Frequently Asked Questions
General information about the PCA/ACA conference location, accommodation, registration fees, deadlines for paper submissions, audio-visual equipment, etc., can be found at the conference website.
Q. How much time will I have for my paper?
A. There are usually 4 speakers in each session and each speaker has 20 minutes, including set up time. If you happen to be in a session with only 3 speakers, you may have a few more minutes. Word count varies between 2600 and 3400 words, depending on whether or not you have slides or other materials to show and whether or not you want to add points as you speak. Your fellow speakers will appreciate it if you practice your paper in advance and do not use up their time allotment as well as your own.
Q. I have a powerpoint presentation. Should I bring my computer?
A. Yes. You should also bring your presentation on a flashdrive (flashdrives only, no discs). It is always a good idea to have back up systems available. Presenters with powerpoints should let me know they have a powerpoint in advance of the conference and come to the session early so that we can test your file and/or get your computer in place on the speaker's table.
Q. I have a digital presentation, but it is not in powerpoint. What should I do?
A. If your slide show requires a program other than powerpoint or a basic movie playing application, then you will have to run it off of your own computer. Please do not bring applications to the conference and expect someone else to download them onto their computer. Speakers are also cautioned that the projection equipment does not always recognize programs other than powerpoint.
Sometimes presenters spend weeks on elaborate visual presentations and are then disappointed to find that the projector will not recognize the program code, or that the projected image is too big for the screen and cannot be adjusted easily, or that the audience simply cannot take in the special effects and also absorb the content that actually relates to their paper.
My recommendation: keep it simple.
Q. How many images should I include in my powerpoint?
A. Generally, it is better to keep it down to 20 slides at the most, but it really depends on what you have to show and how much you have to say about each slide. Try to avoid putting too many images on a single slide. Even in a small room with a large screen, a slide showing 10 cards at once is not going to mean much to people sitting at the back.
Q. How large will the presentation room be and how many people will attend the session I am in?
A. The Tarot/Divination sessions are usually, though not always, booked into the smaller rooms. Attendance varies by conference location, room location in the hotel, date and time of the session, and other activities scheduled in the same time slot, as well as the interest your topic generates. Generally, you can expect between 5 and 30 people to come to hear your paper.
Q. How much time will I have for my paper?
A. There are usually 4 speakers in each session and each speaker has 20 minutes, including set up time. If you happen to be in a session with only 3 speakers, you may have a few more minutes. Word count varies between 2600 and 3400 words, depending on whether or not you have slides or other materials to show and whether or not you want to add points as you speak. Your fellow speakers will appreciate it if you practice your paper in advance and do not use up their time allotment as well as your own.
Q. I have a powerpoint presentation. Should I bring my computer?
A. Yes. You should also bring your presentation on a flashdrive (flashdrives only, no discs). It is always a good idea to have back up systems available. Presenters with powerpoints should let me know they have a powerpoint in advance of the conference and come to the session early so that we can test your file and/or get your computer in place on the speaker's table.
Q. I have a digital presentation, but it is not in powerpoint. What should I do?
A. If your slide show requires a program other than powerpoint or a basic movie playing application, then you will have to run it off of your own computer. Please do not bring applications to the conference and expect someone else to download them onto their computer. Speakers are also cautioned that the projection equipment does not always recognize programs other than powerpoint.
Sometimes presenters spend weeks on elaborate visual presentations and are then disappointed to find that the projector will not recognize the program code, or that the projected image is too big for the screen and cannot be adjusted easily, or that the audience simply cannot take in the special effects and also absorb the content that actually relates to their paper.
My recommendation: keep it simple.
Q. How many images should I include in my powerpoint?
A. Generally, it is better to keep it down to 20 slides at the most, but it really depends on what you have to show and how much you have to say about each slide. Try to avoid putting too many images on a single slide. Even in a small room with a large screen, a slide showing 10 cards at once is not going to mean much to people sitting at the back.
Q. How large will the presentation room be and how many people will attend the session I am in?
A. The Tarot/Divination sessions are usually, though not always, booked into the smaller rooms. Attendance varies by conference location, room location in the hotel, date and time of the session, and other activities scheduled in the same time slot, as well as the interest your topic generates. Generally, you can expect between 5 and 30 people to come to hear your paper.