Guidelines for Oral and Poster Presentations

Oral Presentations

1. Oral presentations will be 20 minutes in length with 5 minutes for questions from the audience.
2. Presentations may only be given as PowerPoint presentations.  No other audio-visual medium (e.g., slide, video, or overhead) or software is allowed.
3. Prepare your presentation as a single PowerPoint file.  The computer will have Microsoft Office 2003 no other file formats will be able to be used!  Computers available at the meeting will run PowerPoint 2003 and all previous versions of PowerPoint.   Save your file as a normal PowerPoint file (.ppt). Do not save your file as a PowerPoint Show (.pps) file or a PowerPoint 2007 file (.pptx).
4. Name your PowerPoint file with your last name (e.g., Smith.ppt).
5. All presentations must run on the Windows operating system.  Symposium computers will run on Windows XP Professional.  If at all possible, please create your presentation on the same version of Windows or at least test it on this version before submitting it. Otherwise errors may occur in your presentation at the symposium.
6. Conference organizers will load all presentations on conference computers.  Presenters will NOT be allowed to use their own laptop computers.  Mac computers will NOT be available.
7. Please bring a copy of your presentation file on a memory stick (USB), or CD-ROM to the conference room.  A designated person will be available to help load your PowerPoint presentation on the computer during the following times:
• Monday, November 3rd, 6-8 p.m.
• Tuesday, November 4th, 7-7:30 a.m.
• Tuesday, November 4th, 5-6 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 5th, 7-7:30 a.m.
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• Wednesday, November 5th, from 5-6 p.m.
• Thursday, November 6th, 7-7:30 a.m.
8. Your presentation will be opened by a volunteer at the start of your talk and please note that you will be required to advance your own slides.
9. The session moderator will monitor your presentation time and let you know when you have 5 minutes left and then 1 minute left.

Advice on Effective Communication

1. Please remember while preparing your talk that the audience will include both researchers and natural resource managers responsible for evaluating and managing wildlife risks associated with plague. Highlighting the ecological significance of your research is desired.
2. Preparation of presentation: Make each of your slides clear & readable. DO NOT USE ANIMATED TRANSITIONS (they distract the audience). Use a simple, pleasing background - Avoid a background with lines, multiple colors, or many shades of one color. Make Graphs, Diagrams, & Pictures as large as possible – use a border around images & do not let images overlap text & visa versa.  Make all text as large as possible such that it can be read at a distance of 25-30m – use a consistent font style throughout (e.g., Arial or Times Roman). Examples: Dark blue grading to light blue; light-yellow print –or- Simple repeated graphic on left side, with white background & black print.  
3. Keep visual aids simple. Convey only one idea per table, figure, or title slide. Figures from publications, theses, or dissertations normally do not make good PowerPoint slides. Too much detail detracts from the primary message of the slide. Use appropriate blank space.
4. Slides should be readable to the unaided eye. You will be speaking in a large room. Text on title slides should be restricted to 7 lines. The bigger the font, the easier it will be to read to read.
5. Use appropriate and compatible colors for type and backgrounds. Avoid white backgrounds. Color combinations with pleasing contrasts are preferable. Examples of suggested combinations are: white or yellow type on a blue background, and yellow type on a green background. Avoid dark slides and overly dark backgrounds. Remember that color blind people cannot distinguish between red and green.
6. Simple typefaces are preferable to fancy fonts. Bold type may be effective on title slides.
7. Slides of scenes or organisms should clearly show what you want the audience to see.

Poster Presentations

Poster Session Schedule and Setup

Limited time for setup is available because we are holding the poster session and social at a commercial restaurant. Please set up your poster at Coopersmith's Pub (“Poolside”) between 5 and 6 pm Tuesday, November 4th. Personnel will be there to help you locate an easel and foam board.

Presenters are asked to be available at their posters during the social to discuss their posters with interested viewers.

Poster Specifications

1. Posters must be no larger than 40"X56". We will provide foam board and an easel to mount the poster. This board will be the only support device available. Tables or other support devices will not be provided and may not be supplied by presenters because of limited space. Business cards or small leaflet literature for distribution may be inserted in an envelope and affixed to the board or hung on the easel.
2. Posters may be attached to the foam boards by binder clips, tape or velcro. We will provide the mounting supplies.
3. Posters that do not meet these specifications will not be displayed.

Advice on Production of Posters

1. Keep text brief. Report only key aspects of each section (e.g., introduction, study area, methods, results, discussion, management implications). It is not advisable to display the entire text from a manuscript. Too much detail detracts from the primary message of the text.
2. Keep figures simple. Convey only one idea per figure, table, or photograph. Figures from publications, theses, or dissertations normally do not make good visuals. Too much detail detracts from the primary message of the figure.
3. Text and figures should be readable by someone standing at a distance of six feet. Adjust font and image sizes accordingly. BIG IS BEAUTIFUL, and easy to read.
4. Photographs should clearly show what you want the audience to see.
5. Use appropriate blank space between to visually distinguish between figure captions and body text. Do not right-justify.
6. Use appropriate and compatible colors for fonts, backgrounds, graphics, and matting. White, or very light, backgrounds generally are best for text.
7. Simple typefaces are preferable to fancy fonts. Bold type is effective on headings and helps visually distinguish different sections.