How to Prepare for a Poster Presentation

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How to Prepare for a Poster Presentation

• Shared by Kari Kokka and Lizzie Adelman (EdD D2
  students)
• Materials from
• Professors Nancy Hill and Barbara Pan and
  Students Lauren Capotosto, Kristy Cooper
• March 26, 2013
• in preparation for the HGSE Student Research
  Conference

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Why give a poster presentation?

• Opportunity for the presenter and the audience to
  engage in one-on-one discussion
• Opportunity for the presenter to get feedback and
  insight from the audience
• Literature
• Methods
• Possible explanations for findings
• More genuine exchange of ideas than a panel
  presentation

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What happens during a poster session?

• Posters are displayed in an exhibit area for a
  designated time period
• Presenters stand by their posters to engage with
  audience members as they walk through the
  exhibits
• Audience moves through the displays stopping at
  posters related to their interests
• Presenters discuss their work with visitors to
  their posters
• Presenters and visitors can exchange information
  for follow up conversations (more on handouts
  later)

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What will happen during the SRC poster session?

• Posters will be displayed on tables in Elliot
  Lyman (using tri-fold board displays) during one
  of two dedicated poster sessions
• Presenters will stand by their posters at
  designated portions of the poster session
• Presenters will discuss their work with visitors
  to their posters
• Presenters will visit other posters when they are
  not sharing their poster

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Preparing Your Poster

• Materials for a Poster
• Conference posters are typically
  3.5-4 feet by 5.5-6 feet, and are typically
  printed on large expensive, glossy poster paper
• For the SRC, posters must be on tri-fold boards
  so they can be displayed on tables (and
  expensive, glossy printing is unnecessary)
• 15 slides
• can use the 4th floor color printer at Gutman
• Tri-fold boards are available at many copy stores
  (e.g. Staples)

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Preparing Your Poster

• Contents of a Research Poster
• Title Sheet
• Introduction
• Research Question(s)
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion/Conclusion
• References
• (can use PowerPoint to create your slides)

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Title Sheet

• Should include
• Presentation Title
• Authors Name(s)
• Affiliation
• (Email address optional)

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Introduction

• Introduce the general issues your research covers
• Present what is already known about these issues
  in existing research
• Gaps in the literature
• Rationale for your study
• Best to include citations in small font at the
  bottom of this sheet

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Research Question(s)

• State the specific research questions you address

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Methods

• Describe your data sources and how you collected
  your data
• Examples surveys, observations,
  interviews,existing dataset, etc.
• Give specifics such as number of participants,
  length of interviews, etc.
• Describe how you analyzed your data
• Coding scheme, quantitative methods, etc.

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Results

• Present what you found in your data
• Connect the data to each of your research
  questions
• Exhibits are powerful here
• Tables, Graphs, Figures, Pictures
• Interview quotes
• Passages from field notes

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Discussion/Conclusion

• Link your findings to broader issues
• State the implications of your work for students,
  parents, teachers, administrators, and/or
  policymakers.
• Limitations (optional, if space)
• Note directions for future research

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References

• List references in APA format
• This is the one piece of your poster that can be
  in very small font

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Making Your Poster Effective

• Plan your poster in the same way you would plan
  a powerpoint presentation

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Making Your Poster Effective

• Be selective and focus on the major points from
  your research
• Minimize detail
• Avoid jargon
• General audience vs. expert audience
• Have a clear organization
• Go for visual appeal

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Making Your Poster Effective

• Be thoughtful about graphics
• Capitalize on the informative nature of tables,
  graphs, figures, and pictures
• Create a display that enhances conversation
• Utilize color - particularly to highlight key
  takeaways
• Use large lettering (at least 20-point font)

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Some Design Tips

• Powerpoint slides make for great templates, but
  avoid busy, distracting backgrounds
• Standard-size tri-fold boards hold about 15
  slides in horizontal orientation
• You can trim some slides to smaller than 8.5x11
  size
• You might mount slides on colored paper
• Use a minimum of 20-point font, and use a
  consistent font throughout
• Black text is easiest to read

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Use a handout

• 1-2 Pages (single sheet of paper)
• Might supplement the poster with additional
  information
• Might summarize the poster
• Might duplicate the poster content exactly
• Include your contact information for follow-up
• Or go Green Include sign-up sheet to email
  poster slides
• You can also bring business cards if you have them

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Preparation Tips

• Prepare a 3-5 minute explanation of your poster
  to share with audience members who stop at your
  poster.
• Practice your spiel with a few folks ahead of
  time for practice.
• Have fun! Its a great time to meet others with
  similar research interests and to share your
  thinking. You can also stop by nearby posters
  and checkout your colleagues work.

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Other Resources

• Nicol, A.A., Pexman, P. (2003). Displaying your
  findings A practical guide for creating figures,
  posters, and presentations. Washington American
  Psychological Association.
• Nicol, A.A., Pexman, P. (2003). Presenting your
  findings A practical guide for creating tables.
  Washington American Psychological Association.