Preparing a poster

Posters, which will be on display during the conference, should be of A0 size (841mm x 1189mm) in portrait orientation.
 
Here are some tips to consider to help you prepare your poster:
  • Important information should be readable from about 2 metres away.
  • Keep text to a minimum - don’t use too much text or expect readers to do too much reading
  • Ensure any text used is readable from a short distance, is clear and to the point. Use short sentences, simple words, and bullets to illustrate your points.
  • Divide poster into different sections and use headings to make it easy to navigate.
  • Text should be broken up by including graphics, e.g. figures, charts, tables, images, illustrations of data etc.
  • Make effective use of graphics, colour and fonts so that your poster is visually engaging. 

And, from the Twitterverse, an excellent thread on designing posters for a conference. 

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Preparing a conference paper

If you're like us, you will have often felt frustrated when a speaker runs out of time to present the interesting stuff - telling us what they found, why it's important. We hope we won't be experiencing that feeling again in November!

Conference papers almost always follow the structure of a research article in a journal, and the trap too many speakers fall into is to spend far too much time talking about the literature review and methodology. Remember that most people who attend your talk are there because they know something about the topic. Assume that they will be familiar with the general literature, and cover it briefly.

Similarly, resist the temptation to talk about everything you did and then add "but today I'm only ...". Focus on what's important to know for this presentation. People can always ask questions at the end if they want to know more about how you carried out your study.

But above all, make sure you have time to tell us the results of your study. That's why your audience is there!

And if in doubt, practise giving your talk a couple of times beforehand. You'll be amazed how a little practice improves the fluency and coherence of any presentation.