Tips on Poster Presentations

Posters provide an intimate forum for informal discussion. The poster should be selfexplanatory, so that you are free to supplement and discuss particular points raised by viewers. Remember that your material/illustrations will be viewed from distances of one metre or more. Lettering should be as large as possible and preferably in bold type. SIMPLICITY is the key: brief captions tables that are few in number but clear succinct text

The poster size is A3, but typically posters are done A0. Posters can be printed on the Departments A3 colour laser printer. Details on printing arrangements will be given in class. Nothing larger can be accommodated.

Guide for preparation of posters

1. INITIAL SKETCH. Plan your poster early. Focus your attention on a few key points. Try various styles of data presentation to achieve clarity and simplicity. Does the use of colour help? What needs to be expressed in words? 2. ROUGH LAYOUT. Enlarge your best initial sketch, keeping the dimensions in proportion to the final poster. Ideally, the rough layout should be full size. Draw rough graphs and tables. This will give you an idea of proportions and balance. 3. FINAL LAYOUT. The artwork is complete. The text and tables are typed but not necessarily enlarged to full size. Now ask - "Is the message clear? Do the important points stand out? Is there a balance between words and illustrations? Is the pathway through the poster clear?" 4. BALANCE. The figures and tables ought to cover slightly more than 50% of the poster area. If you have only a few illustrations, make them large. Do not omit text, but keep it brief. The poster should be understandable without oral explanation. 5. TYPOGRAPHY. Avoid abbreviations, acronyms and jargon. Use a consistent type-style throughout. Use large type. Use a serif font such as TIMES for text as it is easier to read, especially from a distance. The title, headings and authors information may be done is a san serif font such as ARIAL. 6. MOVEMENT. The movement (pathway) of the eye over the poster ought to be natural (down columns and along rows). Size attracts attention. Arrows, hands, numbers and symbols can clarify sequence. 7. SIMPLICITY. Do not overload the poster. More material may mean less communication. Ask yourself, what do I want the viewer to remember?

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Guide for presentation of your poster

Give a brief oral overview. When someone approaches you, launch into a brief, clear, wellplanned statement of what your project is about (topic, setting, findings). This should be no more than one minute long (ideally less). Then let the audience member ask questions and/or read the poster and handout. You should be as prepared as if you were going to give an oral presentation, but the goal is to have a more informal back-and-forth exchange. Be available. Don't wander away from your poster, but don't hover while people view your materials. Give them only as much information as they seem to want, but don't be shy about giving more information when people are interested. Consider making a small envelope in which you can put copies of your business card (or a similar slip of paper with your contact information on it). Attach this envelope to your poster, so people who are interested in your work can help themselves. Then they can contact you later if you are talking to someone else when they stop by, or if they stop by outside of the official poster viewing hours. Bring handouts and other supplemental materials. A brief handout can supplement the poster, but the poster should make sense without it. Handouts are best used for detailed data presentation (e.g., long transcripts) or for use with audiovisual materials, so the audience doesn't need to be able to stand in front of the poster to follow along on the transcript. If you can share audio or video materials (e.g., on CD) or supply them on your website, you'll be guaranteed to be the most popular presenter at the conference. People love to have such materials for teaching purposes. Bring copies of your paper. Have photocopies of your paper available so that interested people can read the details at their leisure. Be sure to offer them to anyone who shows more than a passing interest in your poster (and be sure you have enough to distribute throughout the entire presentation period). Get to know your audience. Find out who they are and what they're working on. You may make a valuable contact with someone who shares your research interests.

Want more information?

Visit: http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/Dept/Tips/present/posters.htm http://depts.washington.edu/mphpract/ppposter.html http://www.sbne.org/Meeting/2002/2002poster_guide.htm http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/research/students/posterfaq.html

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