This is the second of a two-part series on effective poster presentations. Part 1 provided tips for designing and composing an outstanding conference poster.
The moment has finally arrived.
The session featuring your poster is about to start. You set it up last night so that fellow attendees would have a chance to browse it at their leisure, and it fits the board like a charm. All that thoughtful planning surely paid off — the title is large and in charge; elegant, uncluttered, immediately understandable graphics take center stage; the text is down to essentials. How do you make it worthwhile for peers who stop by your poster while navigating the overwhelming environment of the conference hall? The Center for Health and Science Communication at Becker Library is ready with resources to help you get the most out of your presentation.
Craft your story, optimize your delivery, and build your professional network.
- Time is of the essence. You will only have a few minutes to convey your message: do not spend them reading aloud what is on the poster. Instead, use your poster as a visual aid to walk your viewers through your project. Structure your pitch as a three-minute, three-part story: open with the purpose of your study, your hypothesis, and the questions you set out to answer. Follow with a concise account of your core findings, and finish with a take-home message that encapsulates your conclusions and future directions. Find out more on how to shape the narrative of your presentation in The Narrative Gym for Science Graduate Students and Postdocs.
- Come ready. When preparing your pitch, pay attention to the tone of your voice, the pace of your speech, and your body language. Strive to be professional but approachable, and aim for a conversational, jargon-free delivery that will invite inquiry and discussion. Practicing beforehand will help you gain confidence and ensure your message lands with your audience. Anticipate tough or perplexing questions — always be courteous, admit when you do not know the answer, and offer to follow up later. Look for additional presentation tips, guidelines, and practical exercises in Scientific Writing and Communication.
- Network — before, during, and after. Scientific meetings offer a chance to catch up with former colleagues, make fresh professional connections, and discover new research avenues. Take advantage of the conference’s social media platforms to promote your poster and support your peers by campaigning for theirs. Be at your poster as scheduled, and bring printouts with a graphical abstract to give away during your session or for attendees to take outside of presentation times (find tips and templates to make graphical abstracts here.) Thank your visitors for their time, show interest in their work, and plan on stopping by their posters if possible. Check out Better Posters, and watch author Zen Faulkes’ #SciComm Seminar Save Your Poster, Save the World for more advice on networking and post-conference follow-up.