AiG Month: guidance for presenters

To secure your space to present at AiG Month you must first reserve a date and time, and submit an EOI.

1. read this ‘guidance for presenters’ page
2. secure your preferred date and time and reserve your space to present using our online booking calendar (Calendly)
3. complete our short EOI form (SmartSurvey) to give us some high level details about your event

We’ll then get back to you to confirm your event and ask for your session details.

We will be holding two events for presenters where you can ask us anything, hear more about AiG Month, and test out any technical requirements

We want to make sure as many people get to attend your session as possible and we find it really helps when event presenters help promote their sessions within their communities. To help you  promote your event (and AiG Month as a whole) within your community, we have produced a downloadable “Campaign in a Box” (PPTX), which includes lots of useful info, lines to take, and graphics including event logos and exclusive Teams backgrounds.

All events for AiG Month should support the aims and theme of the event. The theme for 2026 will be “impact in action“.

AiG Month is open to everyone, including the general public.

AiG Month aims to create opportunities for government analysts (and the wider civil service) to learn something and develop their analysis skills. Whether you’re re-purposing a successful event you’ve already held before or designing one from scratch, you should consider what attendees will learn from your session.

We ask our audience for feedback at the end of every AiG Month session and measure success using the following criteria:

1. 1. The session increased my sense of being part of the Analysis Function community: You can help achieve this aim by using our AF branded slides and other resources in your session, and by using our “intro and outro” script (see below)
   2. I found the session interesting and engaging: That’s up to you(!), but remember whilst AiG Month is open to everyone, it is aimed at government analysts and those interested in developing their analytical skills.  Remember, this year’s theme is “impact”.
   3. I felt able to participate during the session: Everyone likes a session to be interactive, so why not consider using Teams polls, Teams Q&A, encourage interaction in the chat bar, and more?
   4. The session was beneficial in providing new skills or knowledge that I will be able to use in my work: AiG Month is primarily a learning event, so think about how your session could share best practice, demonstrate tools or skills, or share experiences that government analysts could learn from. We’ll publish ‘learning outcomes’ from every AiG Month session throughout the month, which are useful links to tools, websites, reports, or other resources you might mention in your session
   5. The presenters were clear and concise: Our suggested session length is one hour, as we’ve found this give sufficient time to present and have interactions with the audience
   6. There was enough time for questions and answers: Q&A makes up part of the interactive element and is a minimum for any session at AiG Month

Consider one of the following event types:

1. Demo: Show and share your skills by demonstrating how to use a specific tool or technique. Make sure that your online tool is set up and ready to go before your session. Use a clear and concise script to guide your demo, and provide a step-by-step walkthrough of the tool’s features.
2. In conversation with / Question & Answer (Q&A) session: A one-on-one interview or question and answer session between a knowledgeable support and expert guest.
3. Panel Sessions: Ensure that your panellists are well-prepared and that they have a good understanding of the topics being discussed. Encourage them to interact with each other and respond to questions from the audience.
4. Skill sharing webinar: Tangible learning on a particular subject to help colleagues continuously improve.
5. ‘Traditional’ presentation with interactive elements: Keep your presentation short and to the point. Use visuals to illustrate your points and avoid text-heavy slides. Speak clearly and at a moderate pace, and remember to engage with your audience throughout

Top tip: We ask attendees to score sessions on how much time they had to ask questions, so make sure to incorporate interactive elements into your event.

To ensure your event runs smoothly, you will need:

1. An event organiser – this is the person who is responsible for your AiG Month session
2. A presenter, or presenters – this refers to the person or people who will be presenting your session. This may or may not be the same person as the event organiser. Presenters will:
   • make the session relevant and engaging to our Analysis Function audience
   • inform the AF Central Team who will need ‘presenter access’ during your session – this will allow us to assign everybody the correct settings to present
   • introduce the session and speakers using our ‘intro text’
   • run a question and answer session, if applicable
   • close the event using our ‘outro text’
3. Tech Support – this person will be responsible for making sure the meeting settings are correct and opening and closing the meeting. Your event support must work in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to ensure effective operation of your session. If you don’t work in ONS we will assign you a named contact to do this on your behalf. The event support will:
   • share an Analysis Function branded slide at the start of the session
   • ensure all presenters are given ‘presenter’ status in Teams at the start of the meeting
   • ensure the event runs on time
   • end the meeting

We recommend you dial in 5-10 minutes before your event starts. Teams does not allow us to assign organiser access to colleagues outside of our home organisation (ONS), so we have to do this as soon as you dial in. We’ll then check you can be seen and heard, and we’re ready to go.

If you’d like to test your tech before the day, we’d be glad to accommodate a ‘dress rehearsal’. Just contact the team by emailing Analysis.Function@ons.gov.uk.

Your host – a member of the Analysis Function Central Team – will introduce you, and ensure you are comfortable and ready to begin.

Once you are ready to begin your session, your host will hand over to you, and you should start your presentation using our introductory text script:

• “Welcome to [NAME OF EVENT], part of AiG Month – the UK’s biggest learning and development event for government analysts.
• AiG Month is delivered by the Analysis Function, who are one of several cross‑government functions and here to build capability and community for analysts across every department.
• The Analysis Function brings together many professions; actuaries, digital and data specialists, economists, geographers, operational researchers, social researchers, and statisticians – plus anyone who works with analysis or has an interest in it.
• This session isn’t recorded, but we’ll share key learning outcomes on the Analysis Function website so you can catch up or share highlights with colleagues.
• This is one of many sessions happening across government in May. To explore more events and connect with the community, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit the Analysis Function website, follow us on Eventbrite, and join us on LinkedIn and X”.

Using standard wording to open and close an event better informs the audience about the context of the event, the wider activities of AiG Month, and lends from podcast and traditional broadcast media to add a touch of professionalism.

Once you’ve given the context, you can crack on with your session!

• If you are using slides for your presentation, you should do this using the PowerPoint Live in Teams function. This gives both the presenter and audience an inclusive and engaging experience, combining the best parts of presenting in PowerPoint with the connection and collaboration of a Microsoft Teams meeting.
• When you’re the presenter, using PowerPoint Live gives you a unique view that lets you control your presentation while staying engaged with your audience, seeing people’s video, raised hands, reactions, and chat as needed.
• You can use this mode if you’re already in a Teams meeting by selecting ‘Share’ and choosing your PowerPoint file under the PowerPoint Live section. If you don’t see the file in the list, select ‘Browse OneDrive’ or ‘Browse my computer’ to find it.
• Learn more about Sharing slides in Microsoft Teams meetings with PowerPoint Live
• If you do not feel comfortable sharing slides using PowerPoint Live, or have limited bandwidth, you can of course share your slides using the Share content option

• Teams polls are a brilliant way to interact with the audience during your event
• If you are not based in ONS you’ll be unable to build your own polls before your event. Please send us the details of your polls (question and format) a minimum of one week before your event and we’ll build them for you
• Once the meeting begins, we can give you co-organiser access, and you should be able to manage your own polls (but don’t worry, we’ll be on hand just in case!)
• We’ve found the Teams chat bar to be a useful way to take comments and questions from the audience
• The event presenter may check the Teams chat bar themselves or ask a member of their team to alert them to any incoming questions or comments throughout the session

• You can choose whether you would prefer to take questions from the chat bar only, or whether you’d like attendees to also be able to enable their cameras, or also use Teams Q&A
• Audience cameras and microphones will be turned off as the default to allow for the smooth running of the session
• If or when you want to allow audience members to appear on camera to interact or ask questions, you will have to make them a Presenter so that they may turn on their camera and microphone
• If you have any queries about giving presenter access, contact us at Analysis.Function@ons.gov.uk
• Your Tech Support will be able to help with any issues on the day
• The presenter should bring the session to a close using our ‘Closing the session (script)’ (see next section)

“Thank you to everyone for attending this Analysis in Government (AiG) Month event.

Remember to get involved in all the other activities taking part during AiG Month throughout May. Keep up to date by visiting the AiG Month Hub on the Analysis Function website.

You can also follow us on X @gov_analysis, connect with us on LinkedIn, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and be the first to find out about our events by following us on Eventbrite.  For  anything else, please email the AF Central Team at Analysis.Function@ons.gov.uk. And don’t forget to leave feedback about this session.

Thank you and goodbye.”

All AiG Month events are live, and we don’t record them as standard, but we think it is important to share learning outcomes from all sessions. This means attendees can remind themselves of some of the key points, and find links to any resources, articles, suggested e-learning, tools, or any other online content you may have referred to in your presentation. It also means that colleagues who couldn’t make the session can still benefit from it.

We don’t need copies of your slides – just a few bullet points and links. To better understand the sort of thing we’re after, you can find learning outcomes from previous AiG Months on the Learning section of the AiG Month Hub.

We publish learning outcomes on a weekly basis throughout AiG Month, so ask that you send us your learning outcomes as soon as possible after your event. For extra points you can even send them to us before your event!

We ask all attendees to complete a short feedback form after each event based on our criteria for success. If you would like us to share this with you after your session, just ask.

1. Your Tech Support person must work in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and must be on hand to support your technical requirements, such as slide sharing and Q&A during the event
2. If your team is not based in ONS, we will assign your Tech Support person
3. It’s good to have a test of what you need to do to start up the meeting with your Tech Support, either in a separate meeting or by joining the meeting early​
4. You may want to set up a separate, private Teams chat with your Tech Support person, so you have a separate way to keep-in-touch outside of work systems that won’t be visible to attendees when you’re sharing your screen
5. Download your AiG_Month_presenter_slide_templates (PPTX)
6. We also have lots of resources, including logos and Teams backgrounds, in our AiG Month Campaign in a Box
7. Check that your presentation is as accessible as possible so as many colleagues as possible may enjoy it. You may find the following resources useful to help you make accessible presentations: GOV.UK blog ‘Advice for making events and presentations accessible’ and Analysis Function guidance on accessibility
8. Encourage attendees to participate actively throughout your event and provide breaks if it’s a long session. Be respectful of everyone’s time and start and end the session on time
9. Finally, have fun and enjoy the experience!

Skill sharing webinars should impart some tangible learning on a particular subject to help colleagues continuously improve. Attendees should leave the session feeling excited by the new skill they’ve learned and eager to try it out for themselves. When planning a skill sharing webinar, it’s essential to choose a topic that will interest your audience.

1. Choose a topic that is relevant and interesting to your target audience. Make sure it is something they will find useful and informative. Do some research to identify what the hot topics are in your field.
2. Identify your speakers. Choose speakers who are knowledgeable and passionate about the topic. Look for people who are well-respected in your department or profession and who have a track record of giving high-quality presentations.
3. Engage your audience. Encourage audience participation by asking questions, conducting polls, and using other interactive tools. This will help keep your audience engaged and interested in the presentation.
4. Try to avoid ‘too much tell’. You have very little time to capture the audience’s attention and can only reasonably expect to maintain it for up to 20 minutes before they will need require some kind of energiser or change of pace
5. Minimise the number of slides in your presentation
6. Avoid cluttering your slides with too much text or information. You want the audience to be listening to you present rather than just ‘reading ahead’. Don’t use your slides as your presenter notes
7. If you must have text on slides, use bullet points and images to convey your most important messages in a clear and concise manner.

Read more about capturing and keeping audiences’ attention.

• Who can attend AiG Month? AiG Month events are open to the general public
• Is there a cost to attend AiG Month events? AiG Month events are all virtual, held on MS Teams, and free!
• Do you record AiG Month events? No. Read about ‘the benefits of attending live events’ on the About AiG Month page.  Concise AiG Month learning outcomes are published after every session.  Learning outcomes include key takeaways, links, tools and resources, and next steps or recommended reading
• Is there a limit on how many presentations a department can submit? In the words of 90’s Dutch pop sensations 2Unlimited, “No, no, no, no, there’s no limits” We’re happy to receive as many EOIs as departments would like to submit.  We assess all EOIs prior to confirming sessions and will be able assess whether there is any ‘imbalance’ across AiG Month content at that stage.
• Do we need to provide slides/any material ahead of time? No, but we’d advise you to read the guidance on this page ahead of submitting an EOI, and refer to it when planning your AiG Month session. We’d also be very happy to review slides / material or give advice on top tips to make sessions even more engaging. Just drop us a line at Analysis.Function@ons.gov.uk
• Are there any limits on the scope of analysis that could be presented? No. We aim to include content from all of the analysis professions, and as long as the content is educational / informative / engaging, suitable for a cross-government audience, promotes learning and development that government analysts will benefit from, and complements our theme of “impact in action”, we’ll be happy to include it.