Presenting Your Poster

MPH 2016 candidate Preeti Mehrotra, MD, describes her findings with Nancy Turnbull. Preeti's project, Evaluating Attitudes around Contact Precautions, was conducted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
MPH 2016 candidate Preeti Mehrotra, MD, describes her findings with Nancy Turnbull. Preeti’s project, Evaluating Attitudes around Contact Precautions, was conducted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

All your hard work is about to pay off! Here are a few tips for presentation day:

Installing Your Poster

  • Find out how your poster will be displayed ahead of time. What will your poster be mounted on (e.g. corkboard, an easel, the wall)? Will thumbtacks or a certain kind of tape be provided, or should you bring your own? Are there any restrictions about the kind of adhesive that can be used?
  • Make sure your poster is straight, and ask for help from your neighbor if needed. A crooked poster is distracting.
  • Electronic posters: If you will be presenting your work through a computer monitor or some kind of electronic format, obviously you are not going to be mounting it on a wall! But you should submit your electronic file before the deadline to the event organizers AND bring a flash drive of your poster file as a backup.

Discussion

  • Before you present your poster, anticipate the kinds of questions your audience may have and identify 2 or 3 points of special interest to focus the discussion.
  • Try to find out a bit about your visitor(s) and what attracted them to your poster so that you can tailor your conversation. Your visitor could be a world-class expert, a mid-career professional from another field, or an event sponsor – it always helps to know your audience.
  • Love your content! If you are enthusiastic about your project, others will be too.
  • Keep track of the questions your visitors ask. These can be helpful as you talk with more people, especially if there are a few common questions; the documentation can also be helpful for follow-up.
  • Be prepared to receive feedback.
  • Don’t monopolize! Recognize that your visitor will want to move on to other posters. Feel free to exchange business cards to continue your conversation in the future.

Handouts

  • Have a handout ready for people who don’t have time to stay and talk, or who want to have the details to take home with them. A letter-sized color printout of your poster can work well as a handout.
  • Make sure your contact information is on the handout, or bring business cards.