Creating a Compelling Poster and Communicating Naomi L. C. Luban, MD Chief, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology Director, Transfusion Medicine/The Edward J. Miller Donor Center Vice Chair for Academic Affairs, Department of Pediatrics Professor, Pediatrics and Pathology, GWUMC

Biggest Mistakes  Too much data  Used poster board  Too busy – too much data  Cannot read from distance  Forgot Logo  Loss of focus

Getting Started  Plan and “write” it out  Layout design  Think about fonts and colors

Plan  Review the details provided  Consider need for abstract and references  Focus on the essential concepts  Consider the audience  Tell a story

Write  Use short sentences and simple words  Use headers and breaks  Active voice and avoid pronouns  Proofread, proofread, proofread  Avoid jargon

Suggested Content (but confirm with the instructions) Title- Often in a header Authors- With/without degrees Institutional affiliations- All or some Abstract- Sometimes not needed Methods- Not too much detail Results- Graphics help Conclusion(s)- Use bullets Acknowledgement- Critical to include grant/concept support References- May be optional

Designing the Layout  Information in visual format Graphs, Tables, Figures, Photos, X-rays  Aim for 40% graphics, <20% white space  Graphics should be self explanatory  Label data lines within graph

Fonts  Simple, bold and legible from 6 feet  Suggestions Title96 in bold Author84 font Poster content32 or ? larger font

Color  Too much is too distracting  Unify content with color as border  Remember fluorescent lighting intensifies colors

Know your Audience

Body Language and Projection  Posture and energetic stance  Eye contact  Gestures

Environment  Set up (tape? markers? pins? hammer?)  Handouts  Business cards  Bottle of water

Communicating your Knowledge and Passion  Facial expression  Voice dynamics  Avoid uh/um/like  When faced with a problem in your data “manage” the question and the responses

Appearance  Neat and well groomed  Professional  Comfort, especially shoes  Fitting for venue  ? Color coordinate?

Preparation  Practice, prepare, practice  Rehearse with someone who is not in your lab  Prepare responses to questions before hand