Poster Presentations

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

1. What is a poster presentation?

 Effective visual communication of research results or information

 Eye-catching & attractive

 Easy to follow, good flow

 3 to 4 points to get across/ conciseness

2. Advantages - what is a poster for?

 Reaching a wide audience at a conference or meeting

 Available for longer times than a lecture presentation

 Possibility of asking questions in a non threatening situation

 Also, in depth one to one discussion of research between presenter

and conference participants.

 Networking

3. Aims

To produce a unified piece of information on a poster to a standard size

A commonly used size is 2m wide x 1m high but it is necessary to check with

the conference organisers on each occasion.

4. Think about:

a) Content

 A poster is not an essay stuck up on a board

 Divide into several ‘stand alone’ sections which make an essential

point. Each section should have a heading and then supporting text –

use bullet points.

 Make the information flow from one stand alone section to the next

 Be concise evaluate every word for clarity. Would the meaning be

changed if words were omitted?

 Make sure the content is correct

 Don’t forget references

 EDIT RUTHLESSLY

b) Visibility

Aim to make the poster easy to read from a metre away

Suggested font sizes:

 Main title in 72 font including the

 Names of the authors 48 font .

 Use sub headings in at least 36 font.

 Make points in 24 to 28 point font.

 Use bullet points to make the reading easier and your main points

more visible.

 Use bold, lower case and a clear font e.g. ‘Arial’

 Ensure a good contrast between the text and the background colour.

c) Layout

 A good poster has substantial proportions of blank space marking

stand alone sections.

 Make the poster straight vertically - line up the text

 Make the ideas flow logically and smoothly by using arrows or space

or numbering to draw the eye to information in an appropriate order.

 Try different layouts on a piece of A4 graph paper

 Don’t tuck away your most important conclusions at the bottom of the

poster but make them central.

d) Attractiveness

 The aim is to make the poster so attractive that the audience read your

poster before reading the others on display.

 Use colour computer graphics, scan in photographs etc.

 Use coloured fonts and backgrounds- make sure it is still readable.

5. On the day of the presentation

 You will be expected ‘to talk through’ you poster to your audience

either to individuals or to groups of people. Work out ahead of time

what you will say and practice it.

 Be prepared to answer questions on the background to your poster.

 Have an A4 copy of the poster to hand out to people who are

interested or your e-mail address on bits of paper if you don’t want to

give away your results.

 Don’t forget to find out how the posters are to be attached- you may

need to take velcro or drawing pins with you.

University Study Advisers- University of Reading