Aly Magleby TA Scholars March 10, 2008 Poster Presentations Aly Magleby TA Scholars March 10, 2008

??? Purpose What is the point of doing a poster presentation??? EE U Title Authors EE U ???

Purpose To visually communicate your message to as many people as possible by: Summarizing Work Advertising Accomplishments Starting Conversations

Poster Design Focused Graphic Ordered specific message shown graphically Ordered organized clearly

Focused What is the most important message for your audience to walk away with? Support message with images and text Describe necessary details using short blocks of text Avoid: probably, perhaps, may, might jargon and acronyms—use plain language Simple sticks, details distract!

Content Introduction (qualitative): Objectives/Methods: What is the problem and why is it important? How does it relate to the big picture? Objectives/Methods: What was your goal? How did you accomplish it? (brief unless introducing a new method!) Results/Discussion: Include plots, graphs, tables, figures, etc. Explain, analyze, interpret results—What do they show? Conclusion (quantitative): Summarize project—How is the problem solved? What do you recommend—How does this relate to the big picture?

Headings Summarize Organize Show Importance Make Strong Statements State interesting results explicitly in titles and headings Organize Break into logical sections Show Importance Use larger fonts Make Strong Statements “X Improved Y” rather than “Effect of X on Y”

Text Do: Don’t: Use active voice Left-justify Use serif font Use phrases Use light background, dark letters Stick to 2 or 3 colors in a consistent pattern Don’t: Use large blocks of text Use jargon Use full sentences Use overly bright colors

Graphic Shows message using graphical terms All elements easily visible from 4 ft away Title, headings and graphics clearly explain key points (not just results) in large font (36 pt) Details in small font (no less than 24 pt) Balance text and graphics symmetrically (vertical, horizontal, diagonal)

Graphic Figures/Tables Related photos/art Quickly communicate relationships Clean and simple Include explanations rather than referencing elsewhere Label font no smaller than regular text Related photos/art help convey the message attract attention

Ordered Visual grammar: Top to bottom, left to right (in US): Graphic organization makes key points easily identifiable Top to bottom, left to right (in US): Easy to read in a crowd and natural flow for reader Organizational cues: Shapes, letters or numbers to assist in poster navigation

Examples: Print this website out with out text at bottom… From: http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/DefineMessageAlternatives.html

Examples Go over student examples and what each did well, and could improve on. From: http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/DefineMessageAlternatives.html

Creating a Poster Make a ppt presentation for individual sheets tacked to a board (16 sheets for 36x48 in. board) To make full poster in ppt, go to: File  Page Setup change Slides sized for  Custom Set Width: 36 in and Height: 48 in (or set to size to match board)

Tips and Hints No amount of flair can make up for poor content Use roll-on adhesive for sticking papers to the board Use map pins for emphasizing points And remember…. = 1,000 words!

Printing Your Poster Put money on your student card Contact Clayton Butler <ClaytonB@xmission.com> Meet him at MEB 2265 Bring your poster file on a thumb drive or cd Follow directions on handout

Presenting Arrive early Set up poster and put out handouts Be able to explain in varying time limits (0.5, 2, 5 min) Explain: Context Objective Results/Discussion Conclusions Remember, poster is a visual aid!

Handouts Include: Information on poster Additional details Contact information EE U Title Authors

Other Resources “Poster Sessions: A guide to their use at meetings and conferences: for presenters and organizer” call # HF5549.5 C6 S55 1984 http://uuhsc.utah.edu/mis/ppt.html http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/Resources.html http://www.ugs.utah.edu/urop/ucur/guidelines.htm http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/ http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/Dept/Tips/present/posters.htm http://www.biology.lsa.umich.edu/research/labs/ktosney/file/PostersHome.html

References www.ncsu.edu/project/posters http://www.ece.utah.edu/~cfurse/CLEAR/writing/index.htm

Handouts to make for Cindy’s Graphics printer instructions Quick reference? 60-sec eval? Slides

Handouts to make for TAs Quick reference slides

Planning You have 16 sheets of 8.5x11 in. paper or a 36x48 in. poster (board is a tri-fold 4 ft wide by 3 ft high) Let Beverly know if you need additional equipment (for video, etc.) For TA Scholars Only!!!!