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Preparing and Presenting �an Effective Poster at a Technical
Meeting ��
Mac Hyman�
Based on a presentation by Carole Wilson, Pau Herrero Viñas, and Kathy Hackett
�It takes intelligence, even brilliance, to condense and focus information into a clear, simple presentation that will be read and remembered.�!
Mary Helen Briscoe
Poster Purpose!
• Communicate content!• Overview!• Illustrate!• Not a �paper�!
An effective poster is a visual communications tool
An effective poster will help you…
…engage others in conversation
…get your major points across to as many people as possible
The scientific poster concept!• !!A!poster!allows!you!to!more!personally!interact!with!the!people!
• !You!should!a5empt!to!grab!people's!a5en9on!through!the!clarity!of!your!presenta9on!and!impress!them!with!the!quality!of!your!research!
The poster session!• !Some!scien9fic!mee9ngs!feature!!far!more!posters!than!they!do!oral!!presenta9ons!
Goals for effective posters!• The 1st goal is to sufficiently
attract the casual onlookers� attention so that they will stop and take a second look!
• The 2nd goal is to concisely communicate the results of your research !
A good poster has three primary characteristics:
Imparts a single message Focused
Graphic
Ordered
Relies on images and graphs
Sequence clear and obvious
A poster is not just a research paper stuck to a board! It uses visual grammar to show, not tell.
Principles of effective posters "!• A poster should present an overview of your work.
It's NOT a journal article!!
• A person should fully read your poster in under 10 minutes!
Ineffective posters most often suffer from…
• Hard-to-find objectives • Text too small and too abundant • Poor use of graphics and color • Being overly �busy� • Poor organization
…but these problems are easily fixed!
Principles of effective posters!• A poster should have 1 or 2 fonts
and a simple color scheme!
• A poster should have a main title that is readable from 7 meters (25 feet) away (72-point type Times New Roman)!
• A poster should have body text that is readable from 1.5 meters (5 feet) away (24-point type Times New Roman) !
Title!• Should focus the issue!• Needs to be �catchy� !• 1 or 2 lines!!
PREDIRCAM: Technological Platform for the Prevention of Diabetes Mellitus and Cardio Metabolic
Risk !
Authors & Affiliations!• Include the name of the researches who have collaborated with
the work!• Include the corresponding affiliations! !
P. Herrero1, E. Hernando2, R. Garrigós1, G. Garcia-Saez2, R. Corcoy1, I. Martinez-Sarriegui2, E. Brugués1, C. Perez-Gandia2, A. Chico1, J. M.
Cubero1, E. Rubinat1, E. Mato1, O. Bell1 , L. Roa3, E. Gómez2, A. Leiva1!
1CIBER-BBN - Endocrinología y Diabetes, Hospital de Sant Pau - Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (EDUAB-HSP), Barcelona, Spain !
2CIBER-BBN - Grupo de Bioingeniería y Telemedicina (GBT), Madrid, Spain!3CIBER-BBN - Grupo de Investigación de Ingeniería Biomédica de la Universidad de
Sevilla (GIB-US), Sevilla, Spain!
Step 1: Write a good abstract
• Set the context - why is the work important? • Describe the objectives • Briefly explain the methods
• Unless the research is about methods, this section should not be a major focus of the abstract or poster
• State results and conclusions
Should be a succinct description of your work
But don�t include the abstract on the poster - it�s redundant. The poster is your abstract, in visual form
Introduction!• Get your viewer interested about the issue or question! !• Put a photograph or illustration that communicates
some aspect of your research question! !• Maximum 200 words!!
Step 2: Plan your poster
• What message do I want to convey? • How much space will I be allotted for my poster? • What format do I want to use?
• Multiple pieces vs.single sheet
Things to consider:
A good idea before starting: Draft layout of poster
Step 3: Design poster for 3 audiences
• your field • includes your competitors • will automatically be attracted to your poster
• fields closely related to yours • need to supply context • may not be familiar with jargon
• unrelated fields • must clearly explain the problem and the solution
People in…
Also consider the type of meeting
• Specialists only? • you can use jargon and take other shortcuts • background information already known
• Wide-ranging discipline? • avoid jargon and keep language simple • avoid acronyms and abbreviations
• Very general audience? • explain in the most basic terms possible
Step 4: Organize poster for easy viewing Lay out in column format to allow smooth flow of the audience - people read English top to bottom (called �reader gravity�) and left to right
Organizing the content! How to set up your poster:
Columns should flow left to right Use headings and subheadings Use arrows or numbers to direct flow where
necessary Use white space creatively Use color if its in your budget
Don�t use a row-oriented layout This plan moves readers past your poster quickly and it may be difficult for them to work back to
the beginning.
Also, use organizational cues to help readers navigate your poster
• Numbers, arrows, or letters
If your poster is easy to view, more people will read it!
Step 5: Use a visual hierarchy to indicate importance
• Title is biggest; headings next; then explanations • Use figures and graphs to make evidence obvious
• these should be readable from 4 ft away
Respect margins!• Provided by template!• Easier to read with generous white
space!• Set your goal at:!
– 20-30% graphics,!– 30-40% text, and!– 30-40% white space "!
Recommended font sizes!• Title ! ! !� at least 72 point!!• Headings ! !� 36-48 point!!• Text ! ! !� at least 24 point!!• Chart labels ! � 24 point!
Avoid Poor Contrast!• Solid!• Gradient!• Photograph!• Graphic!
• Solid • Gradient • Photograph • Graphic
• Solid • Gradient • Photograph • Graphic
• Solid • Gradient • Photograph • Graphic
Colors!
• Contrast!• Text!• Graphics!
• Blue on Orange
• Red on Blue
• Red on Green
• Ivory on Blue • Yellow on Blue
• Black on White • White on Black • Blue on Blue
• Orange on Green
• Peach on Orange
Choose the right kind of chart!Chart type: Best use: Bar charts Show comparisons
Horizontal bars Only used to show time
Line charts Illustrate trends
Pie charts Relationship to whole – big picture (%)
Text The last resort
Headings should state the message: Instead of just �Results�, identify the results
Step 6: Put take-home messages in large headings
• Minimize text and make it large • Title and major headings should be readable at 6 ft, rest at 3 ft
Step 7: Use readable text
Recommendations for text: • Don�t use all capitals - hard to read • Use phrases rather than full sentences • Use a serif font (e.g. Times) for most text • Sans serif font (e.g. Helvetica) OK for titles and headings • Use at least 24 point font for text, 36 for headings • Pay attention to text size in figures - it must also be large • Title should be at least 5 cm tall • Use zoom feature of preview to test readability
Useful guideline: If you print your entire poster on an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper, you should be able to read it!
Never, ever use a font size of 14 point or below!
Step 8: Let graphics dominate
BIG figures that use color
• Use graphs, figures, cartoons, and illustrations • Avoid using formats with keys or legends - explain directly on figure
Use simple two-dimensional graphs…
What�s wrong with this graph? • gray background, gridlines unnecessary • too many values on x-axis • font too small • y-axis title sideways • legend taking up space • need to differentiate lines by line type and color
Label Axis and include a caption
Use simple two-dimensional graphs
Use the space you have available
Don�t over-emphasize text
Step 9: Organize visually
Group material into units
• Keep panels similar in shape and orientation • Use color for emphasis in a consistent way
Visually separate into units
Principles of effective posters "!• A poster is a visual mean of communication so,
include graphical elements!
Avoiding common mistakes!• The width of text boxes should be approximately
40 characters (11 words per line)!
• Avoid blocks of text longer than 10 sentences!
• Whenever possible, use lists of sentences rather than blocks of text!
• Use italics instead of underlining! !
Avoiding common mistakes!!• Avoid using dark backgrounds! !• Complete the entire poster on a single platform!
• Graph titles are great for posters!
Avoiding common mistakes!• Y-axis labels aligned horizontally are much easier to
read!
• Never display two-dimensional data in 3-D! !• Make sure that details on graphs and photographs can be
comfortably viewed from 1.5 meters (6 feet) away! !• Check for "web" graphics resolution to avoid bad
visualization after printing!
Recommendations for color: • Use a light color background and dark color letters for contrast • Avoid dark backgrounds with light color text - this is difficult and tiring to read • Stick to a theme of 2 or 3 colors • Overly bright colors may be attractive initially, but will wear out readers� eyes • Consider people who have problems distinguishing colors
• red vs. green common
How colors look to people with red-greencolor blindness
Strawberries as they appear to a person with full-color vision
Strawberries as they appear to a person who cannot tell red
from green
One in twelve males (8%) and one in 200 females (0.5%) are red-green color blind. There will be about 10 color blind people in a room of 250!
From www.vischeck.com
Line Drawings • Make lines thicker, symbols larger • Use various types of lines and symbols • Avoid separate keys. Add labels within the drawings
YES NO
From “How to make figures and presentations that are friendly to color blind people” Masataka Okabe and Kei Ito !
Step 10: Discard details
Pare down to the essentials
• Simplify. Provide details in person, and only as needed • State your results with headings, and focus on results and conclusions
Step 11: Make strong conclusions Title makes a
definitive statement
Summary states results
Conclusions interpret results
Conclusions!• Remind of hypothesis and results!
• Say whether your hypothesis was supported!
• Discuss why your results are conclusive and interesting!
• Relevance of your findings to other published work!
• Future directions! !• Maximum 300 words!!
Your poster should clearly convey your take-home message
Unlike this one!
Large type states methods,
not results
Results artfully buried in a methods description
Carefully omits
interpretations
References!• Follow standard biology format!• Use peer reviewed publications !• 10 citations approximately!
Acknowledgments!• Thank individuals for specific
contributions!
• Mention who has provided funding!
!• 40 words!
Poster layout!
• Maintain sufficient white space !• Keep column alignments logical !
Poster layout!• Provide clear cues to "travel" through the poster!!• Put the unimportant sections at the bottom portion of
the poster !
Poster Examples
Too much white space
Poster Examples
Poster Examples
Poster Examples
Poster Examples Before
Poster Examples After
Poster Examples
Step 12: Assemble and print out poster Powerpoint commonly used for making single-sheet large-format posters
To start: 1. Open �New Presentation� under �File� menu 2. Go to �Page Setup� under �File� menu and choose �Custom� under �Size�
3. Enter desired dimensions • Limit for Powerpoint is 56 x 56 inches • For larger posters (e.g. 72-inch width), prepare
poster as 36 inches and have printed at twice the size 4. Treat this page as a big slide: add text, objects,
etc. just as if you were making a slide for a talk
Tips for adding images and graphs: • Use JPEGs of images on your poster
• Usually small files, easy to change size without losing resolution
• Avoid using images directly from the Web • Too low resolution
• For graphs: • after plotting data in Excel, make changes and then import as a picture • To make any additional changes, use �ungroup� to convert to Microsoft Office drawing • label axes and add other information directly in Powerpoint
The image cannot be displayed. Your computer may not have enough memory to open the image, or the image may have been corrupted. Restart your computer, and then open the file again. If the red x still appears, you may have to delete the image and then insert it again.
Excel default settings
Effect of X on Y
0 10 20 30 40 50
10 40 70 100 130
After changing in Powerpoint
Concentration of X
Response of Y
The image cannot be displayed. Your computer may not have enough memory to open the image, or the image may have been corrupted. Restart your computer, and then open the file again. If the red x still appears, you may have to delete the image and then insert it again.
After changing in Excel
When you�re ready, submit Powerpoint file for printing at the UW - allow two days� turnaround unless you request a rush job
http://depts.washington.edu/hsasf/posters/index.html!Website:
After all material is added to poster: • Go back and edit - cut, cut, cut! • Have other authors (if applicable) and colleagues critique poster
The Actual Presentation • Use the graphics as a basis • Prepare 2 and 5 minute tours of your poster • Face the audience and tell them…
• the context of the problem and why it�s important (Introduction) • your objective and what you did (Objective and Methods) • what you found (Results) • what the results mean in terms of the context (Discussion)
Consider having 8.5 x 11 miniatures of your poster, detailed methods, and/or reprints of papers available as handouts
Copyright ©2003 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
Keegan, D. A. et al. CMAJ 2003;169:1291-1292
Fig. 1: Study presenter in lavender-coloured blouse (chosen to coordinate with poster colour) and in rust-coloured blouse (chosen to clash with poster)
Effect of Colour Coordination of Attire with Poster Presentation on Poster Popularity
Copyright ©2003 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
Keegan, D. A. et al. CMAJ 2003;169:1291-1292
Advice on designing scientific posters by Colin Purrington Poster template available as Powerpoint file www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/posteradvice.htm
Presenting your poster!
• Start the conversations with a 1-sentence overview of why your research is interesting and relevant!
• If more viewers arrive halfway, finish the tour for the earlier ones first!
• Bring an envelope of highlight handouts to attach to your poster !
Presenting the Poster!
• Use the poster as a visual aid!– Refrain from reading it!!
• Use the graphics to support your points when telling your story!
!• Prepare a 2 and 5 minute tour of the poster!
Presentation Tips!
• Arrive early at the poster display site!• Hang poster neatly!• Prepare a highlight paper or miniature
versions of the poster to handout typo!• Keep a black pen and correction fluid in
your pocket in case a viewer discovers an embarrassing typo!
72!
Over Arching Thoughts …!
• Posters are a key element of scientific communication and dissemination!
• Big names can be seen giving posters!• They are different than other forms of communication
and require special consideration!• Snapshot of your current research!• For a graduate student they are a major facet of your
ability to interact!• �Postercasts� make posters persistent (not always
desirable)!72!
73!
Over Arching Thoughts!
• Should be a standalone experience if you are not there!
• If you are there engage people not intimidate them!
• Life long collaborations can start in front of a poster!
• Poster prizes count on your resume!
74!
Define the Purpose!
• Report latest unpublished work (most frequent)!
• Report a summary of a body of work!• Specifically find collaborators!• Spend the appropriate time depending on
the longevity of the poster!• Figure it being on an institutional wall after
the meeting!
75!
Sell Your Work in 10 Seconds!
• You will likely be one of hundreds of posters – you need to fight for attention!
• Catch the attention of the person ambling by both with the written word and your elevator pitch!
• Consider casting your work in the form of addressing an important question which is prominent on your poster!
76!
The Title is Important!
• It may be the only thing the attendee sees before visiting the poster session!
• A title is your equivalent of a newspaper headline – short sharp and compelling !
• Unlike a newspaper headline it should not oversell your work!
• Make it understandable to a broad audience!
77!
Poster Acceptance Means Nothing!
• Poster acceptance usually says nothing about the scientific content – conferences need attendees – attendees can often only go if they are presenting – speaking slots are limited - enter posters!
• Follow up from a poster means everything – do good science and present it well!
78!
Similarities to Giving Good Talks and Writing Good Papers!
• Know your audience – provide the appropriate scope (breadth) and depth!
• Follow the proven formula for research!– State the hypothesis to be tested and why!– Show the major result!– What does that say about your hypothesis!– Conclude with what is next!
79!
Differences from Research Papers!
• Message needs to be distilled but logical flow maintained!
• Posters (at least for now) allow you to be more speculative – they are not immutable!
• Use the poster as an attractant for other materials – supplementary information, reprints etc.!
80!
Layout and Format are Important !• Remember the phrase �eye catching�!• There is no need to cover every inch – guide the
eye to the most relevant points!• Unlike a research article a poster is not a
sequential medium – guide the viewer through the logical sequence with numbers arrows, colored boxes etc.!
• Look at other posters to get ideas not on content but layout!
• Never use less than a 24-point font!• Make sure the main points are at eye-level!
81!
Content Must Be Concise!
• Every aspect of the poster must convey the main message!
• Be clear concise and brief!• Use pictorials as much as possible!• Highlight the main points of those pictorials
– e.g. bold emphasis, color coding in tables and figures!
• The abstract should say more than a paper abstract – it may go into an abstract book!
82!
Posters Reflect Your Personality!
• Unlike a paper a poster does not have to be dry and impersonal!
• Include a photo so you can be spotted even when you are not at the poster!
• Have the photo of you doing a hobby etc. – it starts the conversation also collaborations start often for non-scientific reasons!
• A viewer will likely remember more about you that your poster!
83!
The Impact of a Poster Happens Both During and After the Poster Session …!• Work the crowd by being engaging, but not too
engaging – one engaged viewer will attract others!
• Work all the audience at once – maintain eye contact with everyone!
• Make it easy for attendees to contact you after!• For mature posters – have the poster on-line
and accessible via a URL!
84!
The Impact of a Poster Happens Both During and After the Poster
Session!
• Leave the attendee space and time!
• Have a sign-up sheet attached to your poster!
85!
Closing Thoughts on What NOT to Do..!
• Just assume yours is the best poster!• Ignore the instructions on poster size etc.!• Assume content is all that is important!• How you mount the poster does not matter!• Do not use dark backgrounds !• Do not stimulate the reader�s senses with
many random colors!
86!
Closing Thoughts on What NOT to Do!
• Require the reader stand for ½ hr 1cm from your poster!
• Have long titles in small font!• Have the authors names and institution be
the dominant visual!• Invite collaboration through physical
proximity!• Require rigorous physical exercise to follow
the logic of the poster!
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