Academic presentations and posters
What?
During your time at University it is very likely that you will be asked to give a presentation of your work to a group of people. This could be in the form of using Powerpoint to present slides or in the form of an academic poster.
Why?
Presenting your work to others demonstrates many of the skills needed to complete your degree, such as:
- Good organisation
- Answering questions from your tutor and student colleagues verbally
- Gaining confidence in your verbal communication skills
- Using technology to visually display your work
- Developing academic arguments and defending them
- Engaging in debate about other students' work
How?
Ten things to remember
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Who's the audience?
Remember to use a poster format appropriate for your subject: a scientific poster will be very different to a poster for a textiles student, so before you start check what format is appropriate for your current assignment. -
Be prepared
The more you practice presentations the easier it becomes, and the less you will need to refer to your notes. Preparation will mean you feel more confident and relaxed and the words will flow. Be prepared to answer questions: a poster assessment is not just about creating the poster itself, you need to be able to talk about it too. So be prepared, know your subject, the poster is a summary of all the work you have put into the assignment. -
Have a structure
Make sure your presentation has a beginning, middle and an end. This will not only make it easy for your audience to understand, but also for you to remember. As with a piece of written work a poster should have a structure, related pieces of information should be displayed together, and there should be a clear path in the layout that the eye can follow. -
Proofread it!
Proofreading is very important for all pieces of work, however if you are using fewer words it becomes very obvious if some of these words are spelt incorrectly, so make sure you check your poster thoroughly before printing it out. -
Keep it simple
Presentation slides are supposed to be a tool to help you remember, so do not be tempted to include every word you are going to say. You want the audience to listen to you whilst you are talking, if they have too much to read they will not hear what you are saying. Use bullet points wherever possible. Graphs and charts can illustrate a point that may take hundreds of words to explain, the idea of a poster is that you can show your work visually, so text should only be used sparingly. It's just an illustrated abstract: an academic poster is a summary of your work as a whole, so should not include every detail. Be ruthless in the number of words you use but also make sure it still makes sense. The illustrations or graphs used should enhance your poster allowing you to sum things up. -
Make yourself understood
Slow down: nerves can sometimes make us talk more quickly, remember to breathe and slow down your speech. Do not be afraid of a few seconds of silence to gather your thoughts, as this may also help the audience think about what you are saying. It can be quite tempting, especially if you are nervous, to hold some notes and look down so you don't have to face the audience! This can make it difficult for you to be heard, looks unprofessional, and does not give the audience confidence in what you are saying. Stand up straight and talk towards the audience, give the impression of confidence in what you are saying. If you are moving around too much when presenting it can be distracting, try to maintain eye contact and hold your hands together if you tend to fidget, ensure your tone of voice and pronunciation are loud and clear. If you find you move your hands too much stand with them behind your back or hold them loosely together in front of you. -
Don't panic
Try to relax before presenting, some nerves can be good, but if you find yourself panicking take your time and remember to breathe. Even the most experienced public speakers suffer from nerves, it's a normal thing, they just learn how to hide it! -
Smile, try to enjoy it!
If you are enthusiastic about what you talking about it is more likely that your audience will be. However, don't go over the top, keep it professional. Smiling helps to brighten your voice, and makes you look more approachable, but, don't grin like a maniac, as this will be off putting! -
Be creative
You will probably be assessed along side many other students, so try to make your poster stand out, be creative, don't just copy what has gone before. Sparing use of bright colour can make your posters more eye-catching and can be used to highlight key areas, however do not mix too many colours as this will make it hard to read. Make sure it still fulfils the purpose of the assessment. -
Use the technology
Try out new technology, but don't go overboard, make sure your poster or presentation is still clear and conveys the right message. Don't use technology for the sake of it, but do use it where appropriate, part of your assessment will be to use computer software.
Resources
Useful web sites
- In their 'Getting ready for university study' pages Edinburgh Napier University have some great help guides including one on academic posters.
- Some examples of academic posters from North Carolina State University.
- Ways to be creative with posters presented by Colin Purrington.
- Advice and guidance for Post Graduate students but useful for all from University of North Carolina Graduate school.
Leaflets
- A quick guide to academic presentations and posters is available to print out.
- Giving a presentation, viva or being observed
- Handling time and pressure
Books
You can find books on presentation skills at 808.51 shelfmark
