Research and creative work in some academic fields lend themselves to a visual display. In a face-to-face conference, posters offer the opportunity to present data and prompt discussions with interested colleagues. The conference audience will circulate among the posters and tabletop displays, stopping to discuss projects of particular interest. The presenter will have 15 minutes for their discussion (roughly 12 minutes for presentation and 3 minutes for questions).
Posters are not the only acceptable types of visual presentations of scholarly work. For example, a visual display could be a tabletop or floor display of an artistic work or research product. When you submit your abstract (project description) for this presentation format, you will be asked to indicate whether you will need a tabletop, access to an outlet, or any other special considerations.
At the top of your poster or sign, include the title of your project and the names of the authors. To prepare your discussion for this presentation format, consider how best to get your points across to a small audience. You will want to provide a clear introduction of your topic, clearly identify and fully support your main points, and reinforce your central idea in your conclusion. Don't forget to consider proper sentence structure, word usage, and vocabulary.
Examples of poster formatting and displays from face-to-face conferences:
Sample Poster/Table-Top Display Configuration
Poster Formatting
Table-Top Display (Tri-Fold) Formatting
To prepare your talk, you should consider how best to get your points across to the audience. You will want to provide a clear introduction of your topic, clearly identify and fully support your main points, and reinforce your central idea in your conclusion. Don't forget to consider proper sentence structure, word usage, and vocabulary.
Presenters are required to arrive at least 5 minutes before the beginning of the session in which their paper is scheduled (not 15 minutes before your own paper) in order to introduce yourself to your judges and the moderator.
Face to face conference Oral Presentation Example
If you are planning to present a musical or theatrical performance, remember that you will be limited to 15 minutes. You should plan on using 12 minutes for your performance and allowing 3 minutes for questions. Practice your performance ahead of time, to make sure you do not go over the time limit. A moderator will let you know when you have 5 minutes left and 1 minute left in your time.
It will be helpful to the audience if you provide some context for your performance. Why did you choose this particular musical piece or dramatic scene? What does it mean to you? Where does it fit into the context of the overall piece or artistic history? What should the audience take away from your performance?
