ELI WN22 Workshop Series: Poster Presentations: Interacting Fluently with your Audience

Students sometimes think of poster presentations at academic conferences and symposia as “easier” and less high-stakes than presenting a paper or participating in a panel. However, the reality is that poster presentations can be challenging communication events because they involve 10% presenting and 90% interacting with an “audience” of a few people crowded around the poster in a busy, noisy conference space. With many conferences now happening virtually, presenters also need to be ready for Zoom room visitors or to record brief video presentations in advance. Each of these modes of communication presents unique challenges and opportunities. In this workshop, we won't be working on poster design. Instead, we’ll focus on strategies for communicating fluently with visitors to your poster, whether in-person or virtual. If you have a poster presentation coming up, be ready to share a draft image of your poster so that you can practice taking questions from others at the workshop. Otherwise, come ready to practice formulating and responding to typical question types in poster presentations.