1. Emma Matthews MS CNS MSSN meeting – sharing best practice presentation March 2013 MS Trust Conference

2. P is for Plan – this is the most important part...  What are you wanting to share? What are wanting to achieve? What is the goal of the poster?  Is this a past project or is it something you need to achieve before you can produce the poster?  How much space are you allowed vs. content of poster – check specific criteria.  Research your subject and information gathering  Format  Target audience?

3. O is for Organise  What do you need?  Who do you need to involve?  Stay focused  Think about funding/sponsorship  Do you have a deadline date?

4. S is for Simple ‘an effective poster presentation is visual simplicity achieved without loss of information’  Keep information concise and simple  Use pertinent information only  ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’

5. T is for Time  Allow yourself plenty of time… it will take you longer than you think to 1. Complete content 2. Feedback/proof read/changes 3. Printing and laminating Words of wisdom: ‘like anything else, creating a poster can take as much time as you let it. Start early and allow time for mistakes, but decide how much time you can afford to spend on this, and then stick to it’.

6. E is for Edit If its not relevant to your message – delete it.  A poster is simply a static way of communicating an idea or message  Attract visual attention – 20% text 40% graphics 40% empty space  Keep format clear, use colours sparingly (avoid Red and Green)  No more than 2 different fonts  Check spelling  Proof read

7. R is for review  Draft version to check for mistakes, visual appearance, consistency of style before printing.  Be critical  Ask others for ‘honest’ opinions  What are your recommendations and thoughts about your poster?  How could this work progress?  What could your next project and poster be?...

8. Are you all ready to have a go? The possibilities are endless… Enjoy! Generate new ideas Share best practice Promote change Service improvement

9. Useful sites and information 1. www.mstrust.org.uk www.mstrust.org.uk 2. www.ukmssna.org.uk www.ukmssna.org.uk 3. www.bladderandbowelfoundation.org www.bladderandbowelfoundation.org 4. www.therapistsinms.org.uk www.therapistsinms.org.uk 5. www.posterpresentations.com www.posterpresentations.com 6. Also ‘goggle’ producing a poster etc and there are thousands of results for you to choose with regards to format etc.

10. Emma Matthews Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Nurse Specialist Northampton General Hospital emma.matthews@ngh.nhs.uk