Chapter 11 Part 2在线视频

Three

production

The next step after the content to be presented

has been decided is to start the production process

A principle to be borne in mind

is that your poster is a marketing tool

So being visually appealing to the audience

should be the guiding principle in this stage

A few design principles

can help you to achieve good results

As a novice designer

you can start with the following rules

which can lead to an effective poster

You can become more creative and bolder

with more experiences

Text

When you have written your text

you may work on how to present it

Five variables need to be given thorough consideration

Font

Choose a font that is legible to the eyes at a distance

as the audience would first

scan the poster from a distance of one meter away

before they approach for further information

Most standard fonts such as Times,

Helvetica and Palatino

are fine for easy recognition

Bear in mind the principle of consistency

Too many fonts would be confusing and distracting

Two is usually the ideal choice

with one for the headings

and the other for the main text

Type size

Size of the text is also important

to ensure clear reading at a distance

Large type sizes need to be used

Text and 24 point and 36 point are good choices

A hierarchy of type sizes should be employed

to show the hierarchy of information

It can help to distinguish different levels of importance

and guide readers to efficiently grab the main idea

Larger type sizes are needed for titles and headings

Consistency is also important here

and should be applied

to all aspects of poster design

Keep the number of type sizes to a minimum

Line spacing

One and a half or double spacing between lines

has been proven to greatly enhance

the legibility of the poster design

Alignment

Left aligned makes the text easiest to read

especially when large type sizes are employed

Avoid mixing alignments as

that would appear awkward and unpleasant

Be it left, right, center or justified

stick to the alignment

Case

Text in UPPER CASE can be too obscure to read

and had better be avoided in the main body text

It is OK in the title for purpose of emphasis

Two

Color palette

Colors, as an important tool to enhance visual effect

add another dimension to poster design

An effective color scheme makes the poster

more attractive

and if well used

can highlight particular aspects of the information

Colors need to be well chosen

to ensure one works well with another

It is also advised

to use a small range of colors

so that viewers are not distracted

from the information in the poster

Diagrams

Information display in the poster can be promoted

by visual aids such as tables, figures, charts

illustrations or photographs

These help to present the data

in a lucid and eye-catching way

For clinical researches particularly

a carefully chosen picture of the organs

for example

can worth a hundred words and become a powerful tool

to attract people’s attention

The following example makes good use of diagrams

Visual effects again

should be emphasized in the production process

Working with a graphic artist

is a good idea to ensure satisfactory results

But it is always easily said than done

Three how to present an effective poster

When the poster is produced and safely transported

to the venue of the conference

you are in the presentation session

Poster presentations take many forms

In some meetings

your poster may stand there without you

but along with a roomful of

other presenters’ work

as part of a general poster session

It would be useful in this occasion

to employ some strategies

to further share your information

with interested audience with for example,

printed A4 copies of leaflets or bullet-point summaries

In other occasions

you are invited to stand beside your poster

interacting with the audiences

as they scan your poster and pose questions

For this occasion

we have more tips for you

Follow the six rules below

and give a perfect presentation

Rule 1 Don’t read your poster

When you stand there

and people show interest in your work

talk to them about your research

instead of reading the text on the poster

Guide the audience logically through the poster

which should be used as a visual aid

to your presentation

You can use graphics

maps and charts to interact

with your audience and viewers

Have eye contact with them

Rule 2 Be prepared

Spontaneous as it seems

a poster presentation also needs to be prepared

Prior to the session

get ready for a 2-3 minute talk

Go through what you have done in the research

and brace yourself for questions you might encounter

The audience might ask questions such as

“What is your poster about”

“What results have you got”

or “What expectations do you have

coming from the research”

Again here the poster could be used as a tool

to support your arguments

Rule 3 Handouts are good

Handouts are a good way to provide

further information about your poster

As only the main points are put on the poster

there may still be important information

you would like to share

Supplemental materials

a supporting graph

computer simulations

and even the manuscript

can be printed on the handout as an aid

Rule 4 Make viewers responsible for follow-up

Make viewers follow up on your research

This can save you the trouble

and effort of noting down

contact information

which might cost you the time to interact

with other viewers

If you are unable to answer questions on the spot

for example

you need to refer to the literature or your notes back at home

give your card to the viewers

and ask them to contact you

Rule 5 Don’t know something

Just admit it when you don’t know

What about when you are asked a question

you truly do not know

Remember do not make things up

You can talk about how the problem might be addressed

why it is difficult

what the future research areas are

and even call for collaborative efforts

Honesty is the best policy

Rule 6 Put your viewers first

Viewers are your priority

Make yourself available

for questions instead of being occupied with

social activities

such as side talks and texting

Six dos and don’ts

Posters are an effective way

to share information with the audience

and can facilitate in-depth communication and cooperation

A principle to remember in designing a poster

is that it is a highly visual medium

The challenge thus lies in balancing the content and form

making the layout both logical to the mind

and pleasant to the eye

The devotion and commitment in preparing

producing and presenting a clear

coherent and creative poster can prove rewarding

Think about the most unique

important and impressive finding in your research

Ponder over the best way to present the research

Think about presenting data

in tables, figures or photos

Do get well prepared before you go to a poster session

if necessary, prepare some handouts

Put your viewers first in poster presentations

Four

Practice

One

Work in pairs and fill in the following table

concerning the steps to design an effective poster

Two

Group work

What do you think of the following poster

Is it effective

If not

in what aspects can you improve the design

Here we have an example of an unsuccessful poster

We can try to improve it in the following ways

The title is badly designed

The word art of the title makes it difficult to read

The long title is all in upper case

and makes it even harder to read

Logos beside the title are useless and distracting also

No organized or clean layout

The text boxes are crowded in the space without

sufficient space in between

These boxes are with different width

with some of them too wide

The edges are not aligned

Sections in the poster are arranged

in an ad hoc manner

without a clear visual logic

This poster has too much text

Actually 800 to 1000 words will do

and only the most essential words should appear

Being crammed with words is the main reason

that scares away viewers from your poster

Results are merely presented in words

without visual aids such as tables or figures

Visual appearance is not pleasant

Only text and a cartoon picture

which we have to admit

is mostly inappropriate

in an academic context are employed

No bullets or numbering

The abstract should not be included in the poster

as the poster itself is an abstract