The Chairperson for a PANEL should prepare to briefly introduce each Panelist. Keep it brief and relevant, so as not to take up lots of precious session time. Introduce all Panelists at the beginning of the session. Panels vary in their format, some have each panelist give 10 minute presentations followed by a discussion/debate by the panelists, some require the Chair to pose pre-arranged questions, some feed solely off of audience questions. The Chair is responsible for knowing or establishing the format and facilitating it (perhaps by asking the questions or calling on the audience members). If the panel gets off track (or off topic) it's the Chair's responsibility to bring them back to the topic, and make sure that the Educational Objectives listed in the Program are met/covered. Please keep in mind though that the Chair is not a Panelist (unless they are scheduled in both roles) and should make sure not to speak at length. If the Q&A is still going strong at the end of the scheduled time period, please thank the presenters, and announce that if the audience has any more questions, the presenters may be able to give them a few minutes in the hallway for remaining questions. This is necessary if another session is starting in 15 minutes (so that the next presenters can begin to prepare in the room) and so that those audience members that need to leave can do so (without disrupting the session) at the conclusion of the time period. It is the responsibility of the Chairperson to make sure that the session begins on time. Please make sure you have a watch.
Here's another cool article about Panel chairing for some other tips.
The Chairperson for a SYMPOSIUM should prepare to briefly introduce each speaker, immediately prior to his/her presentation (this can be as minimal as Name, Affiliation, Paper title; or a little more substantive if desired, but still brief.) It is also your responsibility to monitor the timing of each speaker. (Each session may have slightly different timing... if the session is 60 minutes, with 3 papers, each paper would be 10 minutes, then 15 minutes of time for the Discussant, followed by Q&A. If the session is 60 minutes with 4 papers, each paper would get 10 minutes, 10 minutes for the Discussant, and the remainder for questions.) If there is no Discussant, each presenter may have more time, or you can opt for a longer Q&A period.
Briefly tell each speaker, prior to the session something like "I'll keep the time on my watch. Each speaker has 10 minutes. I'll raise my hand in the back of the room when you have 5 minutes, and I'll raise my hand and hold up 1 finger when you have 1 minute left." You may put notecards on the lectern with the amount of time left, if you prefer. (The set up of the room may or may not permit this.) If the presenter does not stop at the end of their time, please kindly interrupt them (verbally), and ask them to wrap up so that the next presenter may begin. (The audience will thank you!) The Question & Answer period for all papers should occur at the end of the session (not after each presentation). Please just make sure that everyone gets a fair and equal amount of time. (If the first person has a short talk, the extra time may be divided among the remaining speakers.) It is the responsibility of the Chairperson to make sure that the session begins on time. Please make sure you have a watch.
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