Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Presentation
A poster presentation consists of a series of conversations with attendees, often with
one conversation running into the next as the mix of listeners changes. The questions
from the listeners may drive the conversation, but nonetheless you should prepare
points to discuss; some listeners will ask you to tell them about your work, and wait
for you to tell the story.
That is, part of your preparation should be development of a few mini-speeches,
of a minute or two each, concerning elements of the work that you expect to have to
explain.
Perhaps the most difficult part of presenting a poster is the quiet moments, when
people are walking by without showing interest. In that situation, presenters seem
to experience one of two contradictory impulses. One impulse, more or less, is to
run away. To a limited extent, this is fine; there is nothing wrong with taking a few
minutes off to see other posters, or to get a drink or a snack. However, you should
not underestimate the value of the conversations you do have, so even if there are
periods when interest is low you should take every opportunity to discuss your work
with people.
The other impulse is to try too hard to get people's attention—to attempt to draw
them in, and keep them in front of you, even if they are not particularly interested
in the work. My experience is that a little seeking-out of attention is acceptable, but
if you do so you must remain alert to the possibility that your audience is merely
listening out of politeness, and thus you should give them opportunities to move on.
When there are dozens or hundreds of posters for people to visit, it is unreasonable
to try to delay people who may have other work they wish to see. Overall, in my
view the best strategy is to wait until people have made eye contact with you before
asking if they would like to hear about your work.
Some people may wish to contact you afterwards. Have a business card or email
address handy, in a form that you can pass to people without unnecessary fiddling
with phones or contact lists.
A “Presentations and Posters” Checklist
Regarding
the content of your talk or poster
,
What is the key thing the audience should remember?
Is there enough background material for the intended audience?
Is any material unnecessary? Could some of the material be left for people to read
about later?
Is the talk self-contained? Is it appropriate to an audience of mixed background?
Is the length appropriate? Is the structure right for the length?
Does the talk have a motivating preamble?
Is the talk balanced, without too much time given to any one element?
