Health Literacy - IHA Institute for Healthcare Advancement

Poster: Posters are a visual presentation of a researcher's findings or details of a program implemented. Presenters provide an opportunity for informal discussion between the presenter and the audience. Poster presenters illustrate their findings by displaying text, graphs, photographs, and diagrams on poster boards. Presenters hold discussions with registrants who circulate among the poster boards. The poster boards measure 40" by 60", and the session lasts about 90 minutes on Thursday, May 1, 2008. Presenters are expected to remain by their board for the duration of the session. Click here for a printer-friendly page of these guidelines.

Designing Your Poster

Size of Board

The poster board will be 40" by 60", mounted on easels. We will provide the board, which is made of foam core material. Most presenters orient their presentation in landscape format (60" wide x 40" tall), but the decision is yours. We suggest that your display be printed on paper or lightweight poster board that can be easily attached to the poster board. You can use push pins to secure your poster, but we strongly recommend the use of Velcro. Velcro allows for easy set-up and removal. Please provide your own Velcro or pins.

Organization

Design your poster to highlight the major points of your topic and stimulate feedback. Present enough information but avoid overcrowding. Remember, you will be explaining the findings, so provide enough information to allow visitors to get a grasp of your research or program.

Materials should include the title of the presentation and the list of researchers or others involved in the program. Letters in the title should be at least 1 inch high. Bring all illustrations needed - figures, tables color photographs, charts. It may be helpful to consult an artist about the display. Be creative!

Graphics

Consider various options for presenting the important points of your research:

Ø Use graphs to clarify and emphasize the key relationships between figures. Be sure graphs are precise, clearly labeled, and placed near the companion text.

Ø Select the type of chart that best illustrates your point. For example, pie charts compare relative parts that make up a whole, and line charts are ideal for depicting trends over time.

Ø If using tables, make sure columns are not too narrow, too numerous or too long - so they can be easily read. Use tables only when simpler visuals like graphs or charts won't suffice.

Arrangement

Design the flow of information in several columns, which are read from top to bottom and from left to right. Use lines, frames, contrasting colors, or arrows to call attention to important points.

Lettering

Select a clean and simple font and use it consistently throughout the poster. Use both upper and lower case letters, especially in the body of your presentation. Make lettering large enough to read from at least three feet (20 to 24 point type size).

Color

Use color to attract interest and to dramatize similarities and differences. Emphasis may be lost if more than four colors are used. The background color of the poster boards is white.

Transporting Your Poster

Construct your poster in small panels so it will be easy to carry. Portfolio cases are available from art supply stores. Alternatively, roll your poster and carry it in a protective tube.

Presenting Your Poster

Participants must mount their display Thursday afternoon, during the 4:30-5:30 pm break before the Reception/Poster presentations from 5:30-7:00 pm. Posters must be up and presenters ready for the opening of the Reception at 5:30 pm. Participants must take down their materials when the Reception is over at 7:00 pm. Display materials not removed following the conclusion of the Reception will be discarded.

Rehearse your presentation and memorize points you want to emphasize during the poster session. Keep your basic presentation short (1-2 minutes), and allow for questions. Know where various points of emphasis are located on your poster so you can refer to them as you talk with viewers without turning your back or blocking their view. This is an informal session as part of the Opening Night Reception. Generally, you will have small clusters of up to 4 or 5 people at a time, who are circulating from poster to poster.

To enable conference participants to contact you, we suggest you attach your business card and/or write the hotel (or other) telephone number where you can be reached during the meeting.

If you are bringing handouts, assume that there will be between 150-200 people at the reception, and that probably half or fewer than that will request a handout. There will be a few scattered tables in the area of the posters, but we cannot provide a separate table for each presenter.

If you have any questions prior to the conference, call Jacques D'Silva (ext. 207) or Michael Villaire (ext. 202) at IHA, (562) 690-4001. Both will also be at the conference to answer any questions.


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