Conference Environment
The number one thing to keep in mind is that the Lilly Conference is very supportive of its presenters. Is is a welcoming community of teacher-scholars who share your passion for teaching and learning.
Lilly participants look forward to hearing what you have to say and to participating actively in your session. They will be willing to provide constructive feedback that you can use in your teaching and scholarship. So have fun with your session.
Preparing Your Session
For the Interactive Poster session you may use a poster of up to 4′ X 6′ to communicate your information and involve participants. In addition, you may wish to prepare a brief handout for attendees to take away for further reading. You are encouraged to post your paper proposal to the Lilly website before the Conference using the link that will be provided to you after your paper is acceptedso that participants may read it beforehand.
Here are some tips to help you when preparing your poster:
- Keep your poster design simple and clean. Typically, it is best to use a light background with dark text. Avoid colors or designs that detract from the content.
- Use graphs, tables, and pictures in the poster to illustrate your points. Visuals are an effective tool for posters if they are in a simple design with limited text.
- Minimize text. Use as few words as possible. Use a font that can be easily read from 4-6 feet away. Letters in titles should be approximately 1 inch (approximately 72 pt.), and explanatory text should be approximately 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch (approximately 18-24 pt.). This will look large to you, but keep in mind that the goal is to draw people to your poster and that not everyone has perfect vision.
- Provide references to the relevant literature on the poster or in a handout.
- A 4’x6′ bulletin board will be provided for displaying your poster. For best appearance and visibility, make your poster dimensions no less than 2′ x 3′. A single poster is easier to read than multiple, smaller documents.
- You may have your poster profesionally done, or poster templates are available in PowerPoint and other programs if you wish to prepare your own.
- You are encouraged to post your paper proposal to the Lilly website before the Conference using the link that will be provided to you after your paper is accepted so that participants may read it beforehand.
Presenting Your Session
Be ready to go when the poster session time slot begins, with your poster displayed and any handouts with you.
When participants express interest in your topic, present the main points of your paper. Practice a short (2-3 minute) presentation that highlights these points. If you give the 3-minute presentation and viewers desire more detail, they can ask at that point. You may wish to have a tablet and pen for attendees to write down their names and email addresses if you wish to correspond with them after the conference. It is also a good idea to bring some business cards with you so that attendees may contact you.
Because it is an entire-Conference event, we expect about 300 attendees for the poster sessions. If you bring handouts, bring at least 50 copies; you may take leftover handouts to the registration desk, where individuals who missed your session may pick them up. Alternatively, you may refer participants to your paper proposal posted on the Conference website.
After the Conference
It is a good idea to send a quick note to anyone who expressed a good deal of interest in your poster to thank him or her for taking time to chat with you. This kind gesture may lead to a good professional relationship. You never know when you might need a professional favor, for example, someone to give a paper you have ready for publication submission a quick read for feedback.
If you have any questions regarding this session format, please let us know as soon as possible ([email protected]).
