Conference posters & Short presentations By Andreas Grondoudis 1

Contents Conference poster (G.Stylianou, Ch 13 of text) – Advantages & disadvantages – Why do people like them – Facilities – Planning – Common mistakes Short presentation (Zobel & Ch 18 of text) – Content & Organisation – Introduction & Conclusion – Preparation, Delivery & Figures – The audience and questions 2

3 Conference poster Purpose – To present the main points of your work (~size 1.5m x 1m) – To give enough information to inform, but to be simple, clear and creative. – To present it so that it is visually pleasing and does not look too dense, ill conceived or sloppy.

4 Advantages Presenting a poster is a far less nerve- wracking experience than giving an oral presentation Conference participants can choose to quickly scan posters or study them in detail They are a visual medium and can be presented very attractively The presenter gets personal contact with those interested in them

5 Disadvantages of a poster You don’t have audience. – You have to attract audience Space is limited A poster takes more time and can cost more to prepare than in an oral presentation – Research, information, selection, placement, text, attractiveness, catchiness and more People may not give attention to the poster

6 What people like in a poster Something that doesn’t take long to read Only a small amount of text Lots of white space An interesting catchy title in a large font Can be read at a distance of 2 meters Color The viewer is led through the material Figures with good captions

7 Facilities Your work The internet (images.google.com) Powerpoint is more than enough

8 Planning the poster 1.Consider how the title will appear 2.Work out what the message is 3.Expand the message and focus only on a few points 4.Work out how to let the illustrations tell the story 5.Also important – Make sure you know the size and shape of the poster – Find out the length of the viewing session – Work out how much details information is needed – Make sure it is legible from a distance of 1.5 – 2 meters

9 Background/intro Abstract Title Author(s) and affiliation Methods (1) Methods (2) Results (1) Results (2) Results (3) Results (4) Results (5) Conclusions Future Development References

10 Common Mistakes Include far too much information Main points not made clear Too much information crammed in Too much detail Font too small The flow of information is not clear Figures and tables are placed illogically in relation to the text Tables contain far too much information Information not grouped Photographs enlarged beyond their capabilities Too much black text: lack of white space

Short presentations Scientist usually have to present their work Factors affecting – Skill of the speaker – Interest of the audience Contrary to an article – Leaves no permanent record – Can include inaccuracies or generalities What is essential for a talk is different from that of an article paper 11

Content Content must be selected carefully – Usually based on an article or thesis but you cannot include too much details (short remember?) Depends on.. – The available time – The 'available' audience (usually more diverse) You might have to introduce more specific information Think of – what you are trying to 'teach/explain' them – What the audience needs to know in order to 'get it' The material should be – Clear, to the point; not to specific or too general – Never too much (you'll either hurry, or run overtime) 12

Organisation Talks are linear they have: start, middle, finish – No back and forth like a paper – No "take a 5' minute break" and return – No "search the internet" for the made claim Here is a suggested structure: – the subject of the talk; – any (relevant) background; – the experiments or results; – conclusions or implications of results Ensure all topics are relevant Distinguish good to know material and must know material If you skip something let them know Make sure the timing is correct 13

The introduction and conclusion The introduction – Must be a 'good' one. – The first few sentences must capture the audience Possibility: You can start with a tale or an anecdote, that will illustrate the goal of the talk. if you can make it funny, all the better – First give them the goal of the talk – Then give them the structure – Never start without an introduction – Make a starting slide The talk title All authors names – Identify yourself so that the audience knows who you are. The conclusion – End the talk clearly – Maybe review what was said and what they should take away 14

Preparation It's not a good idea to write the whole thing out. Have notes to remind you what you want to say Rehearse the talk often enough and time yourself so that you get the timing right. – Don't learn it by heart, just familiarise yourself with the contents Learn to use any equipment that is used (projectors, laser pointers, etc) Get someone to listen to a rehearsal so that you have some feedback 15

Delivery and figures Use slides/overheads showing text or figures – Provide reference points – Illustrate results or interesting facts and figures – Avoid just reading them (they are there as a guide, including non- complete sentences) – Don't overcrowd slides with text; crammed text does not look good Figures – Good figures make a point must easier to get across – Label everything, use colour, animation if you like Delivery – Speak clearly, slower than a conversation, loud enough to be heard, keep you head up, face the audience; eye-contact is not a bad thing – Avoiding umming, pacing and gesturing/waving, don't use sheets of paper to hide part of the slide – Expect to be nervous… Rehearsals help 16

Audience and Questions It is intimidating A silent audience is good – they are paying attention; Remember, they are there and they want to hear what you have to say (they showed up) – Use this, build up a relationship Handle distractions tactfully (even with some humour) Questions come at the end and you must expect them – Give 5 minutes (or more, depends) – Nothing to be frightened about – Give honest answers, don't antagonise the audience – If you don't know, don't be afraid to admit it (it is better than bluffing) – Never be rude to the audience or dismiss their questions. 17

Summary Conference poster – Easier than a talk, but (sometimes requires) more work – Have to be clear, structures and bring a point across – Have to attract attention – Powerpoint and hard work Short presentation – Requires skill, have to be brave and well prepared – Select the content carefully, think of what you want to teach them and what to say in order to make them understand – Introduction is important – Deliver with slides/overhead, text and figures – Being nervous is natural, rehearsing helps ( a lot ) – Q&A at the end, always honest, never rude 18