An oral presentation is more than just reading a set of slides to the audience. You will have 5 minutes to set up, 10 minutes to present and 5 minutes for questions for a total of 20 minutes. You should:

• Rehearse your presentation to be fully prepared
• Provide only information that is applicable and necessary for describing your subject to a diverse and general audience
• Follow a script that allows you to present information in an easy to follow order with strong transitions
• Engaging the audience through body language, slides, stories, questions, handouts or other means
• Speak loudly and clearly using media, including visuals, that support, highlight or illuminate main conceptual points
• Wear appropriate attire
• Other Resources:
  • Ten Simple Rules for Making Good Oral Presentations
  • Toastmasters (an international presenter’s club)
  • TED Presenter’s Manual
  • Suggestions from a TED Organizer

There are many different ways of creating a poster. However, you should check the Repository of Previous Entries to see what other participants have done in prior symposiums. Your poster should:

• Be 36 inches high by 48 inches wide.
• Follow APA Format and References Guidelines
• While there is variation among disciplines, typically, posters contain the following sections:
  1. Title
  2. Abstract (optional)
  3. Introduction
  4. List of objectives (optional)
  5. Methodology (or materials and methods)
  6. Results
  7. Conclusion and/or discussion
  8. References
• Use straightforward and to-the-point language, keeping each section under 500 words
• Text should be readable from four feet away (font size 32-36)
• Use columns to format poster layout
• Include relevant visuals that are high-quality resolution (at least 300 dpi) when printed
• Other Resources:
  • Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation
  • Penn State: Speaking Guidelines for Engineering and Science
  • NYU: How to create a research poster
  • U of U: How-to guide on research posters and poster sessions
• Templates: Free research poster PowerPoint templates

Creating and Printing your poster: Technical posters are often created using PowerPoint, publishing software like InDesign or the Adobe Creative Suite products (available through the Adobe Desktop on SLCC All Access).

Presenters can print their posters wherever they would like. If you opt for SLCC Printing Services, you will need to submit your poster, for printing, no later than March 15, 2024. For questions regarding printing (e.g., procedure, costs), please contact your professor or Lane Law (lane.law@slcc.edu).

SLCC Librarians can support you throughout the research process, especially with finding quality existing research on your topic in library databases and beyond. Learn more about how we can help and contact a librarian on the Library UPRC Guide.

As a student, you can work with consultants in the Student Writing & Reading Center for your research project. Making an appointment for online or in-person tutoring is easy. Once you create an account, verify it, and log in, simply click on the In-Person or Online Tutoring tab. You can also submit your writing for written feedback.