PANELIST SESSION STRUCTURE

FMS panelist sessions are 65 minutes total in length. Each panelist should prepare a position statement lasting about 5 minutes. The rest of the time will be for audience questions and discussion. Your session will have a Session Chair. Please check with the Chair on the final number of panelists and how the session will be organized.

POWERPOINT TEMPLATE

If your Session Chair advises to prepare a few slides, we recommend that you use the FMS branded PowerPoint template. If you choose to use your own template please use the FMS logo on your slides.

ORGANIZATION AND TIMING

The 65 minute session length restricts how many technical points you can expect your audience to absorb. A good guideline is to have no more than 3. This restriction will help focus the audience's attention on the most significant information.

VISUAL AIDS

You should plan a slide for each key point. Each slide should have at most five major supporting concepts. When using PowerPoint, try not to overdo things. Small print, tiny figures, and odd color combinations can make your slides completely unreadable. Limit your text to 30 words per slide, and put figures and graphs on separate slides rather than crowding them in with the text.

PRESENTATION UPLOAD INSTRUCTIONS

Panelists, if you have PowerPoint slides, upload them to this BOX link by July 8, 2026 so that they can be organized by your Session Chair to be presented at FMS 2026. A reminder: Chairs do not have the ability to accept slides via USB on the day of your session. If you have any questions, contact [email protected]

Please use the following naming convention to identify your panel slides when you send it in - Date of Talk_Session Number_Last Name

Example: 20260806_ACAD-101-1_Smith

FMS 2026 PROCEEDINGS

By uploading your panel slides to the link above, you authorize us to post a PDF of your slides on the FMS 2026 Proceedings page. If you don't wish to have a PDF of your FMS 2026 panel slides posted, please let Marty Foltyn, FMS Program Manager, know at [email protected]

A FEW PANELIST SUGGESTIONS

You and your fellow panelists will likely be seated on a riser in the front of a meeting room with a microphone close to you. The screen with any session slides will be to your right or left.

Check with your session chair on preparing a few topics/questions to start the discussion. Try to say something original, surprising, or controversial. Raise significant issues; do not belabor the obvious.

Before answering a question, be sure that everyone knows what the question is. Repeat it if necessary. Note that people in back of the questioner usually cannot hear a thing. Then answer the question concisely and directly. Restrict your answer to about two minutes. If someone wants more detail, ask him or her to meet with you afterward. Do not argue with questioners or other panelists. Let the Session Chair manage the discussion.