These are tips for creating poser boards and powerpoint presentations in advance of the 2012 SBCC Competition being held in Prince Edward Island, Canada on April 19th, 2012
3. Poster Requirements
Regional/National Competition Backboards are
provided...
Posters, if possible, should be printed on one
large sheet (preferably laminated) that can be
rolled up for easier transportation. It then can be
attached in a temporary fashion to the
backboard...
All exhibits, including all accessories, must be
confined to a table or floor space not to exceed
0.8 metres, front to back; 1.2 metres side to
side; and 3.5 metres maximum height from the
floor...
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4. Poster Requirements
The best way is to do your poster is in
PowerPoint, or similar, and then have it printed
at a print shop. It should be printed on a large
sheet, (e.g. 90 cm. x 120 cm).
Make sure that your Mentor has reviewed your
poster before you have it printed.
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5. Poster Presentations
Grab Attention!
Title should be readable 6-7 m away
Deliver your message quickly
Viewers must grab the “science” in 2-3 min
Write a concise abstract
Transmit the important point of your poster
Consider the viewer who may only read the
abstract
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6. Poster Presentations
...be effective!
Keep text to an absolute minimum
Tell your story with graphics as much as
possible
Make your poster easy on the eyes
Use dark type on pale background
Design simple flow paths
Double space text
Use easy to read fonts at 18pt minimum
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7. Poster Presentations
...remember!
What hooked me?
What did I get from a good presentation?
Could I have gotten the basic message if the
presenter had not been there?
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17. Tips to be Covered
Outlines
Slide Structure
Fonts
Colour
Background
Graphs
Spelling and Grammar
Conclusions
Questions
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18. Outline
Make your 1st or 2nd slide an outline of your
presentation
– Ex: previous slide
Follow the order of your outline for the rest of the
presentation
Only place main points on the outline slide
– Ex: Use the titles of each slide as main points
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19. Slide Structure – Good
Use 1-2 slides per minute of your presentation
Write in point form, not complete sentences
Include 4-5 points per slide
Avoid wordiness: use key words and phrases only
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20. Slide Structure - Bad
This page contains too many words for a
presentation slide. It is not written in point form,
making it difficult both for your audience to read
and for you to present each point. Although there
are exactly the same number of points on this slide
as the previous slide, it looks much more
complicated. In short, your audience will spend
too much time trying to read this paragraph instead
of listening to you.
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21. Slide Structure – Good
Show one point at a time:
» Will help audience concentrate on what you are
saying
» Will prevent audience from reading ahead
» Will help you keep your presentation focused
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22. Slide Structure - Bad
Do not use distracting animation
Do not go overboard with the animation
Be consistent with the animation that you use
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23. Fonts - Good
Use at least an 18-point font
Use different size fonts for main points and
secondary points
– Main pt is 26, and the this font is 22
Use a standard font like Times New Roman or Arial
23
24. Fonts - Bad
If you use a small font, your audience won’t be able to read what you have written
CAPITALIZE ONLY WHEN
NECESSARY. IT IS DIFFICULT TO
READ
Don’t use a complicated font
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25. Colour - Good
Use a colour of font that contrasts sharply with the
background
– Ex: blue font on white background
Use colour to reinforce the logic of your structure
– Ex: bold blue title and dark blue text
Use colour to emphasize a point
– But only use this occasionally
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26. Colour - Bad
Using a font colour that does not contrast with the
background colour is hard to read
Using colour for decoration is distracting and
annoying.
Using a different colour for each point is
unnecessary
– Using a different colour for secondary points is
also unnecessary
Trying to be creative can also be bad
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27. Background - Good
Use backgrounds such as this one that are
attractive but simple
Use backgrounds which are light
Use the same background consistently throughout
your presentation
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28. Background – Bad
Avoid backgrounds that are distracting or difficult
to read from
Always be consistent with the background that you
use
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29. Graphs - Good
Use graphs rather than just charts and words
– Data in graphs is easier to comprehend & retain
than is raw data
– Trends are easier to visualize in graph form
Always title your graphs
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30. Graphs - Bad
January February March April
Blue Balls 20.4 27.4 90 20.4
Red Balls 30.6 38.6 34.6 31.6
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31. Graphs - Good
Items Sold in First Quarter of 2002
100
90
80
70
60
Blue Balls
50
Red Balls
40
30
20
10
0
January February March April
31
32. Graphs - Bad
100
90
90
80
70
60
Blue Balls
50
Red Balls
40 38.6
34.6
30.6 31.6
30 27.4
20.4 20.4
20
10
0
January February March April
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33. Graphs - Bad
Minor gridlines are unnecessary
Font is too small
Colours are illogical
Title is missing
Shading is distracting
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34. Spelling and Grammar
Proof your slides for:
– speling mistakes
– the use of of repeated words
– grammatical errors you might have make
If English is not your first language, please have
someone else check your presentation!
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35. Conclusion
Use an effective and strong closing
– Your audience is likely to remember your last
words
Use a conclusion slide to:
– Summarize the main points of your presentation
– Suggest future avenues of research
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36. Questions??
End your presentation with a simple question slide
to:
– Invite your audience to ask questions
– Provide a visual aid during question period
– Avoid ending a presentation abruptly
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39. Oral Presentation
Consider
– Posture
– What are your hands doing?
– Are you smiling?
Speaking
– Point to the screen, speak to your
audience
Dress
– Business casual
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40. Oral Presentation
Preparation
– You want to hold the judges attention and
share your knowledge
Audience
– Judges are experts, try to excite them with
your knowledge and enthusiasm
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41. Oral Presentation
Content
– Define your purpose, topic and scope
Clarity
– Introduction, body and conclusion
Showcase
– Use simple, direct, active words
– Keep your language at a level you are
comfortable with
– Try to summarize facts and data
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42. Oral Presentation
Timelines
– 10 minutes and 5 minutes for questions
– Be sure to summarize and conclude
Practice, Practice and Practice
– Use friends and family
– Use your visual aids to rehearse
– Try not to use notes
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43. Thank You and good luck!
Questions and Comments...
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