Conference Presentation Guidelines

Judging Rubrics | Oral Presentations | Poster Presentations | What to Expect

Whether you are presenting orally, visually, through a poster, performance,
or a display, keep these things in mind:

Establish a clear and unifying point that you want to make early on.
Explain the applicability of your research.
When presenting your information, be sensitive to those outside your discipline.
Make sure to include or discuss the following sections, if applicable: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results,Discussion, Conclusion, References, and Acknowledgements.
Make sure that your presentation material is readable and has been proofread thoroughly.
Always acknowledge your sponsors and mentors.
Also provide credit for texts, graphs, music, etc.

Cite sources to support your ideas and provide credibility to your findings.
Be proud of your work, but acknowledge errors.
Explain unexpected results and any future research
Present to friends and family and get their feedback. Ask them about what they learned to see if you were successful in getting your point across.
Anticipate possible questions and how you might respond.
Bring a pen and paper to record the names and addresses of contacts.
Always be truthful in presenting your information and respect your audience.

Judging Rubrics

Oral Presentations

In addition to oral presentations, we also welcome performances from performing and visual arts. This includes music, dance, theater, painting, photography, sculpture, video, poetry and fiction readings, etc.

Performing and visual arts presenters can request a dance or drama space or any equipment that may be needed in the submission form on our Web site. At your presentation, a moderator will be keeping track of your presentation time and may also facilitate the discussion. Please assume that all equipment requested in your application will be provided unless we ask that you bring your presentation on a different medium.

If you will be using Power Point in your presentation, please indicate this when you sign up and we will provide you with a laptop and LCD projector for your presentation.

THE ART OF SPEAKING
Make an outline of your speech to help you organize the ideas. Write notes for your presentation as you would normally speak Make eye contact with your audience. Speak slowly and project your voice. You don’t have to memorize you speech: make note cards to use as guides.

TYPES OF VISUAL AIDS
35mm slides overhead transparencies computer projections videos enlarged charts or posters actual objects for display

Prepare your visual aids well in advance and make sure they are clear. Use visual aids where appropriate in oral presentations because many people learn better visually, especially if they are not familiar with the subject. Also, people remember more of what they read than what they hear.

Keep words to a minimum on slides, transparencies, and other visual aids; make sure they are readable from the back of the room. Words should be large enough to read from several feet away, but don?t use all caps. Avoid using light colors such as yellow or orange for words. The size of the typeface should be at least 12 point.

Number your visual aids so you always know the order in case they get dropped or misplaced. If you are using Power Point, slides, or transparencies in your presentation, don?t linger on one image for more than 5 minutes. After presenting the image, eliminate or block the projection source so that the audience will return its focus to your talk. Consider your purpose in distributing handouts as they might distract your audience. Give handouts prior to or during your presentation only if they are necessary during your talk. Otherwise, provide handouts at the end. Face the audience?don?t talk to your screen or note cards. Reiterate major points at the end to conclude.

Poster Presentations

Judging Rubric for Poster Presentations

If you are displaying a poster, you will receive the location of your exhibit space in the SUB Ballroom prior to registration. Your poster will be displayed on a freestanding board onto which your poster can be mounted with pushpins. Your poster can either be in one piece (printed on a large-format printer like those available at Kinko?s) or individual pieces that you can arrange on the board we provide. Posters on heavyweight cardboard cannot be supported by the board we are using, so please keep this in mind when you are structuring your presentation. Please check with the Conference coordinator, Marla Wyche-Hall, if you have any questions.

The poster boards we will provide are 4? tall and 8? wide and will stand 36? off the ground. Your poster must fit into a 4? or less area as each board will be shared. Your presentation must be prepared in advance: space on a poster is limited, so choose what you would like to present wisely.

Your poster will be on display from 9:00AM until 4:00PM during the conference and we request that you be present for as much of the day as possible.

If you have any valuables associated with your presentation, please retain these after you set up your poster on 4/2. During the 12:00-1:00PM lunch break, the Ballroom will be locked; while every precaution will be taken to ensure the safety of your presentation and your belongings, the department cannot be responsible for anything that is left behind. Please be present to tear down your poster by 4:00PM. The department cannot be responsible for any posters left after 4:30PM.

POSTER TYPEFACE SIZES
Titles should be at least 2 inches high. The body type for the main sections should be at least 18 point if possible. Words should be large enough to read from several feet away, but don’t use all caps.

Some Additional Ideas and Suggestions

Posters should be readable from at least 3 feet away. The title of your text should be at least 2 inches in height. Include your name, major, and school; the name of your faculty mentor(s), his/her department, and college; and the names of other coauthors, majors, and colleges (these should be able 1 inch in height). Incorporate appropriate graphics in your poster. Label or describe any charts, tables, figures, graphs, or photos used. Make sure all edges line up evenly. Edit, review, and spell check all the elements of your poster display.

During the poster session, stand to the side of your display so that you don?t block it. Prepare and practice a five-minute summary speech about your project. This time is an excellent networking possibility so it is important to speak and act professionally.

What to Expect

Before you?re scheduled to present, please stop by our Welcome Desk in front of the Ballroom to pick up your nametag and the Conference Program.
Oral presenters should familiarize themselves with the room and any equipment that will be used in their presentation.

CONFERENCE ETIQUETTE

The Research Quest Day and UNM Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference were created as a forum to not only present your achievements, your scholary/ creative works as an undergraduate, but also to celebrate a community committed to excellence and the expansion of knowledge. Be a part of this community and support your peers by attending their presentations and learning about the research they have completed. When you are participating as a presenter or audience member, please demonstrate respect for your fellow researchers.

Last Modified: September 25 2008.