How to develop and present a conference poster
Intended for healthcare professionals
how to series    

How to develop and present a conference poster

Davina Calbraith Freelance Research Nurse, National Centre for Social Research, Brentwood, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To understand the requirements of an effective conference poster design

  • To obtain practical advice on developing and presenting a conference poster

  • To enhance your poster development and presentation skills

Rationale and key points

Conference posters can be used by nurses to disseminate the findings of studies, audits or service improvement projects. Despite the lack of robust evidence on what an optimal poster should include, the literature contains several sources of useful information on the topic. A conference poster requires thorough and systematic preparation; authors will need to determine what message they want to convey, what the aim of their poster is, and how they will ensure precision, clarity, brevity and visual appeal. This article provides a step-by-step guide to assist nurses in developing optimal poster content and design, and in delivering effective poster presentations.

• A conference poster needs to be clear and make sense without additional explanation.

• To develop an engaging and attractive poster, it is important to find a balance between text and image.

• Being prepared to answer challenging questions is essential for optimal poster presentations.

Reflective activity

‘How to’ articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of:

1. How reading this article will improve your poster development or presentation skills.

2. How you could use this information to educate nursing students or colleagues wanting to develop a conference poster.

Nursing Standard. 35, 9, 46-50. doi: 10.7748/ns.2020.e11468

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

sdcalbraith@outlook.com

Conflict of interest

None declared

Calbraith D (2020) How to develop and present a conference poster. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2020.e11468

Disclaimer Please note that information provided by Nursing Standard is not sufficient to make the reader competent to perform the task. All clinical skills should be formally assessed according to local policy and procedures. It is the nurse’s responsibility to ensure their practice remains up to date and reflects the latest evidence

Published online: 03 August 2020

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