I am proud to report a granddaughter recently went to her first international science conference. It was held in Western Australia at Curtin University. She presented a scientific poster paper,  and was awarded the best conference poster.

         ‘Portability’ becomes the operative word for most presenters.  Most presenters need to carry their display as hand luggage or in their suitcase. It’s not easy.

         Technical poster papers give authors a chance to meet people who are working in similar research fields and have worthwhile discussions with them.

         Authors’ have to carry, set up, maintain, and staff the display – not an easy task.

A Handful of Tips to help improve your next presentation

* Keep things simple

         Keep your objectives and your display simple. Don’t confuse people with more than one issue.

* Get Attention

         Catch people’s attention by showing results. Don’t clutter with too many details on how you got these conclusions. You can always explain, or have some handouts prepared explaining the techniques used.

* Make it attractive

         Make it easy to read. Use bold colours and avoid large amounts of small type.

* Demonstrate and explain

         Aim to spend most of your time demonstrating and explaining to interested people.

* Maintain possession

         Luggage sometimes ends up at the wrong destination on international flights.

         Carry your poster display in your hand luggage and keep it with you at all times.

         It needs to be made of a strong material that can be rolled or folded.

Geoffrey Moss(mossassociates. co.nz)

“Be different from others – use your imagination”