Virtual Poster Session FAQs

These sessions are designed to be informal and interactive mini-presentations where virtual poster presenters have the opportunity to share problems, issues, and solutions in a casual, personal online environment. Presenters should plan to prepare a few introductory remarks or an “elevator speech” to engage listeners, as well as a “poster” (1–2 slides) to provide a visual of the presentation topic. Many virtual poster sessions will be happening concurrently. Attendees can stop by several posters throughout the 45-minute time period (each poster visit/presentation is approximately 5–10 minutes). Presenters will repeat their presentation as new attendees join the session.

Yes, EDUCAUSE has prepared a PowerPoint template for your convenience. As a reminder: for virtual poster sessions you will only need to prepare 1 - 2 slides which can include your talking points and visuals.

Virtual poster sessions do not need to upload any materials in advance. You will be sharing your screen and slides. For any supplemental materials you would like to share, we suggest having links to these resources that you can post in the chat box in Zoom throughout your session.

Yes. EDUCAUSE strives to hold meetings, conferences, and other professional events where all attendees feel welcome and barriers of any type do not exclude people from attending or participating. We ask that you take the time to review the Accessibility Information for Presenters section to help you create and deliver a presentation that all attendees can enjoy.

• Ensure your attendees can see your slides. Use a 44-point font for headings, 32-point font or higher for bullets; 18-point or larger for verbiage.
• Use Alt Text for all images.
• Include no more than 6 lines of text on each slide.
• Check that the presentation is accessible under Review tab> Check Accessibility.

This is a tough question to answer since...it depends. It depends on your presenting skills and comfort level with the content. A good rule of thumb, however, is that for every hour you spend presenting, you want to spend 10x that time preparing. Preparation is the single most important part of making a successful presentation!

Don’t skip any of the preparation steps:

• Strategy and Logistics: Know who you are speaking to, why you are speaking, so you can figure out what you are going to present.
• Brainstorm and Outline Your Presentation: This outline or script is essentially a game plan for your session.
• Practice: Your practice sessions should be 50% of your preparation time and should begin well in advance of the event. We can’t emphasize this enough: The more you practice, the more comfortable and confident you will be! Do several dry runs of your presentation. The success of your presentation depends on it! Tip: Time your presentation from start to finish!
• Create Your Slides/Visuals: Keep it simple and visually interesting.
• Presentation: Good luck! All your preparation will pay off!
• Debrief: What went well, what didn’t. How can I/we improve for next time?

Yes! We have the Online Presenter Toolkit and the Presenter Concierge section of our website. There, you’ll find articles, videos and resources for you, including slide design how-to’s, tips on delivering an outstanding presentation, engagement strategies, accessibility and more. Take the time to develop your presentation skills to create and deliver a presentation that is memorable and impactful. Here are some of our favorite resources:

• How to Give a Killer Presentation
• Top Ten Slide Design Tips
• How to Keep Your Audience Engaged During an Online Presentation

EDUCAUSE has a dedicated staff person whose primary role is to support presenters. The speaker manager provides ongoing communication leading up to the event, answers questions and can provide extra assistance through Speaker Support Sessions if needed. We currently offer training through pre-event meetings and the EDUCAUSE Presenter Support Modules. These five-minute (or less) videos will help you create an outstanding presentation by focusing on the practices adopted by the most effective speakers, presenters, and facilitators. The content also includes machine-readable PDF versions.

• Presentation Best Practices Introduction (3:10)
• How to Use Presentation Time Effectively (4:10)
• Using Visuals (4:13)
• Presentation Content and Detail (4:19)
• Audience Interaction (4:22)
• Panels (3:38)

These mini-sessions will be hosted on our online event platform. During the scheduled virtual poster session time found on the agenda, attendees will enter the main (Zoom) room where they will be greeted by one of our EDUCAUSE hosts. There will be approximately 10-15 poster sessions happening concurrently in different breakout rooms. Attendees will choose one of the topics and breakout rooms to visit. Presentations last around 5-10 minutes and then attendees can move on to the next session, and then will repeat this until the 45 minute time period is over.

• Step 1: Log into the online platform (as an attendee) approximately 10-15 minutes before the start of your session.
• Step 2: Locate the Virtual Poster sessions tab.
• Step 3: Select “join” and enter the Zoom room where a room host will move you into your breakout room.
• Step 4: You will share your screen and your PowerPoint slides.
• Step 5: Welcome attendees and start off with some introductory remarks to engage them. Then, hit them with the highlights of your session topic. At this stage, let them know that you welcome questions. Virtual poster sessions are meant to be more casual and conversational.
• Step 6: As a new group joins, you will repeat the presentation points. Good luck!