PRESENTER’S GUIDE FOR STANDARD PRESENTATIONS, AND INTENSIVES

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Congratulations on being chosen as a presenter for the 2025 Healthcare Systems Process Improvement (HSPI) Conference! 

By being chosen, you have a unique opportunity to share experiences from your workplace, which can benefit your peers.  As you move closer to the day when you will present, we ask you to keep the following guidelines in mind. It is the mission of the HSPI Committee to provide our participants with the highest quality presentations, information sharing, and networking opportunities. For us to be able to achieve this mission, we have compiled Slide Format Guidelines and Presentation Guidelines that list characteristics from successful presentations. In addition to being overall best practices, some of these suggestions will specifically assist you in presenting an accessible presentation to an audience with a variety of needs. We appreciate your support in increasing the accessibility of HSPI Conference. 

Important Due Dates

Important Websites

Final Oral Presentation Conference Upload Website: https://iise.secure-platform.com/hspi 

Site where you will upload your FINAL annotated PowerPoint slides and digital recording.

• Enter your email & password to access your account and follow the prompts to upload.

Conference Website: https://www.iise.org/hspi/ 

• Information about the conference can be found here including the hotel, program, preconference workshops, student information, and exhibitors.

Deliverables Due

The HSPI Committee requires that you submit presentation deliverables for inclusion in the online conference proceedings. You also have the option of submitting a recorded video that will be released to attendees after the event for their future reference. In the sections below, there is information about Slide Format Guidelines and Presentation Guidelines

• PowerPoint presentation with annotated explanatory notes
• Video recording of your presentation 

Conference Registration

Speakers are not registered automatically. As an oral presentation presenter, please use this link to register (https://link.iise.org/hspi25-discount-register) and enter the code of HSPI25SPEAK for a rate of $599 until December 18th. If you are not registered for the conference by December 18, 2025, you will be at risk of having your presentation removed from the program.

If you have concerns about meeting this December 18^th deadline, please contact Carol Johnson at cjohnson@iise.org 

Please note: The speaker rate can apply to up to two presenters per session.

Hotel Registration

Hotel reservations are the responsibility of each individual. A number of hotel rooms are available at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia with the conference rate. Reservations can be made by visiting the conference hotel/travel page at the conference website. The discounted rate is valid until December 18, 2025 or until the block is sold out. 

Please note: Conference speakers are not paid or reimbursed for travel expenses.

Social Media

We highly recommend that you join the Society for Health Systems social media pages. These sites are a great way to stay up to date with conference planning and promotion. We also encourage you to use your own social media pages to spread the word about your session. The hashtag #HSPI2025 will be used this year for all social media activity. Please use this hashtag in your own social media posts. 

• HSPI/SHS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/societyforhealthsystems
• HSPI/SHS Twitter: https://twitter.com/SHSinfo
• HSPI/SHS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/society-for-health-systems
• HSPI/SHS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/society_for_health_systems 

On each of these platforms where you are active, we ask that you promote the conference and your presentation. Keep checking your email for more information on how to do that. 

AV Requirements

A data projector and screen will be provided in each room. NOTE: You must supply your own laptop for your presentation.

Slide Format Guidelines

This section offers proven tips for creating high-quality visual aids, which significantly impact a speaker's presentation evaluation at the conference. Excellent visual aids often lead to better ratings. Additionally, creating digital accessibility in PowerPoint presentations for conferences is crucial to ensure that all participants can access and understand your content. By following these guidelines, you can make your PowerPoint presentations more inclusive and accessible to a wider audience. Remember that digital accessibility is not just about accommodating individuals with disabilities but also about improving overall user experience and comprehension for everyone.

Best Practices for Successful Presentation Materials

• Slide Design: 
  • Use a Simple and Consistent Layout: Keep the layout of your slides simple and consistent. Use one or two content columns with clear headings and subheadings.
  • Use a Legible Font: Choose a sans-serif font like Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica for better readability. Ensure the font size is at least 18pt for body text and larger for headings.
  • High Contrast Text and Background: Ensure there's enough contrast between text and background. Use dark text on a light background or vice versa to improve readability.
  • Avoid Overcrowding Slides: Limit the amount of content on each slide to avoid overwhelming the audience. Use bullet points and concise language.
  • Include Alt Text for All Images: Add alternative text descriptions to images and graphics so that screen readers can convey the information to users with visual impairments.
  • Avoid Excessive Animation: Minimize the use of animations and transitions, as they can be distracting for some individuals. If used, ensure they are not too fast or excessive.
• Graphs/Visuals: 
  • Use Descriptive Titles and Labels: Provide clear and concise titles for graphs and visuals. Label axes and data points to make it easier for everyone to understand.
  • Color Code for Clarity: If you use color to convey information, make sure it is not the sole means of understanding. Use patterns or labels in addition to color.
  • Avoid Red-Green Color Combinations: Red-green color combinations can be challenging for those with color vision deficiencies. Ensure information is distinguishable using other visual cues.
  • Provide Data in Multiple Formats: Offer data in both visual and textual formats. This includes charts or graphs accompanied by a summary in text.
  • Use High-Resolution Images: Ensure that any images you use are of high quality and resolution to preserve clarity and detail when zoomed in.
  • Include Closed Captioning in Video Content: If your presentation includes video content, add closed captioning to ensure that individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing can access the spoken content.
• Color Considerations: 
  • Test Color Contrast: Use color contrast checking tools to verify that text and background colors meet accessibility standards. A contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text is recommended.
  • Avoid Conveying Information Solely through Color: As mentioned earlier, don't rely solely on color to convey meaning. Use text labels, patterns, or icons in addition to color.
  • Color Blind-Friendly Palettes: Choose color schemes that are friendly for individuals with color vision deficiencies. Tools like Coblis (Color Blindness Simulator) can help you assess your choices.
  • Check for Grayscale Compatibility: Test your presentation in grayscale to ensure that information remains discernible without color.
• Use Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker: 
  • Provides an easy way to double check yourself
    • Looks for images with no alt text
    • Checks for duplicate slide titles 
    • Alerts for missing headings and table issues
    • Alerts for reading order issues
  • On the ribbon click “review” and then click “Check Accessibility”

Presentation Guidelines

This section offers suggestions for improving your effectiveness as a speaker, including in a way that is accessible and inclusive to all. In the continuing process of self-improvement, we hope the suggestions and information provided will be of benefit to you. 

Presentation Suggestions

• Stick to your time: Exceeding your allotted time disrupts the schedule for the next speaker. Coordinate a signal with your moderator to stop on time.
• Relax: Your audience is friendly and interested in your presentation. They are your peers.
• Stay relevant: Present only the essential information your audience needs. Avoid overwhelming them with unnecessary details. Focus on results-oriented, practical content.
• No sales pitches: Don't promote your company's products or services during the session. The conference is for educational exchange. Your professionalism and expertise will speak for your company. Limit company logos to two appearances and use a small copyright marker for protection if needed.
• Use the microphone: Even if you think you are loud enough, use a microphone when available to ensure that all in the audience can hear. You can’t know if someone in the room is hard of hearing, and you can’t control additional noise sources.
• Face the audience and don’t cover your mouth: Some audience members may benefit from being able to lip read. 
• Speak clearly and avoid speaking too quickly
• Describe all relevant visual information: 
  • Say all of the information that is on each slide, including text and graphics. (This does not mean that you have to read the slide exactly as it is. It just means that you cover the visual information in what you say.)
  • Describe visual information in the environment. For example, a speaker asks people to raise their hands if they make their websites fully accessible. The speaker should then describe the visual response: “About half raised their hand”.

Additional Considerations

• Your session time will include the following activities. Please plan your session accordingly
  • Computer setup (if not completed in the break/room transition)
  • Moderator introduction
  • Your presentation
  • Audience comments/questions
• The moderator will introduce the speakers using the biographies submitted with the initial proposal. If you want your introduction to be different from your biography, please provide an introduction to the moderator prior to the presentation.

Questions & Answers 

• Allow time for questions. Time should be allowed to permit questions from the audience. Your moderator should assist with getting the questions started. 
• Questions asked should be repeated into the microphone for all to hear. 
• It is OK to take and manage questions during your presentation if you are comfortable with this, but you will need to tell the audience this up front. 
• Be sure you understand the question before you answer. Restate the question, and then answer it. Do not indulge in private questions and answers with the person in the front row. The audience wants to hear the questions and their answers. 
• Do not permit yourself to become embroiled in a personal technical argument with a member of the audience. Tell him or her that he/she has some very interesting points, and you will be glad to discuss them with him/her following the session.

Just in Case

Notify Carol Johnson (cjohnson@iise.org, 770.349.1126) and your track chair in the event of illness or other reason for the unavailability of the speaker or changed session title or abstract.

More resources for creating accessible content: 

• Making Events Accessible - Checklist for meetings, conferences, training, and presentations that are remote/virtual, in-person, or hybrid | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C 
• WebAIM: PowerPoint Accessibility