Giving an Effective Poster Presentation

Summary

In this informative video, George Hess offers essential tips for presenting a poster at academic conferences. He advises against reading directly from the poster, emphasizing the importance of using it as a visual aid and engaging with viewers. Hess also stresses the need to be prepared with a concise presentation and to have supplementary materials on hand for detailed inquiries. He provides guidance on handling common situations, such as answering questions beyond the scope of the research or directing viewers to contact information for follow-up. The video underscores the importance of prioritizing viewer interactions and maintaining a professional demeanor during poster sessions.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ Don't read your poster word-for-word; use it as a visual tool to guide the conversation.
• 🤝 Engage with your audience by pointing to graphs, maps, and other graphics on your poster.
• 📈 Be prepared to answer questions about your poster and have a brief presentation ready in your mind.
• 📑 It's acceptable to bring supplemental material to support your answers if needed.
• 📊 Use your poster to highlight key findings and data, but don't overcrowd it with information.
• 💡 When asked a question you can't answer, offer to follow up after the session or suggest future research.
• 👥 Prioritize your audience over socializing or other activities during the poster session.
• 📝 Have a business card or contact information ready to share with interested viewers.
• 🤔 If a question is beyond the scope of your research, admit it and discuss potential avenues for further exploration.
• 🏆 Remember that poster sessions are interactive and social, but always keep your audience as the top priority.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of a poster session?

A poster session is a social and interactive event where participants present their research visually through a poster and engage in discussions with viewers.

Why should you not read your poster during a presentation?

Reading your poster can make the presentation less engaging. Instead, you should use the visual elements of the poster to guide the conversation in a less formal manner.

What is the importance of being prepared at a poster session?

Being prepared ensures that you can confidently answer questions about your research and effectively communicate your findings to viewers.

How should you interact with your poster during the presentation?

You should use your poster as a visual tool, pointing to graphs, maps, and other graphics to guide the conversation and maintain viewer engagement.

What is the significance of having a two to three-minute presentation prepared?

Having a short presentation ready allows you to quickly and effectively summarize your research when asked, which is especially useful for questions like 'What was your poster about?' or 'What were the results?'

Why is it beneficial to have handouts or supplemental material available?

Handouts and supplemental material provide additional information that supports your main points and can be referred to when answering detailed questions that may not be fully covered on the poster.

What should you do if you don't know the answer to a question about your research?

If you don't know the answer, it's acceptable to tell the viewer that you will get back to them after the session or suggest future research that could address the question.

How should you handle questions that are beyond the scope of your research?

For questions beyond the scope of your research, it's best to admit your limitations and possibly discuss potential research directions or collaborations to address the question.

Why is it crucial to prioritize viewer interactions during a poster session?

Prioritizing viewer interactions ensures that you are available to answer questions and engage with potential collaborators, judges, or grant providers, which can be vital for your research's future.

What is the role of the title in your poster presentation?

The title should succinctly convey the essence of your research and grab the viewer's attention, setting the stage for the discussion.

How can you make your poster presentation more engaging?

To make your presentation more engaging, speak informally, maintain eye contact, and use interactive elements like pointing at graphs and asking viewers questions.

Outlines

00:00

📢 Effective Poster Presentation Techniques

George Hess introduces the video by discussing the social and interactive nature of poster sessions, which can be loud and chaotic. He emphasizes the importance of being prepared for such an environment. The script then transitions into a scenario where Anthony Franklin presents his poster titled 'Poisson regression analysis of high school football prospects.' Key advice given includes not reading the poster word-for-word but using it as a visual tool to engage with viewers. The presenter should speak informally, pointing to tables, maps, and graphics to guide the conversation. It's also highlighted that being prepared is crucial, especially for contest entries, and having a two-minute presentation ready to answer common questions.

05:03

🗣️ Engaging with Viewers and Handling Questions

This paragraph illustrates how to effectively use a poster during a presentation. The presenter, Anthony Franklin, is shown engaging with a viewer by pointing to graphs and speaking informally. The paragraph also addresses how to handle questions that are not directly answered by the poster content. In such cases, it's acceptable to refer to additional materials or even to admit when you don't know the answer and suggest future research or collaboration. The presenter is also reminded to prioritize viewer interactions over socializing or other activities, as these interactions could lead to valuable connections or funding opportunities.

10:05

📘 Key Rules for Successful Poster Presentations

The final paragraph summarizes the main points for a successful poster presentation. Rule one is to use the poster as a visual tool and not to read it verbatim. Rule two is to be prepared with a short talk and anticipate certain questions. Rule three encourages the use of handouts for additional information. Rule four allows for following up with viewers after the session for questions that require more thought. Rule five is about admitting when a question is beyond the scope of your work or when you don't know the answer. Lastly, rule six emphasizes prioritizing viewer interactions above all else. The video concludes with a reminder to always be ready to engage with viewers.

Keywords

💡Poster Presentation

A poster presentation is a visual communication tool commonly used in academic and research settings to present findings in a concise format. It allows for interactive engagement between the presenter and the audience. In the video, the theme revolves around how to effectively present a poster, including using visual elements and engaging with viewers in a lively, sometimes chaotic environment.

💡Be Prepared

Being prepared refers to having a clear, concise explanation of the poster's content ready for any viewer or judge. The video stresses the importance of having a two-minute summary rehearsed and being ready to answer questions confidently, as well as knowing how to guide the viewer through the poster without reading from it.

💡Interactive Environment

Poster sessions take place in interactive environments, typically large rooms filled with people, conversations, and distractions. The video highlights the importance of being prepared to navigate these dynamic settings, where viewers may ask questions or engage in discussions about the poster's content.

💡Visual Tool

The poster is described as a 'visual tool,' meaning it should primarily display graphics, charts, and maps to help explain the research, rather than large amounts of text. The presenter is encouraged to use these visuals to engage viewers and enhance understanding, rather than reading from the poster itself.

💡Engagement

Engagement refers to the active interaction between the presenter and the audience during the session. The video emphasizes maintaining eye contact, using visuals to guide the conversation, and responding thoughtfully to questions, all of which foster better engagement and ensure the viewer remains interested.

💡Supplemental Material

Supplemental material refers to additional resources, such as papers, graphs, or handouts, that a presenter can use to further explain details not included on the poster. The video advises presenters to bring these materials for more in-depth discussions, avoiding overcrowding the poster with excessive information.

💡Eye Contact

Maintaining eye contact is a key aspect of effective communication, especially during poster presentations. The video stresses that presenters should avoid reading directly from their poster and instead make eye contact with viewers to create a more engaging and interactive experience.

💡Handling Questions

Handling questions involves being ready to respond to inquiries about the poster’s content. The video outlines strategies for answering both straightforward questions using the poster and more complex ones that may require additional materials or follow-up after the session. It’s important to admit when you don’t know the answer and to avoid making things up.

💡Poster Design

Poster design is about creating a clear, visually appealing display that focuses on the main points of the research. The video emphasizes that posters should not be cluttered with too much information and that presenters should prioritize key visuals and concise text to make the content accessible and engaging.

💡Viewer First

Putting the 'viewer first' means prioritizing the needs of those engaging with the poster over other distractions or conversations. The video explains that while poster sessions can be social, it’s essential to pause personal conversations when a viewer approaches and engage with them professionally, as they may be a judge or potential collaborator.

Highlights

George Hess introduces the video on presenting a poster

Basic tips for presenting a poster are discussed

Common situations during poster presentations are outlined

The chaotic nature of poster sessions is described

The importance of being prepared for a noisy environment is emphasized

Rule number one: Do not read your poster

Presenters should speak informally and use visuals to guide the conversation

Rule number two: Be prepared with a short presentation

Engage with your viewer by pointing to maps and graphics

Highlight the importance of temperature and spring football in recruit production

Use your poster as a visual tool to answer questions

It's okay to bring supplemental material to support your answers

Rule number three: Handouts are beneficial

Focus your poster on the main point, leaving out extraneous information

Rule number four: If you don't know the answer, get back to the viewer after the session

Rule number five: Admit when you don't know the answer to a question

Rule number six: Put your viewer first, prioritize their questions and engagement

The video concludes with a summary of the main points

Transcripts

hi I'm George Hess that you've created

your poster let's talk about what it's

like to present one in this short video

we'll show you some basic tips for how

to present your poster and some common

situations that you're likely to

encounter and how to handle them but

before we do that let me say a few words

about what poster sessions are like

poster sessions occur in very social and

interactive settings there are often

dozens or hundreds of posters in very

large rooms that have very little sound

absorbing material plus there's lots of

people walking around often with food

and drink and they're all talking to one

another so poster sessions can get

really loud and really chaotic and

they're absolutely going to be exciting

for you especially the first time so you

should be prepared for that kind of an

environment so let's take a look at some

situations and how to handle it can you

tell me about your poster well the title

of my poster is Poisson regression

analysis of high school football

prospects I'm the author Anthony

Franklin and I worked with dr. Thomas

Ryland introduction is successful teams

have elite players in the expanding

business of collegiate sports losing

football programs result in more than

low school spirit from major loss hold

on wait a minute wait a minute wait a

minute rule number one don't read your

poster a poster is a visual tool and you

should use it that way instead of

reading word-for-word what you should be

doing is speaking in a less formal

manner using the tables and the maps and

the other graphics on your poster to

hold the conversation with your viewer

did you notice what happened there the

presenter was staring at his words

rather than engaging with the viewer

that's not the right way to do it if you

avoid reading your poster that's not

likely to happen so again don't read

your poster tell me what you did well I

I worked with California all the way to

Florida including Texas and I looked at

all the major conferences throughout the

country oh and I used the Poisson

distribution as the distribution for my

Poisson regression model and my model I

use the natural

long link function and I noticed that

temperature and spring football hold on

wait a minute wait a minute wait a

minute

okay things are getting better there but

they're not quite there yet rule number

two is be prepared did you notice that

the presenter this time was animated he

was using his poster as a tool he was

pointing to the maps and the graphics he

was engaging with his viewer but didn't

you get the impression that maybe never

even seen this poster before or at the

least that he'd never thought about

anybody coming up and saying what did

you do

be prepared particularly if you're

someone who's entering your poster into

a contest you should expect someone like

a judge to come up and ask you tell me

what you did have a two-minute

presentation ready in your head and be

ready to walk through it when someone

asks that question remember be prepared

so tell me what you found when one is

looking to predict the rate at which

states produce elite football recruits

there in two important factors to

consider one is the temperature of the

state and two is whether the state

offers high school football in the

spring semester not all states offer

spring football in fact not many do but

for the ones that do they often have a

higher rate of recruits that get

produced from the state for instance the

top six are Florida Georgia Mississippi

Texas Louisiana and California nearly 68

percent of the state's produced less

than two prospects per 1000 football

players on their roster in fact Vermont

in the six year span that the study was

done didn't produce any at all awesome

wow that was so much better let's look

at what happened right there so first of

all I want to point out that that

question tell me what you found is

another question that's pretty typical

and you should expect then what happened

after the question was asked was that

the presenter used his poster as a

visual tool notice how he pointed to the

graphs as he was talking to the viewer

notice that they were very very engaged

lots of eye contact lots of interaction

between the two of them he also spoke in

a fairly informal manner and worked

through his poster in a very logical way

a very very nicely done now let's look

at what happens when people start asking

you questions what do you mean by

quantitative verbal well there are two

types of variables

there's quantitative and qualitative a

qualitative variable deals with

categories or levels of a factor like

gender male or female a quantitative

variable deals with something you can

count a numeric value like your height

or you weight I was also looking at your

poster and I noticed this what is it

that is Poisson in fact I used the

Poisson distribution in my regression

analysis you use the Poisson

distribution to count the data in fact I

have some extra information here on this

sheet the Poisson distribution looks

similar to this just depending on what

mean value you give it let's examine

what we just saw there were two

questions the first question was one

that the presenter was able to answer

right on the spot using his poster as a

tool to support his answer the second

question was a little more complicated

because the answer wasn't right on his

poster but notice what happened he was

able to pull out another piece of paper

that had a graph on it that he could use

to support his answer to the question

think about that for a minute

you don't have to put everything on your

poster it's okay to bring supplemental

material that's a really important point

because what it means in terms of design

is again you don't have to put

everything on your poster so you're when

you're in that mode where you're

struggling to think about what should I

put on what should I leave off go back

to the basics and think what is my main

point what's the main thing I'm trying

to get across to my audience

that's what belongs on your poster

everything else you can have on extra

sheets of paper that you can carry with

you and use to support your answers to

questions with graphics and visuals that

are not on the poster itself so how did

the model perform under a different link

function very good question and I do not

know the answer to that question off the

top of my head though I've seen the

answer before so how about you contact

me here's my card and if you would like

you can email

me the question I'll get back to you as

soon as I can okay and how did this

impact specific football teams that's

another very good question unfortunately

that question goes beyond the scope of

what I did for this research but it's

definitely something I'll look forward

to in the future so in these two cases

the presenter was asked questions that

he was unable to answer on the spot in

the first case it was actually work that

he had done but he just didn't have the

material with him and he couldn't recall

what the answer was notice what he did

he gave the viewer a card and asked the

viewer to get in touch with him after

the conference so that he could supply

the answer that's a perfectly reasonable

thing to do and far simpler as a

presenter than standing there with a pad

and a pen and a paper and trying to

write down all sorts of contact

information or collecting a hundred

business cards with this impact specific

football teams that's another very good

question in the second instance the

question was one that was beyond the

scope of the presenters research and he

just admitted it also a completely

reasonable thing to do you can't answer

every question it's great then to talk

about how you might address the question

what kind of research it would take why

it's a difficult question to answer and

what you might do in the future you

might even scope out some collaboration

with the viewer one thing you don't want

to do though when you're asked questions

you don't have an answer to is make

things up just say I don't know and

leave it at that so you guys hear about

that dinner reception thing tonight I

have the food supposed to be primo I'm

thinking about going are you going yeah

I think sir heard you're supposed to be

a band sounds like a plan to me whoa

whoa this is not good

remember what you're here for this is a

poster presentation viewers first yes

poster sessions are social yes it's okay

to chat with people about things other

than your poster but when someone comes

up and wants to talk to you about your

poster you need to tend to them not only

could it be someone who you might want

to collaborate with in the future it

could be the judge or it could be

someone who actually disperses grants

that could take your research further

remember viewers first I thought he was

a really good speaker I heard a one of

the deans

excuse me hi my name is Anthony Franklin

let me know if you have any questions

about the poster that was nice that time

the presenter was having a side

conversation and noticed the viewer come

up to look at his poster he immediately

stopped that side conversation

introduced himself made himself

available for questions and then allowed

the viewer to go back to reading the

poster nicely done

ok so let's review the main points rule

number one don't read your poster use

your poster as a visual tool points of

the graphs point to the maps point to

the charts and talk about what you did

don't read your poster rule number two

be prepared have a two to three minute

talk prepared prior to the session in

fact expect certain questions like what

was your poster about what were the

results and what are the expectations

coming from the poster rule number three

handouts are good you don't have to

squeeze every bit of information onto

your poster the things on your poster

should be restricted to those needed to

make your main point that's all you need

to do there if there are other things

you expect viewers might want to know

about bring them on additional pieces of

paper a manuscript a computer simulation

whatever but just keep them off your

poster have them available so if someone

asks you you can refer to it with them

another neat thing to do is to create a

small handout of your poster that also

has additional information on the

backside so again handouts are your

friend rule number four if you don't

know the answer to the question offhand

and the question is within the scope of

your research it's okay to get back to

the viewer

after the poster session in fact ask the

viewer if they wouldn't mind emailing

you the question and you can get to them

as soon as possible after the session

rule number five if you're asked a

question that's beyond the scope of your

work or you don't know the answer to

just admit it if it's beyond the scope

of your work you might open a

conversation about what research could

be done to answer the question you might

even start talking to your viewer about

collaborative efforts to address the

question but just say it's beyond the

scope of my work

if you don't know the answer the thing

you don't want to do is make things up

instead just say I don't know and leave

it at that and rule number six put your

viewer first the viewer is the number

one priority of your poster session so

before you decide to go into any

socializing or texting or any other side

activities remember your viewer is the

most important part of your poster

session so always be ready to pay

attention to them that's the end of this

video we hope you find it helpful and it

will make you feel more comfortable

giving your poster presentation thanks

so much for your time and have a great

day

you