INSTRUCTIONS FOR ASHRAE FORUM MODERATORS

PowerPoint Presentation of Forum Instructions

To submit your forum online, go to the bottome of these instructions to the link for the Online Program Submittal Form.

Your selection to serve as Moderator of an ASHRAE Program Session carries with it certain responsibilities. This checklist is designed to assist you in carrying out these responsibilities both before and during the meeting. Use the suggestions whenever possible and elaborate on them whenever you deem it necessary. (If you have any suggestions for improving this checklist, please direct them to the ASHRAE Program Committee Liaison.)

1. Good Forums are not an accident! They are good if the moderator does some preplanning. Part of this planning is to write to individuals and firms with an interest in the Forum. Call their attention to the fact that a Forum is taking place--when, where, and why. It may be to their benefit to be present or have someone from their organization attend the Forum. Preparation also means you have an adequate store of discussion material, questions or topics to place on the table. The Forum will be most successful if you try to draw as many of the audience into the discussion as possible.
   
   
2. Names of companies or attendees joining in the discussion are not to be recorded. However, minutes or note-taking to record the consensus of the Forum is permitted for publication. This point will be announced at the beginning of the Forum. Only a cursory report of the discussion or ideas expressed by the participants should be given to newspapers or trade magazines by the moderator. Requests for such reports should be referred to ASHRAE's Meeting Program Administrator.
   
   
3. You should be in the meeting room well ahead of the announced meeting time to welcome participants and make sure they are in the right room.
   
   
4. The meeting must be opened promptly at the announced time, with the ASHRAE Program Committee Liaison stating the subject to be discussed. The purpose of this is to be sure that the attendees are in the right Forum. The ASHRAE Program Committee Liaison will then read the Forum announcements, as directed by the Board of Directors, and introduce you as the Forum Moderator.
   
   
5. You should begin with a brief introduction to state the problem being considered. Next, suggest some questions to open the discussion. This initial presentation must not last longer than fifteen (15) minutes and should consist fundamentally of either a group of questions or a couple of controversial statements or the reasons for the Forum.
   
   
6. You should request each person commenting to stand, give his/her name, company affiliation, and position so all will know who is participating in the discussion.
   
   
7. If possible, you may wish to arrange (ahead of time) for two or three people in the audience to help get the discussion started. However, do not permit any long or prepared statements. This is a Forum and not a Seminar or Symposium. It is intended to bring as many people into the discussion as possible. Do not allow any one individual to monopolize the floor. Interchange is good, but cross-talk for more than a few minutes may sometimes lead to arguments and straying from the subject.
   
   
8. You are expected to run the meeting. You should keep the discussion moving, but keep it on track. No one or two participants should be permitted to dominate the discussion. A good way to break in on a long-winded speaker is to ask someone else a question or for an opinion. Don't hesitate to ask questions of people who appear to be reticent. You never know when you will bring out something of real value from one of these quiet onlookers.
   
   
9. Slide or film presentations are not permitted at Forums without the consent of the Chairperson of the ASHRAE Program Committee. It has been found that this breaks the continuity of the Forum and limits audience participation. If approved, they should only be used during initial presentation (not longer than 15 minutes). Any approved visual aids must be reviewed in the Speakers' Lounge prior to the Forum.
   
   
10. Handing out papers, catalogs, or commercial information is not permitted. The ASHRAE Program Committee Liaison is available to resolve problems. No commercial displays or exhibits of any type are permitted. If someone attempts to give a sales pitch, you are empowered as the moderator to interrupt and remind the person of the purpose of the meeting and ask him/her to change the line of discussion. If the person persists, you can advise him/her to leave. If he/she continues to disregard your suggestions, please have your monitor contact the ASHRAE Program Committee Liaison.
    
    
11. For the sake of any late arrivals, at the end of the Forum, summarize for the audience the Forum announcement on "no reporting."
    
    
12. Adjourn the Forum on time with thanks to the audience and a "show of hands" vote on whether further discussion of the subject at a later Forum or some other program format is desired.
    
    

NOTE: Arrangements have been made for the Forum moderators to report to the Speakers' Lounge an hour before their scheduled session. This arrangement has been made so that you can meet with an ASHRAE Program Committee Liaison, who will assist you and finalize any last-minute details and review any overheads to be used in the Forum.

Go to the Online Program Submittal Form.