Suggestions for Poster Presenters

GIA has prepared the following suggestions to help conference presenters maximize their communication with a diverse audience. There will be researchers, jewelers, gemologists, appraisers, miners, and students in attendance at both conferences. If you are presenting information on a specialized topic, be sure your poster explains its practical application or relevance to a wider audience. Also, ensure that the following information is included:

• What the subject or problem is
• Why you studied it
• What you did (methods)
• Your results
• What conclusions were drawn

Sufficient preparation is critical. Plan to take several weeks for gathering materials, preparing graphics and photos, and designing your slides or poster.

Poster Design

A well-designed poster stands on its own without the presenter’s assistance. There is a balance of text and illustrations, with a precise and easy-to-read layout; brief, legible text; and thorough, careful organization.

In technical presentations, the design elements should not overwhelm the information. Elements such as fonts, colors, backgrounds, and templates should not compete with your data; rather, they should help communicate it. The use of overwhelming “corporate” templates is discouraged for this reason.

Photos and Graphics

Make sure that all graphic elements are large enough for details to be legible and clearly evident. The impact of an important graph may be lost if the labels and legends are too small.

Remember that all important elements need to be labeled, even if they seem obvious to you (e.g., scale, direction, etc). Show graphics to your colleagues beforehand and ask them if your point is clear without any explanation.

Avoid using harsh, bold gridlines to separate columns or rows of data in tables. Subtle shading and careful spacing are much easier on the eyes. Alternatively, consider converting data tables to graphic formats.

Text

In general, serif fonts such as Garamond and Times tend to be more readable than sans-serif fonts such as Arial. However, sans-serif fonts are usually better for information in tables and in titles. Experiment with different fonts to see which is best. Once you have selected a font style, be consistent throughout your presentation. “ALL CAPS” text should not be used for anything other than titles and headings, and is not necessary even there. Likewise, too much bold or italic text can be difficult to read.

Handouts

It is strongly recommended that all posters be accompanied by a one-page printed handout. This double-sided sheet should summarize the work and may include additional, in-depth information and graphics that will not fit into the Proceedings Volume that will include abstracts of conference presentations. Presenters should consider providing a reduced-size version of their poster for their handout. Handouts should contain the author's contact information and the location of the poster presentation.

Samples and Demonstrations

If you have samples for display or examination with a microscope, consider making them available for viewing by interested participants during your poster presentation or after your talk. Microscopes will be set up in the poster arena for use by all participants. If your work includes new techniques or methods, consider conducting a demonstration for attendees.

Assembling Your Poster

1. The use of design software such as Adobe Acrobat, Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, or PowerPoint to create your poster is strongly recommended.

2. Each presenter will have one 1.2 x 2.5 m (4 x 8 feet) panel to work with, but don’t feel the need to use every square centimeter. Instead, make artful use of open space to frame the content and guide the viewer’s eyes.

3. At first glance, from 3-4 m (10-15 ft) away, the viewer should see an easy-to-read title and a neat, uncluttered arrangement of illustrations and text. The title should be oriented toward a strolling audience. Once the viewer has come to take a closer look at an interesting-looking display, all aspects of the design and concept should work together to keep the viewer's attention.

4. Title lettering should be the largest, about 5–7 cm high (2-3 inches; about 250–300 pt type) with subheadings 1–3 cm high (0.5-1.0 inches; 48–72 pt). All lettering should be legible from about 1 m (3 feet) away. For text, font size should be no less than 18 pt, with less important details in 16 pt. Your titles and subtitles should give viewers a good general idea of your work.

5. It should be obvious where to start reading the poster and where to look from there. The natural impulse is to read left to right, top to bottom, so your poster should follow this. The component parts should either be numbered to facilitate eye movement or have arrows that graphically lead the viewer through the display. Remember that more than one person may be viewing your poster at a time, so don’t create a layout that forces readers to move back and forth.

6. Begin by presenting the subject or problem you are addressing. Supporting text should consist of brief segments along with appropriate illustrations. Emphasize your results, not your methodology.

7. Aim for about 40 percent open space and twice as much space for illustrations as for text. Your message should be clear from the evidence you present without needing long stretches of explanatory text.

8. Be sure to clearly identify yourself and your affiliation somewhere on the poster (preferably under the title). Your contact information (including e-mail address) should be included. However, avoid cluttering your poster with large, bold logos.

Printing, Packaging, and Mounting

1. To ensure a professional, polished appearance, the use of commercial printing services, or high-quality color printing, is strongly recommended. If you do not have a color printer in-house, commercial printing and copying stores can usually print your poster elements for a fee. A list of printing services in the San Diego area is provided below.

2. The best results are obtained by having your poster professionally printed as a single element, banner-style, from a PDF or similar file. The poster can then be rolled in a tube for safe transport. Make sure the tube is labeled with all of your contact information, especially where you will be staying during Symposium.

3. If your poster consists of separate elements, all of them should be mounted on poster board or 1 cm foam-core board so that they lie flat. A cleaner look will usually be achieved if captions are mounted on the same board as their associated illustrations. Be sure to prepare a sketch of your layout, with key components numbered so you know where to place them.

4. If you will be traveling by air, make sure the poster tube or separate elements are small enough to pack as carry-on luggage (within the U.S., these are currently 55 x 36 x 23 cm [22" x 14" x 9"], or about 115 cm [45"] for map tubes).

5. When mounting your poster, the best results are obtained by using adhesive-backed male Velcro tape, which holds it to the cloth surface of the booth without visible attachments. Pushpins or thumbtacks can be used, but these typically produce an amateurish appearance. Various forms of tape (single- or double-sided) are generally not secure enough to hold poster elements in place and should not be used. Presenters should bring their own materials for attaching posters to the mounting boards. You may have only a short time to set up your display, so prepare in advance.

6. To assist with mounting and be prepared for possible damage, have these items in a poster “emergency kit”:

• A disk or portable drive with your poster and handout files (in case reprinting is necessary)
• Extra Velcro tape and/or pushpins
• Tape measure and string (for aligning separate elements)
• Scissors and glue
• Blank paper, marking pens (black and colored), and a clean eraser

Presentation Hints

1. Be prepared to answer common questions. However, be courteous and wait until questions are asked – don’t interrupt your viewers while they’re reading.

2. Have a 3–5 minute presentation prepared for people who want you to walk them through your poster. Give them the “big picture,” rather than just reading the text and figure captions.

3. If possible, step to the side of your poster when conversing with your colleagues, so that others can view your research.

4. Since posters will be available for viewing during periods when you are not present, plan accordingly with regard to leaving valuable samples or delicate instruments unattended. Have a way to collect business cards for communication with visitors wanting more information.

ADDITIONAL READING

Briscoe M.H. (1996) Preparing Scientific Illustrations: A Guide to Better Posters, Presentations, and Publications. Springer, New York.

Davis M. (1997) Scientific Papers and Presentations. Academic Press, New York.

Eisner W. (1985) Comics and Sequential Art. Poorhouse Press, Tamarac, FL.

Gosling P.J. (1999) Scientist's Guide to Poster Presentations. Kluwer Academic Press, New York.

Hess G.R., Brooks E.N. (1998) The class poster conference as a teaching tool. Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education, Vol. 27, pp. 155-158.

Nicol A.A.M., Pexman P.M. (2003) Displaying Your Findings: A Practical Guide for Creating Figures, Posters, and Presentations. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.

Teixeira A. (1997) Preparing posters for technical presentations. Resource, Vol. 4. No. 4, pp. 15-16.

Tufte E. (1995). Envisioning Information. Graphics Press, Cheshire, CT.

Tufte E. (1997) Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative. Graphics Press, Cheshire, CT.

Tufte E. (2001) The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Graphics Press, Cheshire, CT.

Internet References

Katzoff S. (1964) Clarity in Technical Reporting. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington D.C. [primarily the second half]
http://techreports.larc.nasa.gov/ltrs/PDF/NASA-64-sp7010.pdf

"Creating effective poster presentations"
http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/IndexStart.html

"Effective presentations"
http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/effective.html

"How attention works for audiences: A guide for public speakers & presenters"
http://performance-appraisals.org/Bacalsappraisalarticles/articles/attention.htm

"How to prepare a poster"
http://www.siam.org/siamnews/general/poster.htm

"How to make presentations: Techniques, handouts, display technologies."
http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00001B&topic_id=1

"Making effective oral presentations"
http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/skills/oral.htm

"The scholarly lecture: How to stand and deliver"
http://chronicle.com/free/v50/i14/14b01501.htm

"Using Acrobat to prepare posters"
http://miu.med.unsw.edu.au/sci_posters.htm

"Using poster techniques during a talk"
http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00017C&topic_id=1

Commercial Printing Services in the San Diego Area

This list is provided as a courtesy only and does not imply any endorsement by GIA. It is limited to services near the Symposium venue that are capable of printing large posters.