This article offers guidelines and suggestions for creating an effective poster presentation for a conference or workshop. Not only does it offer suggestions about the content, visuals, and style of your poster, but it offers suggestions for the presenter on how to interact and network with the audience during and after the presentation is over.
Keywords: poster presentation, networking, effective communication, visual learning
Is there a TESOL, TEFL, ESOL, ESL, or general teaching conference coming up that you would like to attend and maybe present at? Are you new to teaching, a graduate student, or have just never presented your work in public in the past? Not to worry, a poster presentation is a good way to participate and be active without the need to submit a whole research paper or speak in front of large audiences. Even advanced teaching professionals and/or professors can enjoy the poster presentation experience.
Poster presentations are essential for communicating scientific research and play a pivotal role in academic and professional settings (American Statistical Association, n.d.; Davidson College, 2000). Unlike oral presentations or published papers, posters serve as concise snapshots of your work, aimed at engaging colleagues in discussion or providing a concise summary when you’re not present (Erren & Bourne, 2007; OpenTESOL, 2019). Many productive collaborations have their roots in interactions around a poster board.
Source: OpenTESOL (2019).
Here are some guidelines and suggestions for effective poster presentations to maximize the effectiveness of your poster presentation:
Define the purpose
Before creating your poster, clarify its purpose and intended impact. Whether it’s sparking discussion, inspiring collaboration, or showcasing a resource, tailor the poster’s style and content accordingly (Erren & Bourne, 2007; OpenTESOL, 2019; The University of Sheffield, 2025). What is the main content you want to share and why? Are you looking to meet people with similar interests or goals with teaching? Are you looking to network yourself for future collaborations? Is this a work or graduate school requirement? No matter what your goal is, you need to know it in advance, so you can reach your goal. And, then the obvious purpose is to attract the interest of a broad audience within a short timeframe and get them to read and engage in your work.
Sell your work in 10 seconds
Several suggestions that guide effective paper writing also apply to creating compelling posters. Grab attention quickly as attendees may view numerous posters. Pose a compelling question or highlight a key finding prominently to draw viewers in (Erren & Bourne, 2007; The University of Sheffield, 2025). Keep the viewers reading your work and not moving on to the next poster. Posters can possess unique features that distinguish them from traditional papers. Utilize the poster’s visual appeal and your presence to convey complex information clearly. Establish your poster presentation with your most compelling arguments or points.
It’s an opportunity to speculate and provide additional context beyond traditional literature (Erren & Bourne, 2007; The University of Sheffield, 2025). Think about color choices, graphics, photos, outlines, and highlighting of key words. The layout and format are critical. One wants to guide the viewers through your poster with a logical flow and minimalistic design. Use clear headings, arrows, and a font size of at least 24 points for readability (Erren & Bourne, 2007; The University of Sheffield, 2025).
Besides having a good topic, one needs to have a good “hook” as they would in an essay. According to East Stroudsburg University (n.d.) “a hook is an opening statement (which is usually the first sentence) that attempts to grab the reader’s attention so that they want to read on.” Achieving this can involve using various hooks, such as a thought-provoking question, a compelling quote, a relevant statistic, or a captivating anecdote. However, it all needs to be directly tied to the central theme. You need something to keep them interested in reading and learning more.
The title is important
Craft a clear and enticing title that summarizes the essence of your work. The title should pique curiosity and motivate viewers to visit your poster (Erren & Bourne, 2007; The University of Sheffield, 2025). Just as the title of a news article or an article on a website, the title is meant to capture people’s attention and get them to view and read more of your work.
Content is important
The title is important, but so is the content. Keep it concise and ensure all content directly contributes to your message. Use visuals like charts and graphs effectively to illustrate key points without overwhelming the audience (Erren & Bourne, 2007). Focus on conveying the key messages and analysis rather than exhaustive background information (Jerz, n.d.). Tailor the content of your poster to suit the audience’s diversity. Effective posters involve succinctly summarizing the motivation behind the research, stating the hypothesis, presenting the key results, and outlining the conclusions drawn from the findings (Erren & Bourne, 2007).
Extra notes and suggestions
Think about what your acceptance really means
Acceptance to present a poster doesn’t equate to the endorsement of your work. Instead, think of it as an opportunity to get people to endorse you and your work. Focus on presenting solid science effectively to gain peer recognition (Erren & Bourne, 2007). Oftentimes, conferences need to fill space in either the conference floor or agenda. Usually, people pay to attend conferences, but whether they do or don’t, each attendee wants to feel that they are getting “their money’s worth.”
Therefore, there is absolutely nothing wrong with presenting a poster instead of a full article at a conference, especially for the novice or first-time presenters. However, the standard still needs to be high enough to ensure the proper recognition that you deserve. Perhaps you are a student, but you should still take a poster presentation as seriously as a university professor would take publishing or presenting an article.
Posters should have your personality
Infuse your poster with personal flair to engage viewers. Consider including a photo or anecdote that reflects your interests and sparks conversations (Erren & Bourne, 2007). Provide your audience with your professional social media account names and a list of the professional societies that you’re a member of. Consider including a proverb that you enjoy or live by that other people can learn or remember you. Some examples of Chinese learning proverbs might be:
“Seek knowledge as if you were hungry, and humble yourself as if you were ignorant.”
“Teachers open the door; you enter by yourself.”
Having said this, you still need to present yourself and your work as professionally as possible. This is not a time to discuss or convey political messages and it is not a time to do something in order to post a video on social media.
Source: Ohio State University: Ohio TESOL (2018) Conference.
The influence of a poster extends beyond the session itself
Maximize engagement during the presentation by being approachable and informative. Provide handouts and contact information for continued discussion and collaboration (Erren & Bourne, 2007: TESOL International Association, 2024). Be willing to stay longer than the time allotted and be willing to continue discussions at a later time or location. Always have a professional way to contact you if a viewer has more questions or wants a future discussion. And, be willing to present work at a future date or location. Of course, your personal safety comes first, and it is always recommended to meet at very public locations, or online. Wherever you feel most comfortable. And yes, you can use social media to get ‘friends’ or ‘followers’, but you want to make sure that the accounts you use for work are not the same as the ones you use for recreation.
Welcome every poster viewer with a smile and a friendly greeting
Be aware of cultural customs and differences and don’t just assume that everyone who is attending thinks the same as you about touching or shaking hands. This is also true about social distancing, especially in the age of COVID-19. Please be respectful to anyone’s personal choice about wearing a mask, but you should also protect yourself at all times, especially in large indoor gatherings where viruses can spread more easily. On this subject, you should probably bring a bottle of hand sterilizer, especially if you plan to shake people’s hands. Be aware that there are usually various countries and cultures represented at international conferences and you might actually be the minority in attendance, even if you don’t look the part. You should always do a little research about the local customs and culture when attending an international conference outside of your home country.
Always dress appropriately
No t-shirts or jeans, and nothing that has rips or tares in the fabric. Ties are not required, but welcomed. However, it is important to make sure that if you are wearing a tie it matches the rest of your clothing in both color and style. A funny tie related to teaching is okay, but nothing else out of the ordinary. Shoes are important. Being comfortable is always important, especially considering you may be standing for quite some time. However, one should always follow the stated conference dress code, and if there isn’t one, just ask the conference representatives in advance. So, unless you are attending a conference in Hawai’i where the temperature is high and the stated dress code is “casual professional,” used athletic shoes (doesn’t matter which brand) are generally not acceptable. And, flip-flops or sandals are not appropriate for men or women.
Source: Pepperdine School of Education and Psychology (2022).
Make eye contact with your audience
Avoid staring people down as they pass by or are reading your poster, or other people’s posters, but be aware of everyone in the area, what they are doing, and what posters they might be interested in. Allow people the time to read and reflect and then graciously ask them if they have any questions about your work. Eye contact helps in connecting with the audience and conveying emotions and importance (Jerz, n.d.; The University of Sheffield, 2025). Avoid staring at your poster or notes. Know everything about your poster and the information being presented and maintain engagement with your audience (The University of Sheffield, 2025). And, take this opportunity to highlight your main points or findings.
In summary, effective poster presentations can enhance your professional reputation and foster scientific collaboration. By adhering to these guidelines and suggestions, you can create posters that not only inform but also captivate your audience.
You can do a quick online search to find out what local, national, or international conferences are coming up and if you’d like to attend and/or present at. The conference website will always offer the submission guidelines and dates.
For reference only:
Please note that the MELEd conference does not currently have poster presentations. However, the Education Minnesota’s MEA conference is in October of every year and one should contact them directly to find out about all types of presentations. One can also do an online search at TESOL International Association to find out dates, locations, and publishing and/or poster presentation information.
For more TESOL/TEFL conference information, see https://mauricioarango.wordpress.com/upcoming-events/
References
American Statistical Association. (n.d.). E-Poster presentation tips. https://ww2.amstat.org/meetings/qdet2/presentationtips.cfm
Davidson College. (2000). Hints for your oral presentations. https://www.bio.davidson.edu/courses/bio111/bio111labman/Preface%20A.html
East Stroudsburg University. (n.d.). Writing Studio: How to write a hook. East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. https://www.esu.edu/writing-studio/guides/hook.cfm
Erren, T. C., & Bourne, P. E. (2007). Ten simple rules for a good poster presentation. PLoS Computational Biology, 3(5), e102. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030102
Jerz, D. (n.d.) Oral presentation tips: How to deliver a speech for school or work. Jerz’s literacy weblog. http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/technical-writing/oral-presentations-tips/
OpenTESOL. (2019). Presentation guidelines. https://opentesol.ou.edu.vn/presentationguidelines.html
Pepperdine School of Education and Psychology. (2022). TESOL Newsletter: Issue Number 4. Pepperdine University. https://gsep.pepperdine.edu/blog/posts/tesl-newsletter-issue4.htm
TESOL International Association. (2024). Selecting a session type. Retrieved from: https://www.tesol.org/media/15cpy3yd/2025-session-types.pdf
The University of Sheffield. (2025). How to plan, create and present a research poster. StudySkills@Sheffield. https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/study-skills/university/communication/poster
