Flash Poster Presentations: Tell Me More

Greetings again. This post comes from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, site of the PACN (Pan Africa Chemistry Network) Congress on Agricultural Productivity, Water and Waste. The last week in November, I took part in this congress and then gave AuthorAID workshops for some of the attendees.

The PACN congress included something new to me: a session consisting of 3-minute oral presentations by researchers who had posters at the congress. The main purpose of these flash poster presentations was to interest attendees in viewing the posters.

During the flash poster presentations, I tried to identify aspects that worked well and aspects that didn’t work so well. Then I came up with some tips. As part of one of the post-congress workshops, I presented the tips, and the attendees and co-facilitators provided feedback.

Here’s the resulting list of tips on giving flash poster presentations:

1. Remember: A major goal is to entice people to view the poster.
2. Near the beginning, show why people should care about the work.
3. Be selective. Present only highlights of the poster content.
4. Don’t project a slide of the entire poster.
5. Typically, show 1, 2, or 3 slides. Maybe don’t use any slides.
6. Keep slides simple and uncluttered.
7. If feasible, include at least one vivid image.
8. Speak slowly enough. Speak clearly.
9. Time the presentation carefully.
10. Show enthusiasm about the work.

Do you have additional tips on giving flash poster presentations? If so, please submit a comment.

Until the next post—

Barbara