Session and Speaker Guide
Everyone who attends the Natural Hazards Workshop has important perspectives to share. As such, Workshop sessions are organized to encourage engagement between all attendees.
Speakers address topics through creative and interactive session types, while attendees contribute to the conversations by posing important questions to the speakers. All session types are designed to create conversations between everyone in the room. Please refer to the Workshop Schedule for dates, times, and session descriptions.
Program Structure
The Workshop program has many session types including a keynote, plenaries, panel sessions, research, practice, and policy sessions, TED-style talks, trainings, networking roundtables, poster presentations, and more. We reserve plenty of time for additional networking during the 30-minute breaks and 90-minute lunches, as well as evening events throughout the week.
Welcome and Self-Introductions
Natural Hazards Center Director, Lori Peek, will formally open the 51st Annual Natural Hazards Workshop with a brief welcome. We will then turn to the long-standing tradition of self-introductions of everyone in the room—yes, everyone! Everyone who is able should be ready to stand and say their name and affiliation. Please don’t forget, this Workshop is an AFZ–Acronym Free Zone!
Keynote Address
After self-introductions, the keynote speaker delivers a presentation that focuses on this year’s theme and provides the larger context for the Workshop.
Plenary Sessions
Plenary sessions synthesize topics related to the theme of the Workshop. Each plenary session includes a diverse group of panelists who represent different sectors of the hazards community including policy, practice, and research.
Panel Sessions
Panel sessions are organized around topics that relate to the Workshop theme, recent disasters, or ongoing research, practice, and policy applications. Moderators in each of these concurrent sessions lead the panelists in discussion and invite questions from the audience to promote interaction and engagement. Panel sessions are designed for groups to share their work, exchange ideas, provide actionable recommendations, and get feedback from attendees.
TED-Style Talks
These sessions include a series of 5-7 minute lightening talks in a TED-Style format. These talks are opportunities to share research or practice ideas that are novel, compelling, and evidence based. Each session is organized around a common topic with time for Q&A at the end.
Research, Practice, and Policy Sessions
These sessions allow speakers to share information on recently completed or ongoing research, programs, projects, and policy initiatives. Groups will present their work, exchange ideas, and get feedback from attendees.
Training Sessions
Training Sessions focus on increasing professional skills and creating awareness about specific topics. Trainings are typically interactive so that participants can learn and practice new skills in a group setting.
Networking Roundtables
Networking roundtables provide an opportunity for Workshop attendees to have informal conversations on distinct topics of importance in the field. Networking roundtables do not involve presentations but instead encourage open dialogue and offer networking opportunities for everyone who attends. Content is largely determined by the interests, experiences, and curiosity of the attendees. Facilitator(s) guide the conversation, but the goal is to get everyone introducing themselves to one another and getting all participants involved in the broader conversation!
Poster Sessions
Two rounds of poster sessions are on Sunday and Monday evenings. These are held concurrently with our evening receptions so attendees can gather and speak with the poster presenters over food and drinks. Participants are invited to present posters on new programs, projects, or recent research. Posters can be viewed during the Workshop, on the Whova app, or downloaded as a PDF on the Natural Hazards Center website.
Wrap Up and Call to Action
The Natural Hazards Center Director, Lori Peek, closes the Workshop with a summary of the highlights of the event and a discussion of opportunities for the future, including actionable next steps that the hazards and disaster community can accomplish together.
Participation Guidelines
Those participating in the Workshop as a moderator, panelist, facilitator, speaker, presenter, or attendee should review our Participation Guidelines to make your Workshop a success.
Attendees
The Workshop includes over 700 academics, practitioners, and policymakers with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge. Because of this diversity, when participating in Workshop sessions and conversations it is helpful to define any discipline-specific terms and avoid the use of jargon and acronyms.
Highlights
All Workshop attendees are encouraged to submit a brief summary of their current work for the Research and Practice Highlights section of the Workshop website. Although these Highlights are not for presentation, they are an excellent way to network with others that share your interests. You do not have to participate in the Workshop as a speaker or presenter to submit your Research and Practice Highlights.
Presentation Slides
Presentation slides are allowed for all sessions except networking roundtables, which are focused on conversations between attendees. Please note that we only allow PowerPoint or Google Slides to ensure we can use automated captioning throughout the Workshop.
Workshop slide templates are available for presenters and required for certain session types. We encourage you to use the slide deck as a visual tool, but it shouldn’t be a written replica of your presentation. Please keep slides simple, easy to read, and visually appealing.
Speaker Roles and Responsibilities
Moderator Role
Moderators help create an atmosphere where panelists from wide-ranging backgrounds can exchange ideas in a positive, constructive environment.
Moderators have five critical responsibilities:
Planning: Coordinate with session panelists in advance of the Workshop to formulate panel questions based on the session topic and the expertise of the panelists. We recommend that all groups meet virtually at least four weeks prior to the Workshop (before May 15). Please give careful thought to designing the questions, prompts, and activities used in the session to make the most of the perspectives and experiences of each panelist.
Moderation: Introduce the panel topic and panelists, facilitate discussion or activities, and ensure the question and comment period runs smoothly. Be sure to allow for responses from participants and encourage as many questions from the audience as possible.
Time Management: Keep the session on time and on track. Student volunteers will help with timekeeping, but moderators should be prepared to politely encourage panelists and audience members to keep their remarks brief and focused to allow maximum participation from the widest range of people possible. All Workshop sessions start and end on time.
Collecting Presentation Slides: Collect PowerPoint or Google slides from panelists before the Workshop and making sure they are loaded to the laptop provided by the Omni Hotel at least five minutes prior to the session start time to avoid delays. Make sure closed captioning is enabled. Laptops can be found on the podium in each session room. Volunteers will be available to help as needed.
Submit Final Slides: Once your session is complete, please submit the final slides from all speakers to your session handler. They will provide you will submission instructions via email. These slides will be posted on the session page.
Panelist Role
Panelists are invited to participate in Workshop sessions because of their experience, knowledge, and expertise. They play an integral role in the success of the Workshop.
A panelist has two primary responsibilities:
Share Expertise and Experience: Panelists will each have about 10 minutes to present their ideas, respond to moderator questions, and/or interact with each other as a panel before the moderator opens the floor to audience questions. Sessions may decide to adjust the structure, timing, and engagement with the audience depending on the session topic and goal.
Engage the Audience: Panelists serve as provocateurs for creating conversations with those in the audience, who are often experts with their own important stories and information to share.
Moderators will organize coordination meetings with panelists before the Workshop. We strongly encourage panelists to attend all such meetings to ensure their individual knowledge is well incorporated into the session. If there are any questions about the structure or planning of the session, please be sure to reach out to the session handler.
Facilitator Role
Facilitators guide Workshop training sessions or networking roundtables.
Training session facilitators should determine what skills they would like attendees to acquire and prepare materials and activities accordingly. We recommend trainers limit formal presentations in these sessions and instead develop trainings using hands on activities and engagement exercises.
Networking roundtable facilitators should help ensure attendees can get to know one another, provide question prompts or networking activities, and exchange ideas about pressing topics in the hazards and disaster field. All facilitators should strive to engage and inform attendees on the roundtable topic.
TED-Style Talk Speaker Role
TED-Style Talk speakers will prepare a short 5-to-7-minute individual presentation, using guidance and slide templates from the Natural Hazards Center. Speakers are encouraged not to change the overall structure of these slides, but to add their own individual presentation components, including background, images, and information. All speakers are required to attend the pre-Workshop virtual session to review expectations and guidelines for these talks and can attend an optional virtual practice session.
Presenter Role
Research, policy, and practice sessions are dedicated to program, project, or policy updates of broad interest to the hazards and disaster community. In these one-hour sessions, presenters succinctly share their work. We also ask that at least 15 minutes is reserved for audience questions and feedback after the presentations. The moderator and presenters will need to meet in advance to plan the approach and format of the session.