Speaker Resources - Poster Sessions

Presentation Information:
• Concurrent Sessions
• Poster Presentations
• Round Table Sessions

Your poster backing is a 36 inches by 48 inches, self-standing tri-fold board. If you would prefer a table to display your own board, please let us know so we can arrange for you to have a table  (contact Todd Zakrajsek). 
     
The Poster Session is 5:30 pm – 6:45 pm on THURSDAY. The poster session occurs at the same time as the evening reception. This is being done to boost attendance at the poster session. With over 300 participants at the conference we expect roughly 150 individuals to show up for the poster session/reception. Thumbtacks and binder clips will be available at the conference, but feel free to bring your own if you have a specific type you prefer to use.
     
The award for Best Poster will be announced at Lunch on Friday. Top prize is a $200 credit toward registration at Lilly East 2011 for the poster presenter AND a $200 credit toward registration to be given by the poster presenter to any faculty member who has never been to this conference. You do NOT need to be present to win.  Criteria for selection of the Poster Award will be based primarily on:  1. Contribution to new or innovative way to approach or directly impact student learning (25%); 2.  Research and theory upon which the concept is based (25%); 3. Likelihood participants will find the information directly useful in their own teaching(25%);  4. Visual Presentation of the Material (25%).  

Following are some general tips to assist you with a good poster presentation.  

1. Prepare for your presentation.
1. What is the major aspect of your message?  Think carefully about what must be included in the poster and what can be included in the handout. The handout should expand on the concept(s) in the poster. Be certain viewers can find the main point easily.  Include just enough material to make your main point.
2. Handout.  This should include the major points of your poster with elaboration on some of the main issues.  Please be sure to include any references or links to resources you used for information.  Bring at least 25 copies of the handout with you to the conference. The point of the handout is that many people will learn a great deal at this conference in a short period of time. Handouts are helpful for individuals to reflect on what they have learned. Be sure to have business cards to hand out or a list (paper and pencil) to have viewers sign up to have a handout e-mailed to them.
3. Your primary audience members are college and university faculty from throughout the United States.  Most have taught for a few years, but some will be relatively new faculty members. Lilly Conferences tend to be a bit relaxed and informal. Your writing can also be a bit informal.
4. If you are printing a single large poster, be certain it will fit easily on a 36 inch x 48 inch board.  If you have single pages that you will tack up for your presentation it is a good idea to mark off a 36 x 48 area and lay out the poster to ensure it looks good BEFORE you arrive at the conference site.  There are limited opportunities to make changes once you arrive.

2. Design your poster.
1. Keep your design or pages simple and clean.  Typically, it is best to use a light background with dark text.  Avoid colors or designs that detract from the content.
2. Use graphs, tables, and pictures to illustrate your points.  They are an effective tool for posters if they are in a simple design with limited text.
3. Minimize text.  Do NOT make your text cryptic, but do use as few words as possible.  Use a font that can be easily read from 4 – 6 feet away.  Letters in titles should be approximately 1 inch (approximately 72 pt.) and explanatory text should be approximately 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch (approximately 18 - 24 pt.).  This will look large to you, but keep in mind the goal is to draw people to your poster and not everyone has perfect vision.

3. Present your poster.
1. Be ready to go at 5:30 pm, with the poster set up and the handouts laid out. It is a good idea to show up by 5:00 to attach your poster or pages to the poster board.  You may need to miss Concurrent Sessions that are offered during this time.
2. When participants express interest in your poster present the main points of your paper.  Practice a short (2-3 minute) presentation that highlights these points. If you give the 3 minute presentation and viewers desire detail they can ask at that point. 
3. If you run out of handouts, be sure to have a piece of paper and pen to take names and e-mail addresses so that you can send a paper after the conference.

4. After the Conference
1. Please send copies of your handout to anyone who requests it within 7 days of the conference.  Once a week has past the likelihood of the request getting lost increases significantly.
2. Send a quick note to anyone who expressed a good deal of interest in your poster.  Simply thank the person for taking time to chat with you.  It is a kind gesture and may lead to a good professional relationship.  You never know when you may need someone to give a paper ready for publication submission a quick read for feedback.

If you have any questions regarding this format, please contact Todd Zakrajsek.  

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