Transcript How to make a poster (powerpoint format).

How to make a poster
Hugh Possingham and
Emily Nicholson
The Ecology Centre
www.uq.edu.au/spatialecology
Overview
1.
We are all equally insignificant
2.
You are only as clever as you appear
3.
The three levels of communication
4.
Three ways to describe a model
5.
Use simple plain English, no jargon, no acronyms,
minimise symbols
6.
Don’t clutter
7.
Have a happy smiley face
We are all equally insignificant
•
What do you remember from your last conference?
What ideas? What person? Anything at all?
•
Conferences are the academic equivalent of the
Regatta on Saturday night – an intellectual meat
market.
•
What is a poster session all about?
You are only as clever as you appear
• If a mathematician solves a problem in the forest, and
nobody is there to see the problem solved, was it really
solved?
• All jobs involve doing something THEN TELLING
SOMEONE WHAT YOU DID!
• “In my thesis I discovered … “ – for taxi driver, vicechancellor, big wig with salary for a post-doc
The three levels of communication
• Attract the punters with something big and bold, sexy
and simple (title, picture)
• A quick scan – 40 seconds should reveal the main one
or two points. This main point could be separated off (like
and abstract) or it could come from reading the
paragraph headings.
• The three people in the planet that are interested need
the detail – and how to contact you (use cards, handout).
Three ways to describe a model
• Words
• Pictures
• Equations
Different people respond to different kinds of
communication – preferably use all three (don’t expect
people to remember symbols)
Plain English
• If someone does not understand one sentence or
one acronym or one word, they will probably
change channel
• Don’t include endless equations no-one will read
• You are presenting a summary: if they want more
detail, they will ask
• If you cant say something simply – maybe you
don’t understand it yourself?
Don’t clutter
• Overall the poster needs to be visually attractive
• Balance text with other forms of communication
• Ensure the easiest path for the eye follows the flow of
the concepts.
• Less text is better, space is good
• Use colour sparingly for effect
• Idiot-grams are good
• Dot points are good
• Use large text (28+ point) to read at 1m distance
Use idiot-grams
Reserve
selection
PVA
Our approach
represent all
species
risk level for
one species
maximise
persistence
Multiple species



Optimise & compromise



Amount of habitat



generic
species specific
species
specific



Defined goal
Spatial configuration
Extinction risk
Little touches
• Your photograph
• Your card
• A one-page A4 print-off of the poster to take away
• Happy smiley face – like attracts like
• Name, address, affiliations
• Use consistent fonts (sans serif, e.g. arial, century
gothic)
Idiot-grams
I would have
made this
bigger and bold