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Presentation guidelines

Oral presentations

Preparation

  1. Use a logical structure, e.g. Introduction, Aim of study or presentation, Methods, Results and Conclusion/Discussion
  2. Keep it simple, remember the three C’s: Clear, Concise and Complete
  3. Rehearse before presenting.
  4. Reading text brings the effect of a presentation down
  5. Check the time schedule to know the time given for the presentation and the discussion.

Audiovisual resources: Powerpoint (PPT) presentation

  1. Match the PPT design to the purpose of the presentation (presenting information)
  2. Keep colors, clip art, and templates etc. consistent with your main objective. Use the same colors and fonts throughout. Select graphic images in the same style. A maximum of two font families is a good rule of thumb. No more than one graphic image or chart per slide is another good rule (excluding any corporate logo or other recurring element in the design).
  3. PPT slides are not suitable for detail and reading. Avoid paragraphs, quotations and even complete sentences. Limit your slides to about five lines of text and use words and phrases to make your points
  4. Abbreviate a term only on second reference; the first time it is mentioned, it should be spelled out
  5. Check the presentation when uploaded, including film material

Please note the beamers project widescreen format HD (16:9). For the best projection please change your Powerpoint settings into widescreen (16:9)

Disclosure of speaker's interest
All speakers are obliged to insert a disclosure sheet into their presentation. Click here to view the instruction.

Poster presentations

An academic poster is the visual aid for a compact presentation of (a part of) a research project. Both content and layout are essential. The poster should attract the attention within a few seconds and the reader should be able to get the main points from the headings alone.

The size of the poster boards is: 100 cm x 125 cm (b x h - PORTRAIT orientation). An A0 poster will fit on the poster board.

Structure

  • The general structure includes Introduction, Aim of the study, Methods, Results, Discussion/Conclusion and the Clinical Message in case of clinical meetings like the VRA. Abstracts are not needed, because the information is already condensed on the poster.
  • Try to make title and headings as informative as possible, i.e. not too general. Preferably the reader should be able to get the main points from the headings alone.
  • Introduce the Aim of the study.
  • Try to reduce Methods and Study Design in a photo or scheme with subscript and focus on the principle outcome measure(s).
  • Present your Results in simple graphics. All visuals should relate to the main message and conclusion.
  • The Conclusion should be the direct answer to the Aim of the study.
  • The References contain background information and can be presented in a compact way (e.g. 1st author et al. Journal (short form), Issue, Pages).

Text format

  • Title should be readable at about 5 m, text is generally read at 1 or 2 m. It is recommended to use bulleted points and to use an active voice. Keep text elements to 50 words or fewer.
  • Fonts:
    For headings (at least 36 point) and bulleted points use sans serif fonts like Arial or Tahoma
    For blocks of texts use serif fonts like Times New Roman, Palatino or Garamond of at least 24 point, since they are easier to read.

Colours
Use light colour background and dark colour letters for contrast, as poster boards are not always in the spotlight. Use a theme of only 2 or 3 colours. The use of transparent of background pictures may go at the cost of readability of text: what you see on screen is not always what you get after printing! Avoid red-green combinations because of colourblind visitors in the audience.

Figures and Artwork
Usually 4-6 figures are included in a poster. Make them simple, readily comprehensible and self-contained. Lines in graphs are generally identified by form or colour. We do advise you to use the combination of both. (see also colours). Figures and artwork are magnified on posters. In case of bitmap photos and figures try to maintain sufficient resolution (at least 150 dpi in the final format). Keep figure legends short (10-25 words maximum).

The official language of the congress is English.