Health
Psychology 305:
Poster Presentations
Poster choice due Feb 26; Posters
will be presented March 4 & April 20
Psychology
305 -- Spring 2004 -- Dordt
College
Purpose
& Process
To help you develop your communication skills and to help
others learn more about a specific health issue or career, you will create
and present a poster to the class based on either your research paper or
your career paper. A poster presentation is a visual presentation
of your research next to which you stand while audience members wander
by and discuss your research with you. A poster quickly informs the
casual reader of the basic point(s) of your work in a one-on-one, personal
context where you can more fully explain what you learned and answer any
questions. Posters are a common and important means of presenting
information at professional scientific conferences.By February 26,
you need to decide whether you will present your career paper or your research
paper as a poster (career posters will be presented in class on March 4
and research posters will be presented in class on April 20).
Poster
Content & Format
For this class, you will use a standard sheet of posterboard
(available at the bookstore - about 2' x 3') on which to mount your information
(you'll be surprised at how little room that is to say all that you want).
Posters will be mounted along the walls of the Science Building Lobby for
presentation during class and for 1 week following. Although professional
posters use a slightly different format (usually a bigger size), the following
guidelines are typical:
-
Include your title, author(s), a selected references section
(your most important 2-3 references), and graphics - pictures, diagrams,
figures, tables, etc. - these are usually more eye-catching and understandable
than text
-
Condense! You cannot possible present everything you know
on the topic in that small space!!
-
Include only your important points, and use bullets rather
than a paragraph format; complete sentences are not required
-
The most common error is including too much information
- RESIST!!
-
Use larger section headings to help the casual reader quickly
understand the poster's organization (e.g., Education, Treatment)
-
Make your poster visually attractive
-
Color is a plus, up to a limit (don't blind your audience)
-
Use Powerpoint or another computer program to create the poster
- no handwriting. Make your poster readable from 5 feet away (at least 20-point
font for the
text and at least
75-point font for the title).
-
This aspect of the project is definitely more art than science,
so have some fun with it! Don't be afraid to go outside the boundaries
of your posterboard.
-
No typos or spelling errors.
Presentation
Tips
During the poster presentation in class, you will stand next
to your poster and provide a brief explanation of its content to people
who come by. You will also answer any questions they have about the
topic. Here are some tips:
-
Be able to describe your poster topic
within 2 minutes
-
If interested, people will ask you more questions and you
can expand on the details.
-
Use your poster as a visual aid, pointing to diagrams or other
sections.
-
Remember that you are the expert on your topic – probably
no one else on campus knows as much as you about your topic, so be confident!!
(Don’t panic!)
-
If you don’t know the answer to someone's question it’s ok
to say you don’t know. Keep the conversation going, though - ignorance
isn’t fatal, but just letting it hang in the air is pretty awkward.
Instead, say "I don't know the answer to that - what do you think about
it?"
-
Sometimes presenters make the mistake of “hiding” next to
their poster. Even if you're terrified, act confident and friendly:
force yourself to smile, make eye contact, say hello, ask people walking
by if you can tell them a little about your poster
-
Dress professionally – if you look professional, you are
more likely to feel and act professionally (e.g., better posture, better
grammar).
Evaluation
Criteria
Posters are worth 50 points;
late posters will not be accepted! The best presentations will: