Awesome Poster Presentations

Stepping Up the Poster

The best posters begin with a lot of forethought. Begin by visiting the stores where you will be purchasing supplies. Look at the various media, colors and design supplies. Don't forget to have a budget in mind. Posters can get very expensive!

Preliminary Design steps:

• Select theme
• Select colors
• Identify the important information that will need to be displayed
  • Don't  "crowd" the board
  • Have a handout for additional details of the subject and your contact information
• Use your imagination!
• Be creative!

Step One

1. Gather the material together
2. Draw out the preliminary design
3. Leave lots of blank space on the poster area
4. Play a little or a lot -- look at different shapes, textures and colors together
5. Use a theme to bring the whole poster together:
   1. "Recipe for quality improvement"
   2. "Tying patient care together"

Assembling the Poster

Carefully place the material you've collected on the poster. Don't glue anything down until you are sure you have everything in the right spot!

Make sure handouts are spell-checked and scholarly.

Adhesives:

Use high quality supplies to assemble the poster. Artist spray or mounting glue to secure paper to poster. ExactoÒ knives, double tape and other also create a professional looking publication.

Supporting Material

Once the poster is assembled, protect it in a mirror box, available from mailing outlets and box stores. If you are traveling to a conference for the presentation, consider sending it ahead.

Dress in the color of your display.

Have plenty of handouts available and your business card or other contact information.

Be prepared to describe your research project or subject of your board. People will come by and ask questions, this is usually a very collegial experience and a great way to prepare you for podium presentations.

Suppliers

• Art supplies stores
• School supply stores
• Scrapbook stores
• Rubber stamp stores
• Paper stores
• Arts and Crafts stores

Marilyn
Smith-Stoner, RN, PhD
marilynstoner@verizonn.net

Preparing and Presenting at Educational Conferences

Call for proposals

Carefully review the call for proposals. There are specific guidelines for poster submissions. Follow-them!

One of the most important specifications is whether the posters will be hung from large boards, or if they will be standing on tables. You will need to consider this when designing your poster.

You are expected to be by your poster, to answer questions, at selected times. You will find out in the registration process what assigned times you have. Be prepared to do this. It is an important part of the presentation.

You not know what to say when someone comes up to you to ask about your poster. You may want to find out where the individual works and then try to connect your work to their interests. You can also just tell them something interesting, that is of general interest about your project.

Clip Art

When used for educational purposes, there is no fee for clip you have purchased. If you sell your work, you will need to check with the copyright holder.

Millions of clip art graphics are available for free and for a fee form the web. Use them wisely to enhance your presentation.

Sources of Clip Art:
Microsoft Clip Art Gallery:
http://dgl.microsoft.com/

About.com is a great source for all kinds of references on all kinds of subjects ..anything you can think of! It's the 7th most visited site on the Internet. Check it out!

There are Microsoft Power Point Add-ins that great enhance the creative expression you can make with PP presentations. They are available at: http://www.crystalgraphics.com/index.html http://digitaljuice.com

Anatomy clip art is made by: Lifeart.com