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Creating Effective Poster Presentations: Stuart Boon Centre For Academic Practice & Learning Enhancement

This document provides guidance on creating effective poster presentations. It discusses the purpose of using posters to present research findings to a large audience in an accessible format. Key recommendations include focusing the content on the main point, using a clear and logical design with ample white space and large fonts, and keeping text to a minimum. The tips section advises preparing handouts and transportation for the poster, and being prepared to discuss the research when presenting at a conference. The overall goal is to design the poster in a way that achieves the presenter's purpose and effectively engages their target audience.

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88 views20 pages

Creating Effective Poster Presentations: Stuart Boon Centre For Academic Practice & Learning Enhancement

This document provides guidance on creating effective poster presentations. It discusses the purpose of using posters to present research findings to a large audience in an accessible format. Key recommendations include focusing the content on the main point, using a clear and logical design with ample white space and large fonts, and keeping text to a minimum. The tips section advises preparing handouts and transportation for the poster, and being prepared to discuss the research when presenting at a conference. The overall goal is to design the poster in a way that achieves the presenter's purpose and effectively engages their target audience.

Uploaded by

api-19741990
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Creating Effective

Poster Presentations
Stuart Boon
Centre for Academic Practice &
Learning Enhancement
Outline
 Purpose

 Content

 Design

 Construction

 Tips

 Summary
Purpose
Why use posters?
Purpose
 To present a summary of research or
scholarship in a format that is easily and
widely accessible
 To reach a large audience

 To allow many people to report findings in a


single session
 To allow people with similar interests to meet
and discuss detailed topics or ideas
Purpose: Cognitive
 The purpose of using a poster
 On the Surface:
 To inform
 To communicate information and ideas to peer
 Beneath the Surface:
 To persuade or influence
 To affect change in another’s understanding
Purpose: Your Audience
 Consider:
 How can I best inform my audience?
 What do I know about them?
 What are they likely to respond to?
 What do they need to learn from me?

 How can I best speak to them?


 What ‘language’ should I use?
 How can I engage them?
Content
 Typical components of a poster:
 Title
 Author(s) - names & affiliations
 Abstract or Summary - approach & main findings
 Introduction
 Materials & Methods - describing experimental or field
research, background theory or historical overview
 Results - key findings
 Conclusions
 Acknowledgements, References & Sources
Content: Focus
 Focus your content!
 What is the one main point you want to make?
 Use a statement, diagram or image that will grab
your audience’s attention
 Your audience will not likely approach if it is not
clear what your topic or theme is from a “safe
distance” (2 - 3 metres) - use less but bigger text

 In most situations, your audience will have a


limited time to view posters
Design
 Providea neat, logical arrangement of text
and graphics
 Leave white space to provide structure and
distinguish elements from each other
 Consider:
 Having a focal point for your poster
 Using a striking overall design related to the topic
 Attractive and effective use of colour
 Keep proper contrast between background and text
Design: Content Paths

1 2 3 4
1 2 3
5 6 7 8

2 3 1 2 3
4 1 5 7 8
6 7 6 5 4
Design: Visual
 Colour
 use sparingly to emphasize, make distinct, or
connect information
 Fonts
 use large, simple fonts (24pt+) so that your text is
readable from at least 2 metres
 White Space
 effective posters are spacious and easy to follow;
adequate clear space will direct attention to key
elements
Design: Visual 2
 Balance
 Provide a balance of text, graphics, and other
visual elements (colour, white space, etc.)
 40% graphics is suggested
 Guidelines
 If you cannot avoid a complex design or a degree
of clutter, try to provide guidelines such as arrows
from one panel to another, or numbering your
headings
Construction
 Software
 Microsoft PowerPoint - highly recommended!
 Adobe Photoshop or InDesign
 CorelDraw or other ‘paint’ programs
 Graphics / Images
 Do not use compressed images (.jpg / .gif)
 Use uncompressed TIFF (.tif) and the higher the resolution
the better (300dpi+)
 Printing
 Who is printing your poster? The department, yourself or
University Print Shop?
Construction: Dots Per Inch
Tips
 Keep text to a minimum
 For impact and to attract visitors
 Huge blocks of tiny text attract people like dentists
attract children -- that is… they don’t!

 Don’t try to tell the whole story on your poster


 Edit out extraneous and superficial material
 Present only enough information and data to
support your conclusions
Tips: Handouts
 Provide a handout for interested visitors
 Include a summary of your poster
 Title
 Abstract
 Key figures and findings
 Include text, tables and graphics you weren’t able
to include on your poster
 Include your contact details
 Name, address, phone, fax, e-mail, etc.
Tips: At the conference
 Transportation
 How readily does your poster travel?
 Roll up? Break down? Can you take it with you?

 Tools for the conference


 Tape - ordinary and double-sided
 Velcro / Bluetac / Pushpins / String
 Scissors
 Pens or pencils
Tips: Presentation
 Presenting your poster
 Arrive early!
 Be prepared to chat and answer questions
 Have your handouts ready
 Dress appropriately for the venue
Summary
 Consider
 What is your poster trying to achieve?
 Who is your audience?
 What content do you need to achieve your
purpose and reach your audience?
 What design / elements will work best for your
purpose?
 How are you going to construct it and get it
printed?
 What do you need on the day of the presentation?
Thank you!

For more information:

Stuart Boon
Centre for Academic Practice & Learning Enhancement
Graham Hills Building, John Anderson Campus
[email protected]

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