a loud voice.
    • Ask others to use the microphone; if the microphone is fixed in place, have someone repeat off-mic comments or questions before responding. 
  • Skip the Fragrance: To make our common place more accessible and comfortable for those of us with chemical sensitivities and chronic migraines, take steps to be fragrance-free or low-fragrance. At a minimum, skip your perfume, cologne, or strongly fragranced toiletries. Whenever possible, wash your clothes in fragrance-free detergent before the conference, and use unscented products. 

Before the Session: Creating Accessible Presentation Slides and Planning for Access 

There are many strategies to consider when we think about accessibility for the conference sessions we are facilitating and participating in. Below are a few to consider as you begin to draft your presentation slides and materials.

Building Accessible Presentation Slides: General Strategies
  • Use a large font size (22 point minimum).
  • Use a sans serif font style such as Arial or Helvetica; avoid the use of Times New Roman, Georgia, or Garamond.
  • Avoid relying on color alone to convey information. 
  • Use capitalization and lower-case in titles and text.
  • Use a minimum of 5:1 contrast (black or and white is 21:1, for reference).
  • Use unique titles for individual slides to make it easier to reference particular slides.
  • Include alt-text for all images. Alt-text, or alternative text, is a brief description of the image meant to convey the meaning of the image for screen reader users. Alt-text is embedded in the image file itself.
    • Here’s a resource for including alt-text through the edit function in Microsoft. (Helpful for PowerPoint users!)
    • Here’s a resource for including alt-text in Google suite tools, including Google Slides.
  • Develop and use accurate captioning on videos, or include a transcript on the same slide.
  • Provide a direct link to electronic versions of your presentation, access copies, and any handouts on your presentation title page (e.g., tinyurl). Plan to give people time to input it in their devices.
    • You may wish to coordinate with your panel to link all materials from one URL.
    • Keep the presentation in its original form when distributing electronically – switching between software (e.g., Powerpoint to PDF) does not guarantee that accessibility features will follow.
Specific Google Slides Strategies
  • Turn on the accessibility settings [Tools > Accessibility Settings > Turn On].
  • Use default layouts instead of manually creating text boxes whenever possible.
  • Use the “reading order” tab to check for accuracy of structural design.
  • You can present your slides with captions. Instructions for using captions in Google Slides can be found here.
Specific PowerPoint Strategies
  • Use default themes to maintain heading structure layout and reading order. However, check the contrast rating; not all themes use an accessible contrast.
  • Include an individualized title on every slide to make it easier to reference particular slides.
  • Use the Accessibility Checker in PowerPoint to check for accessibility 
  • You can present your slides with captions. Instructions for using captions in Powerpoint can be found here.
Practicing Your Presentation 
  • Practice integrating image descriptions into your verbal presentation. Image descriptions articulate purely visual information that contributes meaning to your presentation.
    • Make plans to describe the basic layout of a slide, in order to note visual components.
    • Prepare descriptions of any images. (Alt-text embeds an abbreviated image description in the image file; image descriptions incorporate description in the presentation itself.)  Image descriptions need not be exhaustive, but should at least articulate the visual elements that produce meaning for your slide and/or point. For a slide reminding people to use a microphone, it might suffice to note, “to the left, there is a clip art image of a microphone.” For a slide about technological anachronism, it might be more appropriate to say, “to the left, there is an iPhone icon in the shape of a 1940s radio microphone. The icon is stylized, a white microphone on a neon green background.” 
  • Practice the pacing of your presentation in order to ensure that you can speak at a moderate pace in the time allotted. 

Session Materials: Access Copies and Handouts
  • Providing access copies of your talk increases engagement and comprehension of your materials. Access copies are electronic or hard copies of your talk that make it possible for people to read along.
  • Bring access copies in 12-point font, along with some large print copies in 18- or 20-point font.
  • If you wish to limit the circulation of your talk, write “do not circulate or cite” on the copy and inform participants of this as you begin.
  • How many access copies? It depends on the size of your session. If you anticipate a session of 30 people, you might consider bringing six 12-point copies and four large print copies (18- or 20-point font). It can be helpful to give interpreters and CART providers a copy, so keep that in mind.  
  • On the title page of your presentation, provide a link to electronic copies of your access copies and presentation, in case you run out, and for people who want enlarged text or use screen reading software. We also urge presenters to upload your materials to the conference app, and plan to mention their availability as you begin your talk. Bringing electronic copies on a thumb drive will also work, if you announce it and build in some time for people to put the files on their devices. Links and/or the app tend to be a logistically simpler option. 
  • Even if you are not talking from a script, access copies of your notes or an outline will improve access. In particular, typing up any quotations you will reference is helpful.
  • Bring large-print copies of any handouts you’ve prepared (18- or 20-point font).

If you are concerned about providing something when it’s rough or having the time to create access copies, please review Stephanie Kerschbaum’s wonderful explanation of why and how access copies remove barriers to full participation, from the Composing Access website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG7ZXv6tIT0&feature=youtu.be  

More Resources for Building and Testing Your Presentation

During the Session: Access Checks, Presenting, and Q&A

Conference presentations involve complex social and rhetorical interactions; framing the presentation around access helps all who attend your talk engage with you and your work. Here are some best practices to consider as you deliver your presentation:

Access Invitations and Access Checks

Inviting participants to access the space of the conference presentation in accordance with their needs encourages participants to co-create access in that space. Often, access invitations take the form of a short announcement at the beginning of a session. Here’s an example:

We want you to use this space as you need to for your own access. We invite you to move around, sit on the floor, stand up, or leave and come back to take a break. We also want to make sure that everyone can engage, so do not hesitate to interrupt and let us know if we need to repeat something, adjust the microphone, or speak less quickly. Is there anything we should adjust before we start?

This invitation makes it infinitely easier for attendees to break the social norms of academic/professional conference spaces in order to advocate for access needs. It also signals to parents of young children who might be in the audience that you anticipate their needs to move around during the panel.

You may consider this a moment to also describe any departures from standard presentations that you have planned, so participants can think through particular access needs that might arise. These “departures” might include movement, small group discussion, or writing activities that you have planned for your presentation. 

Renewing the Invitation: Access Checks

Access checks work with access invitations to open specific feedback loops for setting up access throughout a conference session. Do a quick access check with each transition to a new speaker and/or activity. 

As you transition to a new speaker, 

  • Ask about the microphone (“How’s the mic?” or “How’s my volume?”) 
  • Take some time to announce alternate formats, like a link to electronic copies of materials, and give people time to access the link. If you have hard copies of your materials (see “Session Materials” above), you can have a panel colleague distribute them at this time, as well.
  • Before diving in, do a quick, general access check (“Is there anything we should adjust before I start?”).

Likewise, as you transition into a new activity, give instructions and take a moment to ask if there are any access requests: “Do we need to make any adjustments before we get started?”

  • Example: For group work, CART providers will need to be within earshot of whichever small group CART users want to participate in, so that they can provide captions of what’s going on in that group. If you are doing groups around particular topics and letting participants choose, that may mean stipulating that the group the CART user wants to participate in will meet near the CART provider. 
Presenting: Moving through Your Slides
  • Share electronic copies of slides and/or handouts with a link on the title page, so participants can access them on their own devices. Read the link aloud and take some time for people to input the link into their devices.  
  • Verbally describe visuals used in the presentation. Image descriptions need not be exhaustive, but should at least articulate the visual elements that produce meaning for your slide and/or point. For a slide reminding people to use a microphone, it might suffice to note, “on this slide, there is a clip art image of a microphone.” For a slide about technological anachronism, it might be more appropriate to say, “to the left, there is an iPhone icon in the shape of a 1940s radio microphone. The icon is stylized, a white microphone on a neon green background.” 
  • If any information is purely auditory, articulate elements that are relevant to your point or argument as you present, and be sure that the captioning is turned on for any videos. (See “Building Accessible Presentation Slides: General Strategies” for information about captioning and transcription.)  
  • Animations, especially flashing and strobing ones, can trigger migraines and seizures; give your audience warning if you are using them in your presentation.

Presenting: Speaking for Access 
  • Use the microphone, even if you are good at projecting your voice. Often those of us who need it can’t respond in time when asked, “Do I need to use the mic?” at the beginning of a session, and such questions frame access as a hassle. If the session has an ASL interpreter or CART provider, this simple move will make their jobs easier–and more importantly, it will make the access they are providing more accurate.
  • As noted above, check with your audience about your volume, especially in the transition to a new speaker and/or microphone set-up. (“How’s the mic/my volume?”)
  • Face the audience when speaking, and be aware of whether you’re covering your mouth with your hands. 
  • Speak at a reasonable pace so that interpreters and CART can keep up. This may take practice, especially since we often speak more quickly than usual when we are presenting. 
  • To facilitate ASL and CART, spell out links to websites and proper nouns verbally when you introduce them (“According to Yergeau, Y-E-R-G-E-A-U,”).
Q&A: Insist on using the microphone if there is one available, consider alternate modes of participation
Use the Microphone if there is one 

As with your own presentations, it’s vital for access that all participants use the microphone, even if they have a loud voice. Have a panelist or volunteer take the microphone around to question askers so that all can hear their question. If there is no moveable mic, repeat questions into the microphone before answering them.

Expand Options for Participation and Give Space for Reflection

Facilitating question and answer sessions with access in mind can encourage more engagement with your ideas at the end of your presentation and more equitable participation. 

These moves are about making space for reflection and giving attendees multiple options for participating–some of the alternate modes listed below may not work well for everyone, so this is not about requiring particular modes for engagement. Except using the mic. Use the mic! 

Here are a few practices to consider.

  • Invite a moment of writing and reflection at the end of your presentation. Discussion methods that we use as writing teachers can help audience members pause and develop a response. Taking a moment for participants to free-write and/or discuss their reflections on the presentation gives the audience time to process what you have presented.
    • You might say, “We’re going to take some time to let everyone gather their thoughts. During this time, feel free to sit and think a bit, jot down some notes, or talk to a neighbor. We have some note cards if anyone wants to ask a question or make a comment that way.” 
  • Create written or electronic modes of question asking, to give more access to people for whom the usual format of Q&A is not accessible or comfortable. Consider building in practices that offer a non-verbal way to ask questions.
    • For example, give audience members the option to write questions on index cards or in a digital format. 

We look forward to co-creating access with you at FemRhet2025! Beyond offering accessibility services, it is our goal to promote a professional culture that builds access into its practices as an ongoing, collective project. 

Again, we invite you to visit the Access Table for mini-mentoring consultations, and we remind you that there’s a trove of resources on composing access: https://u.osu.edu/composingaccess/. 

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Virtual Presentation Instructions

First, a deadline: as our conference begins on July 17th, we ask that you send your virtual presentation materials/content no later than Monday, July 15th by end of day, your local time, to ensure that we can add your presentations to the virtual conference platform. In addition, to encourage more interaction with your presentation, the virtual conference items will remain available to conference attendees until August 15, 2025. We hope that you will find this sustained timeframe useful in facilitating extended conversations about your work in the comments section of your virtual presentation. 

Preparing Your Virtual Presentation

Your virtual presentation can take many forms and we encourage you to make use of digital forms that make the most sense for your presentation. For example, 

  • A virtual poster might include include the single poster graphic itself as well as a document that provides some further contextual information about your project.
  • A virtual presentation might include a recorded video (suggested length: no more than 15 minutes), slides, and a transcript of your voiceover. 
  • A roundtable discussion might include a video (suggested length: no more than 45 minutes), a guide for viewers/listeners on different topics along with timestamps, and a transcript of your discussion. 

Of course, these are suggestions, not full-on requirements. Feel free to experiment with the media that work for you!

Whatever format you choose, please remember that the FemRhets conference is committed to accessibility: do ensure you adhere to our guidelines for accessible conference presentations (linked here and attached to this message– see pages 6-12).

Submitting Your Virtual Presentation

Once you have completed your presentation, please send all materials electronically to me directly at pthomas1@udayton.edu. I will acknowledge receipt of your materials and will email you when these materials are live on the conference program for virtual presentations (note: this link is available to all conference attendees through your Oxford Abstracts login). 

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Poster Presentation Instructions

About Poster Presentations

First, as you may have noticed in our conference program draft, we have scheduled for posters to be displayed at the conference beginning Friday, July 18th before our 8:30am session. All posters will be displayed in the foyer of Hamilton-Smith Hall, the main gathering area of the conference, and we would like to continue the poster display throughout the remainder of the conference on Saturday, July 19th. Easels and display walls will be provided.

We recognize that this timeframe may not align perfectly with your travel schedule; if that is the case, we encourage you to display your poster as long as you wish to have it available for conference attendees. Further, please feel free to indicate on your poster any specific days/times when you would be available to discuss your poster with conference attendees. In addition, all posters will be assigned a QR code, generated by the conference committee, that will allow folks to provide you with digital feedback to your poster on a shared Google doc. 

Preparing Your Poster

As a visual medium, the poster is a focused, graphically forward, and organized artifact. We encourage you to design the poster that works most effectively for your presentation, and offer some suggestions for your consideration:

  • Create a visual hierarchy using the title, text size, images, and layout
  • Employ an invisible “grid” to align elements of your poster. A 3- to 4-column grid with a large center column works well for most posters. 
  • Leave some space between elements for visual “breathing room”.
  • Text should be large enough to be seen from approximately 5 feet away; dark letters on a light background are easiest to read. 
  • Use a 3-color scheme: a text color, a background color, and an accent color.

Of course, these are suggestions, not full-on requirements. Feel free to experiment with the design elements that work for you!

Whatever you choose, please remember that the FemRhets conference is committed to accessibility: do ensure you adhere to our guidelines for accessible conference presentations (linked here and attached to this message– see pages 6-8 for designing accessible slides/visuals).