Edith Baker Integrated Healthcare Fellowship Edith Baker Fellowship Edith Baker Integrated Healthcare Fellowship

Compelling and Informative Effective Poster Presentations Compelling and Informative

What is Best Practice? "It takes intelligence, even brilliance, to condense and focus information into a clear, simple presentation that will be read and remembered. Ignorance and arrogance are shown in a crowded, complicated, hard-to-read poster." Mary Helen Briscoe

An effective poster is a visual communications tool. An effective poster will help you ... Engage colleagues in conversation Get your main point(s) across to as many people as possible

Goals of an effective poster Communicates visually Serves as an illustrated abstract Aesthetically pleasing Attracts & holds attention Easily read Initiates discussion Is concise & organized Focuses on a single clear message Successfully presents scientific / technical information Is not a journal article Stands alone if /when you’re not there

Big 3 for an effective poster Focus on a single message Let graphs and images tell the story Keep the sequence well ordered and obvious

An effective poster operates on multiple levels ... Source of information Conversation starter Advertisement of your work Summary of your work

Ineffective posters suffer from easy-to-fix problems... Objective(s) and main point(s) hard to find Text too small Poor graphics Poor organization

  Title Intro Conclusions Do not resist the eye’s natural propensity to travel left – right / top - bottom

Components of the poster Title of Project & Author(s) School of Social Work & Placement Site Issue/Research Question(s) Research Design/ Method Findings Implications for Social Work Practice 3-5 Competencies References (minimal role in poster) Acknowledgements (HRSA statement)

Poster construction Plan your poster Page Set-Up Title, Author (s), References,& Placement site Body Text & Graphic Elements Rough Layout Refinement Color Scheme Proof and Final Editing

Ask yourself….. What you are studying, why it's important, and how your analysis/ findings will add to field of social work/ integrated healthcare?  

Plan before you begin your poster Draft /edit text portions in word processing program Use plain language Pare down blocks of text ≤ 10 sentences Create subheadings Use phrases & bulleted lists Save text ~ font for poster (Arial 24) Collect images, graphs, etc. Create a storyboard Think in terms of columns Organize elements top bottom left right

Set-up single PPT slide Open new (Blank) presentation Start PowerPoint and a New presentation automatically opens Home Tab > Layout > Blank Or right click on slide & select Layout > Blank Establish page size: Full color, gloss, 36x48 From Design tab > Page Setup Slide Sized for: Custom Input Width & Height (inches) max = 56” For posters up to 4’8” x 4’8” input the exact size in inches For larger posters, input 50% of the finished size in inches Orientation (Slide) Landscape Click OK * Note: You may get message “current page exceeds printable area of paper in printer”. Say OK & ignore warning. You will not be printing full size on your desktop printer.

Title, author(s), and site Add Title, Author(s), & Placement Site(s) From Insert Tab > select Text Box Drag cursor across the page Type text (or cut / paste from word processor) into Text Box Select text & change font sizes Font sizes will vary with length of title, number of authors & institutions, and size of poster Remember to halve font sizes if poster is half-scale See rough guidelines below (practice poster figures are shown in right column) Title Full size 50% ~60-90 pts ~30-45 pts 1.5 - 2” high Arial Black - size 80 Author(s) ~70-60 pts ~20-30 pts 1-1.5 “ high Arial - size 48 - Bold Placement site(s) ~36-48 pts ~18-24 pts .5-.75” high Arial - size 36 - Bold

Text body Create a text box for each block of information From Insert Tab > select Text Box Drag cursor across the page Type text (or cut / paste) into Text Box Select text & change font sizes Ensure text is readable Try a typeface family -- Arial Black, Arial, Arial Narrow Avoid script fonts & ALL CAPS Text type Scale Font size (pts) Print size Practice Poster Text Body Full size 50% ~ 20-30 pts ~ 10-15 pts .2 -.3” high Arial - size 24 minimum- regular

Images Add picture From Insert Tab > select Picture Browse to find picture and click Open or Insert Use PowerPoint image manipulation tools Reposition Resize Rotate Crop Use images greater or equal to 300 dpi Be careful with images from internet or captured from screen If needed, add a grey or black border (matting) using picture styles options in Picture Tools tab.

Strive for balance Keep text neat & uncluttered Limit text (e.g. 1000-1500 words for a medium-sized poster) Scale text boxes (~ 11-15 words wide) Left justify to make it easier to read Use line spacing & paragraph spacing to arrange text Consider proportions 40 - 50 % text 30 - 40 % graphics 20 % white space Balance margins & white space Sides & top margins ~ 1.5 - 2” Bottom margin slightly bigger > good visual base Avoid crowding content

Think about the color scheme Contrast between text & background is critical Complement poster contents & images Light backgrounds work well with dark photos & graphic Dark backgrounds for light photos & graphics Intense colors are good for borders or emphasis Stick to a theme or palette of colors Office 2007 comes with built-in & customizable palettes

Color options Background Design Tab > Background Styles > Format Background Apply fill (solid, gradient, picture, texture, etc.) Select color, gradient pattern, transparency, etc. Color palette - Theme Colors Design Tab > Colors Select a theme (you can change this later) Color Blocks ( behind title) Insert Tab > Shapes > pick a shape (e.g., rectangle) Drag cursor across page; resize as needed Right click on shape and Send to Back With shape selected, click on Format Drawing Tools Use Shape Styles options

Other options Section headers Insert Tab > Text Box; click and drag to create box, type text With text box selected, click on Format Drawing Tools Use Shape Styles for the box & Word Art Styles for the text Semi-transparent layer under text (If contrast between text and background needs improvement) Add AutoShape & change color /transparency using Format AutoShape Move shape behind Text by right clicking & selecting Send to Back If you select an image as background Use subtle image or text won’t be readable Add semi-transparent layer between image & text

Refine text and layout Make final text edit It is not too late to pare down large text blocks Justify text Standardize column width Fine tune the layout using Format Drawing Tools Use Arrange menu in the Format Drawing Tools Tab or Home Tab Align borders of the elements in one column Group column elements Distribute columns across page Use Size Dialog box under Format Drawing Tools Tab to precisely size Refine title, site name & logo, and references

Text too small / Poor graphics Edit down sentence to phrases If it is not relevant, remove it Consider proportions 40-50% text 30-40% graphs/images 20% white space

Guidelines for presentation Invite guests (Task Supervisor and Field Instructor) to learn about your project The poster should tell what, when, where, why, and how. So should you. Prepare a couple of sentences which answer each of these questions. Connect your explanations to the elements of the poster 

Guideline for presentation Offer more detail when requested Provide a handout Practice prior to the poster session

Use of white space and photos

Poster samples

Title of Poster Author(s), Edith Baker Integrated Healthcare Fellowship Site Name Site Logo Here Introduction/ Field Site (Who) Method/design (How, Where , When) Results How much text should be in the poster? If there’s too much text the readers will lose interest and move on. Limit your text to the bare minimum and give more detailed information in a handout to interested viewers. If possible use bullet points and phrases over whole paragraphs. Pictures are helpful. Font sizes: Make the section titles about 48-80 point text. The body text of a poster should be about 24-36 point. 18 point for captions and labels. Columns The columns are there for a guideline. You do not have to use them. Scans and Digital Photos Scans images the size you want them in the poster at 180 dpi. For pictures from your own digital camera, uses the largest file setting. View your poster at 100% to see if your photos are high enough resolution. Pictures from the Internet: Unless you find photos made for down- loading and printing, the resolution is likely to be too low. The photos will not print well. Only use internet photos with copyright permission. We recommend a stock photography site such as istockphoto.com. You will pay a small fee but have much higher quality images. Background Photos If you use a photo for the poster background don’t use a busy, detailed image. It could distract from the text of the poster. The image must be high resolution. A textured background or gradient fill may be a better background option. Inserting photos: To insert a photo choose Insert menu/picture If you insert graphics from a Microsoft Office product please include a copy when sending the poster. Occasionally I have trouble with the graphics and it helps to have the original documents Caption for your photo Impact in the Community (Why after) How will it changed health care and the community? Saving When finished with your poster, save it as a PowerPoint (.ppt) and an Acrobat file (.pdf) and email both files . Issue (What) Background (Why before) description of this figure Avoid a “busy” background. It’ll make the text harder to read. Filling a background with a photo makes it more interesting but it can easily compete with your information. To add an additional heading just copy and paste an existing heading and edit its text. References & Acknowledgements description of this figure

Title of your poster Author name(s), Edith Baker Integrated Healthcare Fellowship School logo Site logo Who or Why What (introduction to the project) Where and when Why (results, conclusions, outcomes, etc.) You may wish to divide this up into several boxes You may decrease the font size in these body sections to fit your text , but do not go smaller than 24 point. Describe where and when your project took place. Include any information on the population that you didn’t address previously. [Text] Photo Describe the outcome of your project. You may want to compare “before and after” statuses, or discuss the implications of your project, or future possibilities. How (describe methods) Describe how your project worked. Don’t forget to include relevant images such as charts, figures, tables, or photos. Photo Photo Photo Photo Describe the reasoning behind your project and how it began. You may include background information and/or your objective in this section. You may want to include charts, tables, other figures, or photographs. For a more coherent look, keep the color scheme of your SmartArt or charts consistent with the rest of your poster. Acknowledgements If you do include figures, double check your axis or other labels! Make sure they’re labeled correctly. You may also need to increase the font size to make them readable. Acknowledge your program, any funding, important people, or any other type of support you received. Any references used.

Due dates Electric poster drafts are due TBA for feedback Final posters are due March 26th. Save the poster as a PowerPoint (.ppt) and an Acrobat file (.pdf) and email both files Poster pick-up Provide backing/mounting

Presentation event Poster Presentation April 10, 2019 – 3:30pm-5pm (please arrive by 3:00 pm to set up) 2017 CL Three sets of 30min presentations, if needed Easels will be provided Please invite your Field Instructor/Task Supervisor(s) Have hand-outs

Acknowledgement statement and School of Social Work logo This fellowship is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number, M01HP31376, Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Official School of Social Work Logo:

Analyzing data software SPSS is available in the Student Computer Labs Download SPSS without charge at my.pitt.edu - http://technology.pitt.edu/software/ibm-spss-statistics-for-students

References and Additional Resources University at Buffalo - Poster presentation guidelines - library.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/bio/posters.html NCSU - Effective poster guidelines - www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/index.html UCSD School of Medicine - Creating effective posters using PowerPoint - http://meded.ucsd.edu/assets/51/File/PostersPPT_Office07_PC.pdf