Introduction
One way that many scientists communicate their research is through poster presentations. Posters are an important way to share your findings with other researchers, as well as allow you to get feedback about your experiments. Since scientific posters are a major form of #scicomm, I'm going to give you all a few tips for these types of presentations.
General Poster Outline
Creating Posters
Tip 1: Determine Your Deadlines
Before you even start creating a poster, it's important to know your deadlines. Ask yourself, "When do I need the final poster?" Also think about when you need to have the final electronic version to be printed after edits from your mentor, as well as when you need to have a first draft ready to get suggestions and feedback from others. Also, find out how long it will take to print the poster. For example, if you are getting a fabric poster, it may take a few weeks to get it printed and mailed back to you. It's important to have a timeline when making a poster so it will be ready in time for your presentation (or travel to a meeting).
Tip 2: Learn and Follow Meeting-Specific Instructions for the Poster
It's important to follow poster guidelines. Check to make sure you are making a poster with an appropriate size, adding required funding acknowledgements and conflict-of-interest disclosures, using the right institution/research organization logo and template, and adding meeting-specific information (such as the abstract final ID number). Even if you think that you know the poster guidelines for a meeting based on a previous year, it never hurts to check in case changes have been made to the poster requirements.
Tip 3: "Use a picture. It's worth 1000 words."
Do You Prefer A or B
Most people would choose the graphical schematic of the methods. You can get the information in a quick glance instead of having to read through a description. A visual is a quick way to get someone's attention. People often prefer seeing pictures to scanning through text on posters.
Tip 4: Figures and Text Should be Big and Easy to See
A poster is different from a scientific manuscript. It should tell a clear story, but doesn't necessarily need to include all the details from a study. You are trying to quickly get across the main points of your research. Oftentimes, people lose attention if there's too much information. Also, "details" can often be shared during your presentation or if someone asks you a question.
Along with easy to see objects on the poster, I have some stylistic suggestions. It's generally better to use sans serif fonts that are easier to read at a glance. Additionally, solid graph bars are easier on the eyes than those with patterns. Finally, I prefer the use of primary colors.
Tip 5: Print Out and Edit a Hard Copy
I recommend editing a hard copy of your poster draft, which can help you see small errors that aren't as noticeable in digital drafts. It's easy to check images, scan the poster format and spacing of figures and text, and look for mistakes in the hard copy.
The Poster Presentation
Tip 7: Prepare Yourself for Public Speaking
#YouDoYou to calm your nerves and give yourself confidence for your presentation. I like to do power positions and put on my power heels, but everyone has their own ways to get ready. It's also helpful to look over the final hard copy/digital version of your poster, and think about what you want to say for a 3-5 minute presentation. I also recommend grabbing a water bottle to stay hydrated while your sharing your poster.
Tip 8: Know Your Audience
It's important to know the audience for your poster presentation to determine how you should describe your research. If you are presenting it to experts in your field, you can describe more of the technical details, and may not need to provide as much background information. However, if you are sharing your research with a general audience, you might need to explain your methods and findings in a way that can be understood by people without extensive scientific knowledge.
This WIRED video with neuroscientist Bobby Kasthuri is a great example of sharing your research with different audiences:
Tip 9: Share Your Excitement about the Research
Be engaging and interact with both your audience and poster. Encourage people to come see your poster and ask questions. If you show your passion for your research, your audience can pick up on that enthusiasm and it will probably make them want to hear more about your work.
Tip 10: Listen to Feedback and Suggestions
As a graduate student, an older student told me that I should write down the names of people who came to my poster. This helped me remember the names of researchers interested in my work, and I could use the list to help me build a network with other scientists. It's also important to write down advice from your audience about experimental methods and/or future studies. Other researchers often give poster presenters great insights and ideas. Finally, always thank your audience for coming to see your work and listening to your poster presentation.
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