Guidance

Using C2024 Presentation Technology

Presenters 

If, for any reason, you cannot join us at the conference, let us know at operations@evaluationcanada.ca so that we can amend the program. 

Keep slides technologically simple.

  • Slides will be projected using PowerPoint because, though wifi will be available, we cannot guarantee a strong internet connection required for other presentation software. 
  • Make sure that your slides are compatible with PowerPoint. Slide transitions and object animations are fine but keep them simple; they should aim to support understanding and learning.

Adjust the presentation information and your bio on PheedLoop, the conference app.

  • Presenters can upload a digital copy of their presentation and adjust their abstract. They can also modify their bio and affiliation information as well as upload a picture of themselves. We strongly encourage presenters to upload their presentation a few days prior to their session, for both accessibility and environmental sustainability purposes. 
  • Each presenter registered for the conference will receive a link to their presentation portal on the web. Once in their portal, they will be able to select one of their presentations (if they have more than one). They will then be able to edit their presentation information and upload one or more files by clicking on the appropriate button.

Check the time and place of your presentation.

  • This information is most up to date in the PheedLoop app. It is also available (but not as up to date) in the detailed program. 
  • Get to your session room 15 minutes in advance to connect with the session moderator and other presenters, make sure the equipment is in working order, and get acquainted with the setup. 
  • If there is more than one presentation during the time slot, decide with the session moderator and other presenters whether to hold separate Q&As after each presentation or one group Q&A after all presentations.

Bring your slides on a thumb drive.

  • Save your slides in PowerPoint format on a regular USB-A thumb drive (or two, as thumb drives do tend to fail at the worst moment).
  •  In your presentation room, copy the PowerPoint file from the thumb drive to the desktop of the Windows computer used for projection. Delete the file at the end of the session.

Moderating a Session

Before the session

  • Check the Pheedloop app to confirm the session room and start time, as well as the session type (e.g., panel, lightning, etc.). 
  • Get to the room 15 minutes early to become familiar with the room and the equipment (computer, projector, microphones). 
  • If there appears to be a problem with the technology, contact tech support at the number supplied in the room. 
  • Ask presenters by what name and affiliation they would like to be introduced, as well as their preferred pronouns. 
  • Confirm the title of each presentation and the order of presentation (which should be as per the program, by default). 
  • If there’s more than one presentation during the session, ask the presenters to decide whether there will be a Q&A after each presentation or one group Q&A at the end of the session. 
  • Assist presenters in copying their PowerPoint slides from their USB key to the desktop of the Windows computer in the room.

During the session

  • Briefly introduce yourself and your role (i.e., session moderator responsible for introducing the presentations, keeping them on time, and moderating the Q&A). 
  • Welcome delegates and identify the presentations and the order of the presentations (if there’s more than one). 
  • Briefly introduce the presenters before their presentation based on the information found in the app. 
  • Ensure that each presentation starts and ends on time, leaving sufficient time for the Q&A. Presentations in multi-paper sessions should not exceed 15 minutes. 
  • Moderate the Q&A by ensuring that everyone who wants to speak has the chance to the extent possible. 
  • Announce the end of the session and the last question (5 minutes before).

After the session

  • Thank delegates. 
  • Remind presenters to erase the presentation from the computer desktop.

Making Your Session Accessible

Presenters

Before your session

  • Upload a digital copy of your presentation in advance, in a format that allows users to adapt it (not a PDF). To upload your presentation to the conference app (Pheedloop): 
    • Each presenter registered for the conference will receive a link to their presentation portal on the web. Once in their portal, they will be able to select one of their presentations (if they have more than one). They will then be able to edit their presentation information and upload one or more files by clicking on the appropriate button.

Design slides that will meet a variety of needs. In particular consider:

  • Colour and colour contrasts: Be sure to provide enough contrast between the text and background colours and verify that the colours are distinguishable for those with colour blindness. Free online colour checkers can be helpful:
  • Simple backgrounds: Avoid floating text over images or patterns by placing text over a solid background colour.
  • Limiting the amount of text: It can be difficult to read paragraphs of text while another person is speaking. Aim to limit text to short bullet points and/or key takeaways.
  • Graphs that incorporate patterns or textures: Avoid relying on color alone to distinguish key data points by adding patterns or textures to graphs.
  • Consistent designs: Using the same template across all slides helps limit cognitive load.
  • Caption videos and audio clips: Captions are useful for those with hearing impairments as well as those less familiar with the language being spoken.
  • Easy-to-read fonts: Stick to simple fonts with consistent thickness.
  • Avoiding motions and flashing: Motions, animations, blinking or flashing effects can be distracting and cause unpleasant physical reactions, like nausea or seizures.
  • Think about readability: Limit the amount of jargon, define acronyms, and aim for plain language. Consider using free online tools to test readability level, like those that use the Flesch Kincaid Grade levels : www.online-utility.org/english/readability_test_and_improve.jsp (available in English only)

During your session

  • Speak into the microphone: This helps a range of people to understand what’s being said, which could include translators, interpreters, captioners, or speech-to-text.
  • Speak clearly and not too fast: To ensure that attendees, interpreters, or captioners can follow. Use simple sentences and avoid jargon and idioms that might be confusing. Use your best judgment when using specialized complex language or terms (if you know your audience well) and spell out acronyms upon first use.
  • Describe key content, which can include what’s happening in the room: Briefly describe relevant images or other visual elements of your presentation (skip things that are only decorative) as well as actions. For example, if you ask people to raise their hands to answer a question, describe the result, i.e. “about half the people here raised their hand”.
  • Prepare to be flexible: Not all disabilities are immediately visible. If you have planned interactive elements to your presentation keep in mind that some attendees may not be able, or may not wish, to take part as expected. Participation should always be optional.

Moderators

Before your session

  • Review room for obstructions to mobility. Rooms are set up to facilitate mobility, but items may have shifted during or between sessions that impede aisles and access to microphones. 
  • Check that microphones are still working and make adjustments if needed. 
  • Check in with speakers and panelists beforehand. Briefly review points for giving accessible presentations.

During your session

  • Keep to the program times. Do not start early or extend into break times. Attendees with mobility issues need time to move from room to room.
  • Ask for clarification on jargon or acronyms, as not all participants have the same background. This also helps reduce the cognitive load.
  • Remind everyone to always use the microphones and avoid asking “did everyone hear that?”
  • Repeat or summarize questions from the audience.

Presenters and Moderators

Speaking with and about people with disabilities:

  • Ask before helping. Before you assist someone, ask if they would like help. If they decline, even if they appear to be struggling, don’t help them and don’t be offended.
  • Talk directly to the person, not to the interpreter, attendant, or friend. You don't need to ignore the others entirely; just make sure to focus your interaction on the participant. 
  • Speak normally. Some people tend to talk louder and slower to people with disabilities; don't. Use clear everyday language; common phrases like "I see what you mean" are fine.
  • Use "people-first" language as a default. Say “person with a disability”, “person who is blind” etc., unless someone expresses a different preference. If it’s likely to come up, ask.
  • Avoid euphemisms and potentially offensive terms. Many people find annoying or offensive terms like restricted to a wheelchair, crippled, victim of, or suffers from, as well as euphemisms such as physically challenged or differently abled. 

Creating a Safe Discussion Place

Presenters and Moderators

All conference delegates are expected to abide by the C2024 Code of Conduct.

Presenters and moderators should be knowledgeable about and attentive to the potential for audience members (or even themselves) to say things that are discriminatory or harmful to certain groups, or to use microaggressions, or old terms that have been used for generations, but are actually offensive. Situations that may be microaggressions include:

  • Asking a person of color to represent all people of color.
  • Making assumptions about someone based on their religion, age, class, race, or ethnicity
  • Complimenting people of color in ways that are not compliments - “You are so articulate for a [insert group here] person”.
  • Talking over, discounting remarks, or repeating and taking credit for remarks made by people of another age, race, ethnicity, status (students).
  • Not using someone’s stated preferred pronouns.
  • Making assumptions about someone’s gender identity or sexual orientation.
  • Making comments that suggest that older people are less tech savvy or commenting on their appearance.
  • Assuming younger people are inexperienced or naive, discounting their knowledge or opinions.
  • Engaging in cultural appropriation (see the section below).

What to do when this occurs?

If you witness discriminatory or harmful behaviour, we encourage you to intervene as best you can, without causing harm to yourself or others. What follows are tips for how to intervene. 

First, assume good will. Assume the person who made the statement did so because of lack of awareness and not malice or meanness. The goal is not to punish, “call out”, or embarrass the person, but to lessen the chance they will continue the behavior and to assure others that the session is a safe space for everyone. Strategies for intervention include:

  • Disrupt the situation. In the moment name or acknowledge the offense and interrupt it. There isn’t one way to respond. You can pull the offending individual aside and make them aware of what they said or did and the impact it might have.
  • Publicly affirm and support the persons who were harmed by the behavior.
  • Use humor to call out behavior with care if appropriate, being sure you are not diminishing the impact of the offense. Sometimes a humorous statement can send a clear message.
  • De-escalate and calm individuals if other interventions fail. If the person exhibiting inappropriate behavior becomes defensive, calm them by explaining that you are not attacking them as a person, but are working to ensure the behavior is not repeated as it is harmful to another. Appeal to the C2024 Code of Conduct, CES Ethical Guidance, CES Evaluator Competencies, and/or CES Evaluation Standards.
  • If all efforts at resolution fail, ask the offender to please leave the session.
  • Report the incident to conference organizers at operations@evaluationcanada.ca
  • Report what happened and why it was harmful in your response to the post-conference evaluation questionnaire to inform future conference planning.

Reducing Your Environmental Impact

Presenters

To minimize photocopying and printing, upload your presentation to the conference app in advance. To upload your presentation to the conference app (Pheedloop):

  • Each presenter registered for the conference will receive a link to their presentation portal on the web. Once in their portal, they will be able to select one of their presentations (if they have more than one). They will then be able to edit their presentation information and upload one or more files by clicking on the appropriate button.

If printing your presentation is required, print double-sided on recycled content paper. Don’t forget to bring your refillable water bottle. Pitchers of water will also be available in each room.

Using Gender-Neutral and Inclusive Language

Presenters and Moderators

Gender-inclusive language does not lump all people under masculine language or within the gender binary. When you describe a generic or hypothetical person whose gender is irrelevant to the context of the usage, do not use gendered pronouns or gendered pronoun combinations. Use the singular “they” because it is gender inclusive. Gender identity refers to a component of gender that describes a person’s psychological sense of their gender and may or may not correspond to a person’s sex assigned at birth. It is distinct from sexual orientation. 

Pronouns: If you know them, always use individuals’ preferred pronouns. If you do not know, or for more general use, use singular they or their or he/she/they. Avoid gendered pronouns such as her or she, he/she, his or her, his/her, unless someone has specified a preference for them. 

Avoid Gender-Based Expressions: Review your materials to ensure there are no expresses such as:

  • “In a manly way”
  • “She throws/runs/fights like a girl”
  • “Men just don’t understand”
  • “That’s women’s work”

Tip to Avoid Discriminatory Language: Reverse the gender. If reversing from masculine to feminine or vice versa changes the meaning or the emphasis of the sentence then it should be avoided. 

Use gender-neutral language:

  • Omit gendered words.
  • Instead of “mankind” use “humankind,” “humanity,” “human race.”
  • Instead of “man made” use “artificial,” “human-caused.”
  • Use the pronoun “one” or the relative pronoun “who”
  • Use passive voice if needed to avoid referring to an individual.

Use gender-inclusive language: Examples of gender-inclusive nouns are everyone or everybody, distinguished guests, folks, friends, humans, individuals, person, people. Gender-inclusive occupational nouns include terms such as chair or chairperson, member of congress, first-year student.

Avoiding Cultural Appropriation 

Presenters and Moderators

As part of CES’ and C2024’s commitment to promoting diversity, supporting inclusion and building equity through peer-to-peer learning, we are asking that moderators and presenters become aware of what constitutes cultural appropriation by reviewing the dedicated webpage on the conference website. 

When session proposals were submitted for C2024, we asked that presenters and workshop leaders reflect on the contents of their submission to avoid engaging in cultural appropriation.

Presenters

Before your session

  • Critically reflect on you and your co-presenters’ socio-cultural identity, lived experience, personal assumptions and biases (positionality).
  • Critically reflect on why you are tempted to refer to other cultures in your session and what harm might result and ensure that you are not engaging in cultural appropriation.
  • Avoid drawing on stereotypes.

During Your Session

  • Acknowledge how your and your co-presenters’ socio-cultural identities, lived experiences, assumptions and personal biases pertain to the topic of your session (positionality). 
  • Be mindful of the cultural power dynamics at play. When individuals and groups interact with each other, the power can be distributed unequally and you need to be open to feedback, welcome questions - regardless who is asking them- and be mindful of your own power. 
  • Avoid using cultural elements as props or entertainment. 
  • Avoid stereotypes. 
  • Use appropriate language. 
  • Proper credit is given if you are referencing or borrowing from a culture, if possible with specificity. For example, rather than saying ‘’This is an Indigenous story,’’ say “This is a Tsimshian story.” 
  • Describe how you consulted the people whose culture you are referring to. 
  • Use respectful language. 
  • Avoid using visuals or imagery that may be sacred or religious to a culture without proper understanding and respect for its meaning and significance.

Moderators

During the presentation, be aware of possible cultural misappropriation either from presenters or participants and note this for future improvement. The conference evaluation will request this information from you. 

If you feel comfortable doing so, intervene if some content and exchanges may not be culturally-safe and may cause harm. See the section above “Creating a Safe Discussion Space”.

Applying GBA+ to the Content of Your Presentation

Presenters

The Canadian Evaluation Society is committed to promoting diversity, supporting inclusion, and building equity through peer-to-peer learning. 

In line with this commitment, we encourage you to engage in a gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) of your C2024 presentation content and to incorporate in the delivery of your presentation considerations of a broad spectrum of gender identities and of other intersecting identity factors (e.g., race, ethnicity, age, religion, physical ability, geographic region, etc.). 

A GBA+ entails examining how diverse groups of people are differentially affected by policies, programs, and initiatives. Some of the questions addressed through this analytic process include: 

  • Do the needs of diverse populations differ with respect to the evaluation-related topic explored through your presentation? How have these needs changed over time? 
  • Are the measures that are currently in place (i.e., policies, programs, and initiatives) responsive to the needs of diverse populations? Are there populations whose needs have not been addressed? 
  • Are stereotypes about diverse populations being reinforced or refuted? 
  • Do diverse populations have equitable access to the measures currently in place? What are the barriers to their access? To what extent do diverse populations participate? 
  • How have diverse populations been differentially impacted? To what extent have known disparities between populations been effectively diminished? What are the unanticipated favourable and unfavourable effects on diverse populations? 
  • What changes are needed to achieve more equitable results for diverse populations? How sustainable are the favourable impacts on diverse populations?

An integral part of the GBA+ process is identifying and challenging assumptions, both those held by you and those held by others. Also essential to the analytic process is data analysis: what evidence supports or calls into question these assumptions? Keep in mind that acknowledging a lack of evidence can also be useful for identifying questions that merit further inquiry. 

When sharing the process, results, and recommendations of your GBA+ during the delivery of your presentation, we encourage you to be mindful of the diversity that exists among CES conference delegates and to take steps to ensure a respectful, empathic, and productive dialogue. 

The following resources provide further information on GBA+.