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10 tips for presenting your poster online at a virtual conference

Presenting a poster online during a virtual conference has its pros and cons compared to in-person poster presentations. Whilst it can be difficult to achieve the same level of interactions during a virtual poster session, there can be opportunities to share your research with a wider audience, and you may feel more relaxed being in a familiar environment.

Whether you are presenting your poster live or pre-recording a presentation, these tips and considerations will help you make the most of your online poster presentation.

1. Utilise templates and tutorials

Often, the company providing the software for the virtual poster sessions will have templates available to download. Using an official template will reduce the risk of any technical issues occurring on the day, so you can focus on your presentation. It will ensure your poster looks as good as possible, as it will be the correct size, format, and resolution.

Take a look at software-specific tutorials too. These will likely contain some handy tips and tricks for using the software, helping you feel more confident on the day, and allowing you to focus on your presentation.

2. It’s all in the design

Your poster needs to stand out from the crowd and capture the audience’s attention, but also include the most important information in a compact space. The best posters present data clearly and don’t have too much text; your poster doesn’t need to explain every detail of your research.

Take a look at our guides for making your scientific poster stand out and keeping your poster concise to help you with your poster design.

3. Include sounds and videos

A benefit of having an electronic poster is that you can include sound and videos, neither of which can be incorporated when you are presenting your poster in-person .

Remember to not get carried away, and only include videos and sounds that will help to tell your story, ensuring you test they work on the platform ahead of your poster session to avoid any last-minute problems.

4. Include links on your poster

Links are another aspect that can be fully utilised in digital posters. Be sure to include external links to further reading in your poster to help your audience better understand your research. For example, you could link to your published research paper, to articles explaining a concept in more detail, your lab’s website, and other relevant websites that could be of interest to your audience.

5. Choose your location wisely

Ensure that you are presenting your research in a location that has a neutral background, to avoid drawing the audience’s attention away from your talk.

Check the lighting to make sure it isn’t too dark, you can be clearly seen, and there is no glare from lighting.

Finally, choose a place that is quiet and free from disturbances or distractions; minimise background noise by taking measures such as putting a sign on the door if you are in a meeting room, or closing the window if you are next to a busy road.

6. Practice your presentation

As you would for an in-person presentation, ensure you practice your presentation before the virtual conference, so you know what you are going to say, and have plenty of time to make modifications if there are any parts you are tripping over.

To get comfortable presenting online, practice presenting to friends or colleagues using a platform such as Zoom , Skype or Google Hangouts . This will help you know where to sit (in terms of background noise and lighting), where to look throughout the presentation, as well as check your sound and camera are working sufficiently.

7. Check your connection

Ensure your internet is reliable and fast enough to handle the data transfer that will be involved when you are presenting your poster online. Video conferencing has speed requirements; your connection will need meet these so your video and sound don’t lag and you can be seen and heard clearly. You can learn more about this here , and most virtual meeting organisers will be able to provide some guidelines.

If you are using video conferencing software that has an app, download this rather than presenting through your browser, as this will be more reliable.

8. Close everything down

To maximise the processing power of your computer, help prevent glitches and avoid sharing anything other than your presentation, close all programmes down apart from your presentation. Better to be safe than sorry!

9. Dress professionally

Even though the audience will see a small part of your outfit, dressing smartly, as you would for an in-person presentation, will help to you to be in the right frame of mind. It will also show that you care and are there to make the most of the opportunity, as explained here .

Although you want to look smart, you also need to be comfortable, so be sure to wear an outfit that is comfortable to sit in for a few hours!

10. Some tips for pre-recorded presentations

The tips above also apply to pre-recorded presentations, but here are a couple of additional pointers for a pre-recorded poster presentation:

• Look at the guidelines for the file type and size, as well as suggested length of the recording
• Record in a quiet place, where you will be undisturbed, and check the lighting and background before you begin
• Again, practice before you record
• Take a look here for more advice for pre-recorded presentations.

Take a look at our other useful comtent:

• Some of our tips for presenting a poster at an in-person conference are still applicable to virtual scientific conferences.

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Undergraduate Research Center

Creating a video presentation for a virtual conference.

There are many options and resources when it comes to recording video presentations of your research for the virtual conference. This advice is primarily relevant for research posters, powerpoint slides and oral presentations.  The Undergraduate Research Center recommends utilizing any of the recording applications below to make your videos as these are resources available to all participating students currently. Below are general instructions on how to record a video presentation of your research as well as some tips and tricks to help keep in mind when creating content. 

Preparing To Record

• Get familiar with the technology. Learn what your audio and visual resources are and how to best operate them. Explore shortcuts and options in software (PowerPoint, Adobe PDF, etc.) being used to show information will also be helpful. Learning about this beforehand will help in case you experience unexpected technical difficulties while recording.
• Quiet enough to record with minimal interruptions
• Natural lighting or the ability to control lighting to best record in
• Have space to set up and record at eye level
• Be sure to outline your presentation so there is a natural flow as it is delivered. The Undergraduate Research Center recommends video presentations be 5-10 minutes in length for poster presenters and 8-12 minutes for oral session presenters for its conference.  Please check the desired parameters for the virtual conference for which you are preparing.   Having an outline will help maximize the given time.
• Practice your presentation as if you were doing it at an in-person venue. The confidence gained from preparation also translates on video. It will also increase the professionalism of the presentation and enhance its overall quality. 
• Dress for success from head to toe! Video presentations have the potential of reaching audiences all over the world, so it is important to dress accordingly. Business casual is recommended, and even if the camera will not necessarily capture a presenter's lower body it really does help to feel prepared by wearing a complete outfit. 

Ready, Set, Record!

Currently the Undergraduate Research Center recommends designing a recording where there is a main screen presenting a poster or presentation while video of the presenter is visible in a smaller sub-screen (also known as picture in picture format). When recording, be sure to remember:

• Speak clearly and keep water nearby. It is likely you will do multiple takes and pause, so be sure to enunciate and stay hydrated to keep your voice strong. Here are some voice exercises that can also help warm up the vocal chords. 
• If you are sharing space, be sure to let people know you will be recording. If helpful, invite them to be your audience!
• Record your presentation multiple times. This will give you options to pick your final version or even edit  multiple versions together. It is important to take breaks throughout so as to not get too tired. 
• Be yourself! This is your project and could not have been done without you. Let your passion for the research shine and it will also help ease any nerves. 

Don't forget to save your file in the best format. For the URC Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference,  y ou can save your video presentation in one of the following  video formats:  MP4, M4V, MPG, WMV, MOV, AVI, 3GP, FLV, MKV, MTS, VP6, WMA, M4A, AAC, MP2, MP3.  The max length of time for videos is 15 minutes and the size limit for video files is 2GB .   Be sure to check the requested media requirements for other conferences.

Recording Options

Goreact .

GoReact ( GoReact.com ) is a video presentation application exclusively available for 2021 Undergraduate Research Conference presenters. As the hosting platform for the URC conference, there is the ability to record, edit and even add attachments that compliment your presentation. There are also options for group presenters and mobile compatibility, giving students flexible options in recording. GoReact comes with many resources to help presenters create content that audiences can actively participate in. To learn more about recording with GoReact, conference presenters should check their email accounts and also review uploading directions as well. 

GoReact Student Support Library

AggieVideo (also known as Kaltura)

AggieVideo ( https://video.ucdavis.edu/ ) is an application available where you can upload, manage, edit, and share UC Davis video or audio content. Content can be shared publicly with anyone, or privately to select or authorized viewers, making it a great resource for recording presentations. AggieVideo is also compatible with Canvas and Zoom, with more information found at the AggieVideo Knowledge Base . 

To get started with AggieVideo, download Kaltura Capture using these instructions . 

Zoom is a campus resource available to all students and is recommended for recording video presentations. Be sure to check out the official UC Davis Zoom knowledge base for more information.  The application is a great resource for recording group presentations as it allows multiple presenters to participate in the recording all together. Note that the person setting up the recording will be considered the "host", and in primary control of the application unless recording responsibilities are shared. 

Additional information can be found here:  Official Zoom Help Center Recording Tutorial

PowerPoint is great option for presenters who only have audio recording capabilities and/or are looking to incorporate more dynamic details in to their presentation. Recordings can be made over PowerPoint slides individually too, which is a nice option if wanting to break up recording in to sections. To view how to record in PowerPoint, please view this official Microsoft video tutorial .

PowerPoint is part of the Microsoft Office Suite, which the UC Davis community can access using instructions found here . 

Other Resources

• Example 1 (AggieVideo) 
• Example 2 (Zoom group)
• Example 3 
• GoReact Recording Tips
• How to Film a Talking Head
• How to Engage an Audience Through Camera
• Using Zoom to Create eLearning

Home Blog Design How to Design a Winning Poster Presentation: Quick Guide with Examples & Templates

How to Design a Winning Poster Presentation: Quick Guide with Examples & Templates

How are research posters like High School science fair projects? Quite similar, in fact.

Both are visual representations of a research project shared with peers, colleagues and academic faculty. But there’s a big difference: it’s all in professionalism and attention to detail. You can be sure that the students that thrived in science fairs are now creating fantastic research posters, but what is that extra element most people miss when designing a poster presentation?

This guide will teach tips and tricks for creating poster presentations for conferences, symposia, and more. Learn in-depth poster structure and design techniques to help create academic posters that have a lasting impact.

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• What is a Research Poster?

Why are Poster Presentations important?

Overall dimensions and orientation, separation into columns and sections, scientific, academic, or something else, a handout with supplemental and contact information, cohesiveness, design and readability, storytelling.

• Font Characteristics
• Color Pairing
• Data Visualization Dimensions
• Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Scientific/Academic Conference Poster Presentation

Digital research poster presentations, slidemodel poster presentation templates, how to make a research poster presentation step-by-step, considerations for printing poster presentations, how to present a research poster presentation, final words, what is a research poster .

Research posters are visual overviews of the most relevant information extracted from a research paper or analysis.   They are essential communication formats for sharing findings with peers and interested people in the field. Research posters can also effectively present material for other areas besides the sciences and STEM—for example, business and law.

You’ll be creating research posters regularly as an academic researcher, scientist, or grad student. You’ll have to present them at numerous functions and events. For example:

• Conference presentations
• Informational events
• Community centers

The research poster presentation is a comprehensive way to share data, information, and research results. Before the pandemic, the majority of research events were in person. During lockdown and beyond, virtual conferences and summits became the norm. Many researchers now create poster presentations that work in printed and digital formats.

Let’s look at why it’s crucial to spend time creating poster presentations for your research projects, research, analysis, and study papers.

Research posters represent you and your sponsor’s research 

Research papers and accompanying poster presentations are potent tools for representation and communication in your field of study. Well-performing poster presentations help scientists, researchers, and analysts grow their careers through grants and sponsorships.

When presenting a poster presentation for a sponsored research project, you’re representing the company that sponsored you. Your professionalism, demeanor, and capacity for creating impactful poster presentations call attention to other interested sponsors, spreading your impact in the field.

Research posters demonstrate expertise and growth

Presenting research posters at conferences, summits, and graduate grading events shows your expertise and knowledge in your field of study. The way your poster presentation looks and delivers, plus your performance while presenting the work, is judged by your viewers regardless of whether it’s an officially judged panel.

Recurring visitors to research conferences and symposia will see you and your poster presentations evolve. Improve your impact by creating a great poster presentation every time by paying attention to detail in the poster design and in your oral presentation. Practice your public speaking skills alongside the design techniques for even more impact.

Poster presentations create and maintain collaborations

Every time you participate in a research poster conference, you create meaningful connections with people in your field, industry or community. Not only do research posters showcase information about current data in different areas, but they also bring people together with similar interests. Countless collaboration projects between different research teams started after discussing poster details during coffee breaks.

An effective research poster template deepens your peer’s understanding of a topic by highlighting research, data, and conclusions. This information can help other researchers and analysts with their work. As a research poster presenter, you’re given the opportunity for both teaching and learning while sharing ideas with peers and colleagues.

Anatomy of a Winning Poster Presentation

Do you want your research poster to perform well?  Following the standard layout and adding a few personal touches will help attendees know how to read your poster and get the most out of your information. 

The overall size of your research poster ultimately depends on the dimensions of the provided space at the conference or research poster gallery. The poster orientation can be horizontal or vertical, with horizontal being the most common.  In general, research posters measure 48 x 36 inches or are an A0 paper size.

A virtual poster can be the same proportions as the printed research poster, but you have more leeway regarding the dimensions. Virtual research posters should fit on a screen with no need to scroll, with 1080p resolution as a standard these days. A horizontal presentation size is ideal for that.

A research poster presentation has a standard layout of 2–5 columns with 2–3 sections each. Typical structures say to separate the content into four sections; 1. A horizontal header 2. Introduction column, 3. Research/Work/Data column, and 4. Conclusion column. Each unit includes topics that relate to your poster’s objective.  Here’s a generalized outline for a poster presentation:

• Condensed Abstract 
• Objectives/Purpose
• Methodology
• Recommendations
• Implications
• Acknowledgments
• Contact Information 

The overview content you include in the units depends on your poster presentations’ theme, topic, industry, or field of research. A scientific or academic poster will include sections like hypothesis, methodology, and materials. A marketing analysis poster will include performance metrics and competitor analysis results.

There’s no way a poster can hold all the information included in your research paper or analysis report. The poster is an overview that invites the audience to want to find out more. That’s where supplement material comes in. Create a printed PDF handout or card with a QR code (created using a QR code generator ). Send the audience to the best online location for reading or downloading the complete paper.

What Makes a Poster Presentation Good and Effective? 

For your poster presentation to be effective and well-received, it needs to cover all the bases and be inviting to find out more. Stick to the standard layout suggestions and give it a unique look and feel. We’ve put together some of the most critical research poster-creation tips in the list below. Your poster presentation will perform as long as you check all the boxes.

The information you choose to include in the sections of your poster presentation needs to be cohesive. Train your editing eye and do a few revisions before presenting. The best way to look at it is to think of The Big Picture. Don’t get stuck on the details; your attendees won’t always know the background behind your research topic or why it’s important.

Be cohesive in how you word the titles, the length of the sections, the highlighting of the most important data, and how your oral presentation complements the printed—or virtual—poster.

The most important characteristic of your poster presentation is its readability and clarity. You need a poster presentation with a balanced design that’s easy to read at a distance of 1.5 meters or 4 feet. The font size and spacing must be clear and neat. All the content must suggest a visual flow for the viewer to follow.

That said, you don’t need to be a designer to add something special to your poster presentation. Once you have the standard—and recognized—columns and sections, add your special touch. These can be anything from colorful boxes for the section titles to an interesting but subtle background, images that catch the eye, and charts that inspire a more extended look. 

Storytelling is a presenting technique involving writing techniques to make information flow. Firstly, storytelling helps give your poster presentation a great introduction and an impactful conclusion. 

Think of storytelling as the invitation to listen or read more, as the glue that connects sections, making them flow from one to another. Storytelling is using stories in the oral presentation, for example, what your lab partner said when you discovered something interesting. If it makes your audience smile and nod, you’ve hit the mark. Storytelling is like giving a research presentation a dose of your personality, and it can help turning your data into opening stories .

Design Tips For Creating an Effective Research Poster Presentation

The section above briefly mentioned how important design is to your poster presentation’s effectiveness. We’ll look deeper into what you need to know when designing a poster presentation.

1. Font Characteristics

The typeface and size you choose are of great importance. Not only does the text need to be readable from two meters away, but it also needs to look and sit well on the poster. Stay away from calligraphic script typefaces, novelty typefaces, or typefaces with uniquely shaped letters.

Stick to the classics like a sans serif Helvetica, Lato, Open Sans, or Verdana. Avoid serif typefaces as they can be difficult to read from far away. Here are some standard text sizes to have on hand.

• Title: 85 pt
• Authors: 65 pt
• Headings: 36 pt
• Body Text: 24 pt
• Captions: 18 pt

If you feel too prone to use serif typefaces, work with a font pairing tool that helps you find a suitable solution – and intend those serif fonts for heading sections only. As a rule, never use more than 3 different typefaces in your design. To make it more dynamic, you can work with the same font using light, bold, and italic weights to put emphasis on the required areas.

2. Color Pairing

Using colors in your poster presentation design is a great way to grab the viewer’s attention. A color’s purpose is to help the viewer follow the data flow in your presentation, not distract. Don’t let the color take more importance than the information on your poster.

Choose one main color for the title and headlines and a similar color for the data visualizations. If you want to use more than one color, don’t create too much contrast between them. Try different tonalities of the same color and keep things balanced visually. Your color palette should have at most one main color and two accent colors.

Black text over a white background is standard practice for printed poster presentations, but for virtual presentations, try a very light gray instead of white and a very dark gray instead of black. Additionally, use variations of light color backgrounds and dark color text. Make sure it’s easy to read from two meters away or on a screen, depending on the context. We recommend ditching full white or full black tone usage as it hurts eyesight in the long term due to its intense contrast difference with the light ambiance.

3. Data Visualization Dimensions

Just like the text, your charts, graphs, and data visualizations must be easy to read and understand. Generally, if a person is interested in your research and has already read some of the text from two meters away, they’ll come closer to look at the charts and graphs. 

Fit data visualizations inside columns or let them span over two columns. Remove any unnecessary borders, lines, or labels to make them easier to read at a glance. Use a flat design without shadows or 3D characteristics. The text in legends and captions should stay within the chart size and not overflow into the margins. Use a unified text size of 18px for all your data visualizations.

4. Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Finally, the last design tip for creating an impressive and memorable poster presentation is to be mindful of the layout’s alignment, margins, and white space. Create text boxes to help keep everything aligned. They allow you to resize, adapt, and align the content along a margin or grid.

Take advantage of the white space created by borders and margins between sections. Don’t crowd them with a busy background or unattractive color.

Calculate margins considering a print format. It is a good practice in case the poster presentation ends up becoming in physical format, as you won’t need to downscale your entire design (affecting text readability in the process) to preserve information.

There are different tools that you can use to make a poster presentation. Presenters who are familiar with Microsoft Office prefer to use PowerPoint. You can learn how to make a poster in PowerPoint here.

Poster Presentation Examples

Before you start creating a poster presentation, look at some examples of real research posters. Get inspired and get creative.

Research poster presentations printed and mounted on a board look like the one in the image below. The presenter stands to the side, ready to share the information with visitors as they walk up to the panels.

With more and more conferences staying virtual or hybrid, the digital poster presentation is here to stay. Take a look at examples from a poster session at the OHSU School of Medicine .

Use SlideModel templates to help you create a winning poster presentation with PowerPoint and Google Slides. These poster PPT templates will get you off on the right foot. Mix and match tables and data visualizations from other poster slide templates to create your ideal layout according to the standard guidelines.

If you need a quick method to create a presentation deck to talk about your research poster at conferences, check out our Slides AI presentation maker. A tool in which you add the topic, curate the outline, select a design, and let AI do the work for you.

1. One-pager Scientific Poster Template for PowerPoint

A PowerPoint template tailored to make your poster presentations an easy-to-craft process. Meet our One-Pager Scientific Poster Slide Template, entirely editable to your preferences and with ample room to accommodate graphs, data charts, and much more.

Use This Template

2. Eisenhower Matrix Slides Template for PowerPoint

An Eisenhower Matrix is a powerful tool to represent priorities, classifying work according to urgency and importance. Presenters can use this 2×2 matrix in poster presentations to expose the effort required for the research process, as it also helps to communicate strategy planning.

3. OSMG Framework PowerPoint Template

Finally, we recommend presenters check our OSMG Framework PowerPoint template, as it is an ideal tool for representing a business plan: its goals, strategies, and measures for success. Expose complex processes in a simplified manner by adding this template to your poster presentation.

Remember these three words when making your research poster presentation: develop, design, and present. These are the three main actions toward a successful poster presentation. 

The section below will take you on a step-by-step journey to create your next poster presentation.

Step 1: Define the purpose and audience of your poster presentation

Before making a poster presentation design, you’ll need to plan first. Here are some questions to answer at this point:

• Are they in your field? 
• Do they know about your research topic? 
• What can they get from your research?
• Will you print it?
• Is it for a virtual conference?

Step 2: Make an outline

With a clear purpose and strategy, it’s time to collect the most important information from your research paper, analysis, or documentation. Make a content dump and then select the most interesting information. Use the content to draft an outline.

Outlines help formulate the overall structure better than going straight into designing the poster. Mimic the standard poster structure in your outline using section headlines as separators. Go further and separate the content into the columns they’ll be placed in.

Step 3: Write the content

Write or rewrite the content for the sections in your poster presentation. Use the text in your research paper as a base, but summarize it to be more succinct in what you share. 

Don’t forget to write a catchy title that presents the problem and your findings in a clear way. Likewise, craft the headlines for the sections in a similar tone as the title, creating consistency in the message. Include subtle transitions between sections to help follow the flow of information in order.

Avoid copying/pasting entire sections of the research paper on which the poster is based. Opt for the storytelling approach, so the delivered message results are interesting for your audience. 

Step 4: Put it all together visually

This entire guide on how to design a research poster presentation is the perfect resource to help you with this step. Follow all the tips and guidelines and have an unforgettable poster presentation.

Moving on, here’s how to design a research poster presentation with PowerPoint Templates . Open a new project and size it to the standard 48 x 36 inches. Using the outline, map out the sections on the empty canvas. Add a text box for each title, headline, and body text. Piece by piece, add the content into their corresponding text box.

Transform the text information visually, make bullet points, and place the content in tables and timelines. Make your text visual to avoid chunky text blocks that no one will have time to read. Make sure all text sizes are coherent for all headings, body texts, image captions, etc. Double-check for spacing and text box formatting.

Next, add or create data visualizations, images, or diagrams. Align everything into columns and sections, making sure there’s no overflow. Add captions and legends to the visualizations, and check the color contrast with colleagues and friends. Ask for feedback and progress to the last step.

Step 5: Last touches

Time to check the final touches on your poster presentation design. Here’s a checklist to help finalize your research poster before sending it to printers or the virtual summit rep.

• Check the resolution of all visual elements in your poster design. Zoom to 100 or 200% to see if the images pixelate. Avoid this problem by using vector design elements and high-resolution images.
• Ensure that charts and graphs are easy to read and don’t look crowded.
• Analyze the visual hierarchy. Is there a visual flow through the title, introduction, data, and conclusion?
• Take a step back and check if it’s legible from a distance. Is there enough white space for the content to breathe?
• Does the design look inviting and interesting?

An often neglected topic arises when we need to print our designs for any exhibition purpose. Since A0 is a hard-to-manage format for most printers, these poster presentations result in heftier charges for the user. Instead, you can opt to work your design in two A1 sheets, which also becomes more manageable for transportation. Create seamless borders for the section on which the poster sheets should meet, or work with a white background.

Paper weight options should be over 200 gsm to avoid unwanted damage during the printing process due to heavy ink usage. If possible, laminate your print or stick it to photographic paper – this shall protect your work from spills.

Finally, always run a test print. Gray tints may not be printed as clearly as you see them on screen (this is due to the RGB to CMYK conversion process). Other differences can be appreciated when working with ink jet plotters vs. laser printers. Give yourself enough room to maneuver last-minute design changes.

Presenting a research poster is a big step in the poster presentation cycle. Your poster presentation might or might not be judged by faculty or peers. But knowing what judges look for will help you prepare for the design and oral presentation, regardless of whether you receive a grade for your work or if it’s business related. Likewise, the same principles apply when presenting at an in-person or virtual summit.

The opening statement

Part of presenting a research poster is welcoming the viewer to your small personal area in the sea of poster presentations. You’ll need an opening statement to pitch your research poster and get the viewers’ attention.

Draft a 2 to 3-sentence pitch that covers the most important points:

• What the research is
• Why was it conducted
• What the results say

From that opening statement, you’re ready to continue with the oral presentation for the benefit of your attendees.

The oral presentation

During the oral presentation, share the information on the poster while conversing with the interested public. Practice many times before the event. Structure the oral presentation as conversation points, and use the poster’s visual flow as support. Make eye contact with your audience as you speak, but don’t make them uncomfortable.

Pro Tip: In a conference or summit, if people show up to your poster area after you’ve started presenting it to another group, finish and then address the new visitors.

QA Sessions 

When you’ve finished the oral presentation, offer the audience a chance to ask questions. You can tell them before starting the presentation that you’ll be holding a QA session at the end. Doing so will prevent interruptions as you’re speaking.

If presenting to one or two people, be flexible and answer questions as you review all the sections on your poster.

Supplemental Material

If your audience is interested in learning more, you can offer another content type, further imprinting the information in their minds. Some ideas include; printed copies of your research paper, links to a website, a digital experience of your poster, a thesis PDF, or data spreadsheets.

Your audience will want to contact you for further conversations; include contact details in your supplemental material. If you don’t offer anything else, at least have business cards.

Even though conferences have changed, the research poster’s importance hasn’t diminished. Now, instead of simply creating a printed poster presentation, you can also make it for digital platforms. The final output will depend on the conference and its requirements.

This guide covered all the essential information you need to know for creating impactful poster presentations, from design, structure and layout tips to oral presentation techniques to engage your audience better . 

Before your next poster session, bookmark and review this guide to help you design a winning poster presentation every time. 

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6connex faqs, how to present in virtual poster sessions: virtual poster presentation guidelines.

When you're presenting at a trade show or conference, posters can help get your points across quickly and efficiently.

However, as more events are shifting to digital, so are posters. That said, learning how to develop a virtual poster and execute a poster session is a bit more challenging than it is for physical posters. Let’s dive into the world of virtual posters - how to make them, when to use them, and how to make them as effective as possible. 

What is a Virtual Poster?

As the name suggests, a virtual poster is just a digital version of a regular event poster. The objective is to convey details and information in a virtual environment, such as a video conferencing session or virtual trade show. However, while you have to print physical posters, you don't have the same limitations with an e-poster. 

Why Use Virtual Posters?

There are many reasons to incorporate posters into your virtual event, such as: 

• Detailed graphs and reports
• Images to accompany your presentation text or speech
• Video content

You can get as creative with your posters as you want. You can also utilize them in a few ways, including: 

• Screen Sharing - Show your information during a virtual poster presentation. 
• Background - Most webcasting software allows you to set an image as a digital background. You can do the same with a virtual poster. 
• Attachment - If you want guests to download and access the poster remotely, you can attach it to your chat session. 

How to Create a Kickass Virtual Poster

Needing a virtual poster is just the first step. Next, you need to know how to design your poster to present on your virtual event platform . Here are some factors to consider when developing your design: 

• Presentation Type - Depending on your event, you may have to follow specific virtual poster presentation guidelines. For example, you may have to share your screen instead of using a virtual background . Knowing these details ensures that your final design will work. 
• Information Focus - What is the purpose of the virtual poster? What information are you trying to convey? Start there and keep your details as focused as possible. If the poster has too much going on, it's hard for viewers to understand what they're seeing. 
• Screen Size - Most attendees will be on a laptop or desktop computer, so they'll have a decent-sized screen. However, some individuals may use a mobile device to attend the session. Make sure to consider the screen size.
• Color Scheme - Usually, colors can help convey your information more clearly. However, you need to ensure that the colors compliment each other and don't clash. For example, it can be hard to read black text on a red background, but it's easier to read white text on a red background. 
• Text vs. Graphics - As a rule, you need to break up your text as much as possible so that it's scannable. Doing this ensures that viewers can read everything faster and more clearly. You should also use graphics or images to enhance your message. However, too many pictures on the screen can make it feel cluttered and confusing. 

Tips for Presenting Your Virtual Poster

Even though you might have the best virtual poster around, you also need to know how to present it during your event. If you want to make sure that your audience stays engaged, follow these tips: 

• Practice Your Presentation On the Virtual Event Platform - It's one thing to rehearse your speech ahead of time, but chances are that you'll have to troubleshoot some technical issues. So, if you can practice on the platform itself, you can practice things like screen sharing, link sharing, and running audio and video. It's much better to iron these details out ahead of time instead of during the event. 
• Get Feedback From Other People - No matter what virtual event software you're using, it'll likely look different from your perspective as a presenter than it does to the attendees. So, make sure that you enlist the help of some other people to see what your poster looks like on the platform. 
• Use Links - One way to ensure that attendees get all the correct information is to link to other sources during your presentation.

How to Create a Recorded Presentation With Your Virtual Poster

Pre-recording your presentation enables you to use it over and over without having to be at every meeting. There are two primary ways to do this, and the exact tools and process will depend on the option you choose:

• First, you can traditionally record yourself using a camera and editing software. This option allows you to choose multiple angles and incorporate various elements and backgrounds. 
• The second option is to record yourself on the virtual event platform. If necessary, you can trim the video to be shorter and easier to digest. 

Extra Content to Include With Your Virtual Poster

The poster itself is just one component. If you want to make your virtual poster presentation more engaging, you should incorporate other elements, such as interactive content . Fortunately, it's easy to add to your poster when working within a virtual environment. Some potential content ideas include: 

• Video Clips - These clips can help explain specific elements of your presentation, or they can add some flair. 
• Interactive Elements - You can incorporate something simple like a Q&A session within your virtual poster. Then, you can ask the questions during your presentation. Some programs allow attendees to submit answers themselves. 
• Downloadable Version - Not everyone will get all the information on the first pass. The best way to ensure that attendees can access the data afterward is to make your poster downloadable. We'll get into that in the next section. 

How to Make Your Poster Accessible and Downloadable

When creating your downloadable file, you should save it as something universal, such as an Adobe PDF, jpg, or mp4 file. Most computer systems can open and interact with these file types, so you shouldn't have to worry about compatibility issues. 

As far as sharing the file with your guests, you can either do so through your virtual event platform or share a downloadable link through the chatbox. In most cases, you want to do both, just in case some attendees have any technical issues with the platform. 

When talking about accessibility, you should add image tags to any photos included within your poster. These tags work with screen readers so that the visually impaired can still know what's on the poster. Also, you should include captions with any video content for the same reason.  

How to Incorporate a Virtual Poster Into a Virtual Environment

The simplest way to incorporate a virtual poster is by sharing your screen. Even if you pre-record your presentation, sharing your screen is the easiest option to show it off to your audience. 

Working With a Virtual & Hybrid Events Company

Virtual posters can make your in-person, virtual, or hybrid event more interactive and engaging. Let our proprietary software empower you to use as much media as necessary to connect with your guests. Contact us today to find out more and learn more about 6Connex, the leading provider of virtual events and virtual environments to enhance any use case.

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Virtual Poster Presentation Guidelines: Template & Tips

Published on 03 Dec 2021

In academic conferences, poster presentations are super important. They help participants gain experience in communicating their research, share their findings, and get feedback from their peers while also making events more dynamic.

It is no wonder virtual event organizers keep them on the program despite the additional layer of complexity.

From my personal experience as a presenter, not having clear guidelines often discouraged me from submitting. I was either confused about the expected format, the poster submission deadlines, or how things would roll out the day of the event.

Not having clear guidelines also wastes the precious time organizers have because it increases the number of support emails.

On the other hand, effective guidelines can be a channel to reinforce the objectives of your event and the benefits participants gain while reassuring them throughout the process.

In this article, we discuss why virtual poster presentation guidelines are important, the elements that need to be in them, and provide 3 bonus tips.

Why Virtual Poster Presentation Guidelines are Important

For in-person events, poster sessions are relatively straightforward: there is a physical room with poster boards and participants roam freely to discuss.

For virtual poster sessions, guidelines are even more important because a lot of aspects vary from one virtual event to the other:

• The presentation format varies across events and it's hard to know what to expect as a presenter. Some events rely on pre-recorded video files with no live video presentation. Others prefer to have posters as short oral presentations through a Zoom meeting with a Powerpoint.
• The experience on the day of the event also varies greatly depending on the virtual platform. It is not always clear how the navigation and the interactions will occur, leaving participants with a sense of uncertainty.
• Technical problems can also occur. Not being able to present your e-poster the day of the event because the image format is wrong or because something was not set up correctly is frustrating.

Clear guidelines will decrease anxiety, get your participants more prepared and help them get the most out of the virtual poster session.

Virtual Poster Presentation Guidelines Template

Here is the key information you should clarify in your guidelines. What you choose to include can vary depending on your specific situation.

• The objective(s) of the poster session. Depending on the main objectives of the poster session, the information presented and how it is explained will be different. Objectives can go from communicating a research project in layman's language to the general public to summarizing the learnings from a summer internship program or to presenting findings at a niche research symposium. The type of audience (undergraduate research students or the general public) is key information that will help put the objectives into perspective.
• What content should be included. It's common to ask for a title, authors and their affiliations, an introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, references, acknowledgments, funding partners, and contact information. Depending on the objectives, you can ask presenters to emphasize additional aspects like potential applications, social or environmental impact, or personal learnings.
• What software they can use to create the poster. Powerpoint, Keynote, or Google Slides are common options. For cases where you need pre-recorded videos, a list of free software and instructions to record them will be very helpful.
• Format specifications. Posters can be uploaded in the form of images (.jpg or .png) or video files (.mp4 or .webm). Make sure to specify the maximum length in minutes. You can mention if you require the face of the presenter to be visible which adds a personal touch. If it's a slideshow, it can be a Powerpoint (.pptx or .ppt) or a PDF file (.pdf). Adding audio in the Powerpoint slides is useful, but watch out for the increase in file size. It's best to check with the virtual platform first for restrictions on file size and to specify it. You can also provide external links to free online compressing tools like https://tinypng.com, https://www.freeconvert.com, or https://cloudconvert.com .
• Templates and design tips. You can let presenters be creative with their poster design or provide a blank poster template with the university watermark to increase uniformity. A common rookie mistake is to include too much text. Remind presenters that most of the explanations will be made live during the presentation and that key information can be shared through bullet lists. Visuals like graphs or images are very important.
• Competition, prizes, or judging criteria. Mention if presenters will be judged and what the scoring grid is. Clarify how much time they will have, for example, 4 minutes of presentation and 1 minute for questions. This will help participants know what to focus on when they rehearse.
• Deadlines and submission instructions. Mention submission deadlines and acceptance notification dates. Provide a link to the submission platform with clear instructions on how to send a new submission and update an existing one.
• What the experience will be like on the day of the event. This is a very important one. Share how participants can log in and navigate on the platform the day of the event. Platforms like Fourwaves allow presenters to visit other posters avoiding them to staying alone in front of their posters.
• Data sharing. You can share how long the posters will be available and to whom and how they can request to remove them if necessary.
• Contact information. Share an email address to which presenters can write to ask questions or a link to an external FAQ to find answers quickly.

Tips for Effective Guidelines

1. have a well-structured document.

Separate each section with a title in a large heading to allow participants to quickly spot information of interest. Keep in mind most won't read the whole document.

Keep paragraphs short and straight to the point. Include images when necessary.

2. Create a FAQ page

A FAQ will decrease inbound support emails. Place it at the beginning or end of the guidelines document and/or on your event website.

Update it regularly based on the most common questions you receive.

3. Provide a video tutorial

A video tutorial that walks the presenter through the interface will dissipate a lot of uncertainty. If you can, give them access to the platform in advance so they can play around after watching the video.

You can also program a live demo with participants so they can familiarize themselves with it.

Guidelines Examples for Inspiration

• Designing Virtual Posters by Boise State University
• Virtual Poster Presentation Guidelines by John Caroll University
• Guidelines for Virtual Poster Presentation by IAEA
• Guidelines for Presenting a Poster in a Virtual Live Session
• Virtual Conference: Poster Guidelines by CLEO

Providing clear guidelines will help participants through their journey at your event, will decrease time spent on support, and will convince more presenters to submit their work.

It is definitely something organizers should tackle early on. It is time well spent that will most likely increase the success of your event!

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How to Record A PowerPoint Presentation [2022 User Guide]

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By Nikolay Kaloyanov

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If knowing how to record a PowerPoint presentation wasn’t necessary a decade ago, this isn’t how things stand today. The pandemic taught us a valuable lesson – if we don’t catch up with technology, we will fall short.

Fortunately, Microsoft’s app is the global leader in presentation software and provides you with all the required tools to create an excellent presentation you can show in front of your audience. But how to record a presentation on PowerPoint, and is it easy to do so?

Article overview: 1. What are the benefits of recording PowerPoint presentations? 2. How to record a PowerPoint presentation? 3. How to live stream a PowerPoint presentation? 4. Frequently asked questions

1. What are the benefits of recording PowerPoint presentations?

I am are pretty sure that if recording presentations weren’t helpful, PowerPoint wouldn’t offer it to its users. Well, we all know that’s not the case. Recording your PowerPoint slides can bring a ton of benefits. Let’s see which they are:

• Save time  – regardless if you’re a lecturer or present in front of colleagues, having a video of your recording will save you many hours. Imagine speaking in front of your marketing team, but 2 members are on summer holidays. It’s fine. They’ll catch up later when they watch your PowerPoint recording.
• Focus on the presentation  – usually, if you’re presenting in front of an audience, it’s typical to get asked many questions that you need to answer promptly. But that is a good reason to get distracted from your core information. Thus, it makes sense to record your presentation beforehand.
• Practice before presenting – the best way to carry out a great presentation is to spend some time at home, focusing on key details. When you record your PowerPoint slides, you can find areas of improvement and work on them.

2. How to record a PowerPoint presentation?

There are many tools that you can use to record a PowerPoint presentation. From Loom and Panopto, and even Apple’s basic Quicktime and Windows’ own recording tool. But here we will discuss none of the other options. Why? The answer is simple: PowerPoint has its own in-built, robust recording tool.

Unlike other options, PowerPoint’s recording feature enables you to record slide by slide. This effectively means you can create as many recordings as you like, until you like the playback version, and move on to the next slide.

Pro tip : PowerPoint doesn’t record slide transitions. You need to start recording each slide when it is opened and finish the recording before you move on to the next one.

Let’s see how to record a PowerPoint presentation with video and audio in just a few steps.

Step #1: Open your PowerPoint presentation

The first step is to open the PowerPoint presentation you wish to record. Ensure you have all the necessary slides and information on them. While this seems logical, there aren’t one or two cases when presenters have recorded wrong or unfinished slides, which leads to a disappointing outcome.

Step #2: Prepare your video and audio devices

Before you start the recording, you should check your camera and microphone. Try to make a sound check and see if your camera works properly.

Step #3: Select the slides you wish to record

PowerPoint gives you the option to record a presentation right from the beginning, or from a specifically selected slide.

• Pick “ From Beginning ” (1) from the Record tab of the Ribbon if you wish to start from the first slide.
• Pick “ From Current Slide ” (2) from the same tab in case you would like to start from a selected slide (which isn’t the first one).
• Click the Record button (3) which is positioned in the top right corner, between the Comments  and Share buttons. It starts the recording from the slide you have currently selected.

Step #4: Start the recording

Once you click on one of the options, you are ready to start narrating your PowerPoint presentation. You will see a countdown timer, after which you can start narrating slides.

Step #5: Manage your PowerPoint recording

You have probably seen a couple of other options aside from the recording one. Let’s see which they are:

• Timer with a grey/red light – if you are recording your narration, you will see a timer and a small circle with a red light that indicates you are recording. If you pause, the small circle indicator will become grey again and the timer will stop counting.
• Refresh icon – right next to the timer there is a refresh-like icon but it serves a different purpose – to re-take the recording. You have the option to record again the current slide or all slides.
• Start/Stop button  – the big red button serves as a start/stop button for your recordings. Only stop the recording when you want to move on to the next slide.
• Pause button – if you would like to stop the slide recording, in order to drink some water or read your speaker notes, you can use the Pause button, and then resume the recording. Bear in mind you cannot pause and move to the next slide. You have to stop the recording, to indicate you have finished with the current slide.
• Camera button  – clicking the camera button will work as a toggle on/off.
• Microphone Button – clicking the microphone button will work as a toggle on/off.
• Ellipsis – this is the place where you can select camera and microphone settings, as well as erase recordings from the current slide or all slides.

Step #6: Export your PowerPoint video recording

The last button from the menu is the Export setting. You can export your narration as an mp4 file in Full HD size by default. However, you can customize your export and get your narration in 4 sizes – 480p, 720p (HD), 1080p (Full HD – standard), and 4K. We don’t recommend Ultra HD exports.

Pro Tip : Exporting 4K PowerPoint presentation recordings doesn’t necessarily mean you will get better quality (unless you have 4K resources within your presentation) but it does guarantee a significantly larger file size – up to 4 times more than on standard Full HD recordings.

3. How to live stream a PowerPoint presentation?

If you have already honed your skills and would like to stream your PowerPoint slides directly to your audience, there are many ways to do so. We are going to cover two of them.

3.1. How to stream a PowerPoint presentation from OneDrive?

Microsoft has invested a lot of resources to make OneDrive a powerful cloud service, and so far they have been quite successful. Let’s see how to record a PowerPoint presentation in front of live audiences.

Step 1 – save your PowerPoint presentation in OneDrive.

Step 2 – open your PowerPoint slides from PowerPoint online.

Step 3 – go to Present Live  from the Slideshow Ribbon tab.

Step 4 – share a  live link with your audience.

3.2. Stream your PowerPoint presentation in Zoom

Zoom is one of the most popular conference call apps which has plenty of tools, including live streaming presentations. Since PowerPoint is the leading presentation program in the world, Zoom developers have created some amazing things, like PowerPoint presentation recording with a web camera on a transparent background. If you’re interested, you can check our guide on how to record a Zoom presentation .

Does PowerPoint have a screen recording?

PowerPoint has a screen recording window and you can select the area you would like to be recorded. Go to Record  (from the Ribbon), then select Screen Recording , choose the area and start recording.

Can I view speaker notes while recording narration?

You are able to access your speaker notes if you have created them beforehand. To insert speaker notes, you have to go to View -> Notes Page  and you will have a text box that you can utilize for speaker notes.

What format does PowerPoint use for video?

PowerPoint records videos in mp4 format. The default resolution is 1080p (Full HD).

Recording your PowerPoint presentations can make the difference between a successful and smooth speech and a bad narration. Being able to record each slide means you can get the best narration possible for your whole presentation.

And if you would like to stream your presentation live, there are more than enough options to do so – both via the online version of PowerPoint or via third-party apps like Zoom.

If you found this article helpful, you can also check some of our other PowerPoint tutorials:

• Add Audio to PowerPoint: The Quick Step-by-Step Guide
• Insert GIFs into PowerPoint – a 2022 Pocket Guide
• How to Convert Your PowerPoint Presentation into Google Slides ?

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Nikolay Kaloyanov

Nikolay is a copywriter with vast experience in Technology, Marketing, and Design. When he isn't playing with words and crafting texts, he watches sports and asks questions. He is a funny person...until you put him on a diet.

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Poster Presentation

At most meetings or conferences, when you present a poster presentation, it means that you will display your poster and be available for viewers to ask questions about your research and how it is represented on your poster. Like an oral presentation delivered with a slideshow, there are many ways to design and present your research on a poster. There are also, however, a few important considerations and conventions to be familiar with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SATl29FeFw0&feature=youtu.be

Special Instructions for UURAF 2024 Poster Presentations

UURAF 2024 will be a hybrid event consisting of oral, poster, performance, film and exhibit presentations. UURAF is a public event. Do not share confidential information in your abstract or presentation.

For In-person Posters Only

• Create a poster presentation; print and trim final version to a size of 40" x 32" (102 cm x 81 cm); landscape or portrait orientation
• Prepare a short pitch discussing the poster presentation (less than 3 minutes is recommended)
• Share your work with visitors and evaluators
• In-person UURAF Presenter Guide

For Online Posters Only

• Submit presentation materials to online event site by April 8
• Create a poster presentation; save final version as PDF (less than 10MB)
• Create a video discussing their poster presentation (2 to 5 minutes long)
• Upload poster discussion video to YouTube as an unlisted video 
• Enable the closed captioning feature to promote accessibility and inclusivity
• Add link for unlisted YouTube video and PDF of poster to the online UURAF event site by April 8
• Participate in asynchronous, online discussions with visitors and evaluators from April 11 - 12
• Virtual UURAF Presenter Guide

Presentation Tips:

• Tips and poster samples
• How to record a PowerPoint presentation
• How to add caption to YouTube videos
• Unlisted video setting
• Attend one of our workshops or peer advising for more assistance
• View example presentations from  UURAF 2023
• Intro to UURAF presentation slides
• How to Prepare for an Academic Conference
• 15 Tips for Presenting at a Conference
• Practical Networking Tips
• Request assistance with poster printing fees. Requests are due by March 29 at 11:59 PM. Funding decisions will be made in early April
• Check out our Poster FAQ to learn more about poster presentations and how to prepare them
• Get help from an Undergraduate Research Peer Advisor

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How-To Geek

How to make a poster using microsoft powerpoint.

Microsoft PowerPoint isn't just for presentations--you can make posters with it, as well. Here's how.

Quick Links

Define the poster dimensions, design your poster.

Microsoft PowerPoint isn't just for presentations---it also provides all of the creative tools you need to design a beautiful poster. Just set the dimensions, design the poster, and print it out. Here's how to make a poster using PowerPoint.

Posters come in all sizes, but the first thing you need to know is PowerPoint's slide limit is 56-inches x 56-inches, so you'll need to plan accordingly. It's also important to note that you want to set your poster dimensions before you start designing your poster. Otherwise, you might end up having to rework parts of your design due to the size change.

Related: How to Reduce the File Size of a PowerPoint Presentation

Here are some of the standard poster sizes to get you started:

• Small poster: 11" x 17"
• Medium poster: 18" x 24"
• Large posters: 24" x 36" or 27" x 39"

Once you've decided on your poster size, set the dimensions in PowerPoint. To do this, open PowerPoint and navigate to the "Design" tab.

In the "Customize" group, select "Slide Size."

Select "Custom Slide Size" from the dropdown menu.

The "Slide Size" window will appear. Input the width and height specifications to match your required size. Keep in mind that if your height is larger in size than your width, the orientation of the slide will automatically change to "Portrait."

When you're finished, select "OK."

Once selected, a new window will appear giving you two scaling options: Maximize or Ensure Fit. If your slide already has content on it, you'll want to select "Ensure Fit."

Your slide will now be resized.

Your poster design is going to depend completely on you. You'll want to pay attention to the background of the poster, text and image arrangement, font size and style, etc. Essentially, you should treat this part exactly as if you were just creating another slide for a presentation.

Because the design and process of this step is going to differ for everyone, we'd like to offer some of our previous guides to get you started in the design process:

• Insert a picture or other object.
• Use an image as a background.
• Insert an image inside text.
• Get a picture behind text.
• Make a border or frame.

Once your design is ready, all that's left to do is print it out and hang it up!

Related: How to Troubleshoot Printing Issues in Microsoft Word

Furman Engaged continues to highlight The Furman Advantage

Classrooms on Furman University’s campus buzzed with panel discussions, presentations and performances as students shared what they’ve learned in the 16 th annual Furman Engaged.

Furman Engaged, traditionally on a Friday late in the spring semester, is set aside to provide students opportunities to present work they’ve accomplished in engaged learning, a hallmark of The Furman Advantage. Internships, research, study away, writing seminars and musical works were all on display.

The topics ranged from business and accounting internships to piano music of Bohemia, the intersectional class resistance in the book “Bastard out of Carolina” (by Greenville native Dorothy Allison) to cryptological warfare. Furman Engaged wrapped up with the traditional end-of-day celebration followed by the Spring Concert with Teezo Touchdown.

“Our students are inspiring, and Furman Engaged gives them a chance to shine and transcend their positions as students and become experts, sharing their knowledge with the community,” said Beth Pontari, interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “It’s equally inspiring to see our faculty and staff pour so much into making this happen. The entire day is extraordinary.”

This year, a record 689 students participated in 724 sessions that took place across campus. Below the photo gallery are a few snapshots of some of those sessions.

“Unveiling the Spectrum: Examining the Misdiagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Latino Communities”

Student: Karolin Miranda M’24

Karolin Miranda M’24, a student of the Master of Science in Community Engaged Medicine program, presented research on the underdiagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among Latino children. ASD, a neurological condition affecting communication, learning and behavior, requires early diagnosis for optimal development. Yet, Miranda’s findings reveal that Latino children are diagnosed later than their non-Latino peers, a gap she attributes to educational deficits and various systemic and cultural barriers.

Miranda drew on data and studies from regions with large immigrant populations to explore how social determinants of health, such as socioeconomic status, cultural beliefs, and parental education, contribute to this delayed diagnosis. She also spent time at Unity Health on Main, a community center specializing in culturally competent care. “Being in the clinic gave me insight into what was going on,” she noted.

“This was very eye-opening, especially as I come from a Latin background, it makes me sad to know that there are kids who fall under the radar, and that they grow up and still don’t know they have autism,” Miranda said.

To combat these disparities, Miranda advocates for mandatory implicit bias training for healthcare providers, a requirement in only six states. After graduation, Miranda plans to continue her work at Unity Health while applying to medical school, intending to bring her experience into a future medical practice in family medicine or pediatrics.

“The Real Political World in ‘Battlestar Galactica’”

Students: Cooper Kane ’26, Brynne Van Allsburg ’26, Grace Davisson ’25 and William Nix ’27.

Students of Brent Nelsen, the Jane Fishburne Hipp Professor of Politics and International Affairs and director of the Tocqueville Center, examined colonialism and slavery, the war in Sudan, the plight of prisoners or war, hallucinations, and military torture, all themes explored in the critically acclaimed show.

They wrote research papers about geopolitical concerns inspired by the sci-fi drama, which finds humans fighting a race of androids, called Cylons, created by humans (AI, anyone?). Humans torture and abuse the Cylons, especially when they are captives. But one key human, Gaius Baltar, regularly hallucinates a Cylon woman, a condition a student’s research says could be caused by the character’s repeated traumas and chronic insomnia.

“Furman Engaged Queer Histories: San Francisco May Experience 2022”

Students: Ami-Faith Sherer ’24, Dalmondeh Nayreau ’24 and Caroline Brawley ’24

“Community is not and cannot be just one thing,” said Ami Faith Sherer ’24. She was one of a handful of students who traveled to San Francisco in 2022 for a May Experience, learning how to use archives to study the gay community there.

Sherer discovered writings and promotional material that shed light on how gay men found and built community. It wasn’t always easy. There was also conflict within groups and between groups, as writings expressed racism and the inability to build consensus.

There were groups for white men, and separate groups for Black men, and Dalmondeh Nayreau ’24 explored information about Asian and Pacific Islander men.

But, Sherer asked, where were the groups for gay women?

Carolina Brawley ’24 researched snapshot photos from the 1970s and 1980s of gay men – with their families, friends and cats. She realized one difficulty about archival research: She got bored. She spent time “finding what I enjoyed learning about and looking at and thinking about. What held my interest.”

“First Year Workshop. Contemporary Issues in Film; ‘Thelma and Louise’ Reconsidered”

Student: Catherine Farr ’26

For students born in the 21 st Century who grew up in the “Me Too” era, a movie from the 1990s that deals with sexual assault and gender norms could seem old fashioned or trite.

But Catherine Farr ’26 took another look at “Thelma and Louise,” the hit move released in 1991, and found it groundbreaking.

“In the 1990s, a feminist message was distressing,” Farr said. “It marked a shift in notions of social dynamics and gender, aided in a more feminist society.”

“Thelma and Louise” played the tropes of a road movie and a buddy movie, and elements of an on-the-run movie, but its rebellious spirit was “distinctly unique,” Farr said.

When Louise (spoiler alert) killed a man who was trying to rape Thelma, the women were freed of a lot of norms that previously shackled them. They start living more dangerously.

The end of the film, where (another spoiler alert) Thelma and Louise drive off a cliff, presumably to their deaths, might not be as clear cut as it seems, noted English Professor Willard Pate. Like in the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” she said, viewers don’t see the heroes or heroines die. Maybe, she said, they lived, they continue, and they’re still making a point for feminism.

A Year with The Shi Institute’s Student Sustainability Fellows

Students: Anna Timbes ’26, Kerry Black ’24, Will James ’26, Ellie Howard ’25, Stella Frisbie ’25, Molly McCutcheon ’24, Victoria Bostrom ’24, Andres Ospina ’24, Marie Cecil ’24, Summer Marsden ’25 and Reagan Ogburn ’24

  Eleven students shared their experiences tackling sustainability issues on the Furman campus over the last eight months through The Shi Institute’s Student Sustainability Fellows program. From alternative transportation solutions to recycling and compost, to communications and data visualization, each student brought a unique perspective to the table.

Joy Baker, associate director of sustainability programs at The Shi Institute, emphasized the significance of the collective, noting, “This group of students represents a significant diversity of interests, but they are all united in their care for sustainability.” The common commitment to sustainability underscores the importance of collaborative efforts in addressing environmental challenges.

Recycling Life into Fuel

In the quest for sustainability, Furman students are turning challenges into opportunities. In “Recycling Life into Fuel,” Anna Timbes ’26, Kerry Black ’24, and Will James ’26 unravel the complexities of the Furman waste stream, showcasing approaches to transform campus sustainability. James underscored the importance of Furman’s closed-loop compost system, which converts campus food waste into thriving crops. “It’s something special and worthy of pride in our sustainability initiatives at Furman,” he said.

Sustainability Advocacy Through Education

In “Sustainability Advocacy Through Education,” Ellie Howard ’25, Stella Frisbie ’25, Molly McCutcheon ’24, Victoria Bostrom ’24 and Andres Ospina ’24 unveiled their ongoing efforts to promote sustainability within Furman’s campus and the broader Greenville community. Among the advocates, Howard stood out for her dedication to advancing alternative transportation solutions aimed at alleviating campus traffic. Collaborating with the Furman University Police Department revealed a consistent influx of 300-400 cars brought in by freshmen each year. “We know there’s a demand,” Ellie explained, underscoring the need to expand the biking program to address this issue. To ensure sustainability, they have developed a business model to maintain the bikes and are currently advocating for funds to keep the program going.

  Visualizing Sustainable Solutions

In a session brimming with innovation and ambition, Marie Cecil ’24, Summer Marsden ’25 and Reagan Ogburn ’24 unveiled their journey in large-scale data collection and how they use it to propel sustainability. Marsden, the climate assessment fellow, shed light on the pivotal role of her position in developing and implementing Furman’s new Climate Action Plan. “Furman actually created their original climate action plan back in 2007, with the goal of being carbon neutral by 2026,” she explained. “We’ve made a lot of progress, but not enough,” underscoring the need for continuous evaluation and revision to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and consumption, urging the entire campus community to participate in this critical endeavor.

The Riley Institute Advance Team: Events, Activities, & Polarization Survey Results

Students: Lilly Meyer ’24, Alex Aradas ’26, Ella Chesney ’26, Caitlin Duffey ’25, William Jepson ’26 and Emily Megna ’25

The Advance Team, a group of students dedicated to policy change, embodies the spirit of civil discourse. “The Riley Institute is such a special place because Riley is a place where we don’t shut down any ideas, we engage in civil debate,” Emily Megna ’25 said.

Their proactive engagement in the Riley Institute’s events and programs led to hosting speakers, including their own CLP event, “A Woman’s Place: A Conversation with Former South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Kaye Hearn,” fostering dialogue on campus and addressing specific issues or topics of interest within the Furman community. Reflecting on their experiences, one student said, “It’s a great experience because I get to meet people I otherwise probably never would have met.”

Lilly Meyer ’24 and Alex Aradas ’26 delved into their analysis of a polarization survey conducted during the spring 2024 semester. Their goal was to gauge the political climate at Furman, comparing perceived polarization with actual data. During the session, students critically examined the survey’s results, highlighting its limitations and drawing comparisons between the 2020 and 2024 surveys.

Local news turns to Brent Nelsen in wake of Iran's strike on Israel

Furman dedicates benefactors green to honor donors, optional shucker capstone results in impassioned projects.

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How Republicans texted and emailed their way into a money problem

Small-dollar donations to trump and the gop are way down since 2019 and 2020. but the former president’s team says they see a turnaround..

In the years after Donald Trump lost the presidency to Joe Biden , Trump sent so many emails and text messages asking for money that Republican consultants warned his mailing lists could become useless. The former president’s friends told him that they were being asked for too much, too often, and Trump himself ordered aides at one point to slow the solicitations. Some of his fans, pockets emptied, mailed handwritten letters apologizing for not being able to give more.

Now, as Trump and Biden prepare for a rematch, Trump’s vaunted small-dollar fundraising operation is not bringing in as much money as it once did.

In 2020, Trump and his fundraising committees raised a record $626.6 million from small-dollar donors, 35 percent more than Biden took in from that group.

But last year, Trump raised just $51 million from small donors, way down from the $119 million he registered in 2019 and only 18 percent more than Biden’s total. His small-dollar haul — which includes donations of $200 or less — was not nearly enough to offset Biden’s lead among major donors .

The Republican National Committee also raised much less money from small-dollar donors in 2023 than it had in 2019, contributing to budget problems for the party. Officials at the National Republican Senatorial Committee were shocked by the low returns on their investment in the strategy ahead of the last midterm elections.

Trump advisers say that after a slow period, they are now raising $1 million a day online, and the campaign raised $10.6 million in donations last week from 280,000 digital donations. The multiple prosecutions he faces have re-energized his base, and his team expects that small-dollar fundraising numbers will spike ahead of his trial in New York this month.

Democrats and their allies also send plenty of fundraising emails, and some Democrats and their committees have seen their small-dollar fundraising fall in recent years, according to federal filings. Republicans also attribute the downturn in small-dollar fundraising to the effects of inflation and many Americans’ fatigue with national politics.

More than two dozen people across the Trump campaign, Republican fundraising committees and private firms spoke to The Washington Post to discuss the decline in the Republican Party’s small-dollar fundraising. Many spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal matters.

“The biggest problem in GOP fundraising is that we don’t treat donors well,” said John Hall, a Republican small-dollar fundraiser who runs the digital firm Apex Strategies. “Sending eight emails and texts a day that promise an artificial match, threaten to take away your GOP membership, or call you a traitor if you don’t donate doesn’t build a long-term relationship with donors.”

Small-dollar fundraising firms have warned some GOP clients to lower their expectations. When former vice president Mike Pence launched his presidential campaign, officials at Targeted Victory, a small-dollar digital firm, warned him that “returns were way down because of oversaturation,” according to Marc Short, his former chief of staff. Pence’s campaign struggled to raise small-dollar donations, and he dropped out long before voting began.

Short said other vendors offered similar warnings, and Pence continues to work with Targeted Victory.

“You had a new vehicle to raise money, but everyone kind of abused it,” Short said. “Its effectiveness wore out.”

‘The best digital fundraiser in the history of the party’

During the 2020 campaign, Trump advisers would watch in real-time as money rolled in from small-dollar donors.

Trump’s team stared at their cellphones or screens at campaign headquarters as fundraising spiked or stalled in response to their latest pitches. People who worked on the Trump campaign described Gary Coby, then the campaign’s digital director, tracking the windfall carefully as scores of pitches, some of them misleading, went out, and sending out regular text messages updating the campaign.

When others would raise concerns about too many pitches going out, Coby would explain that they could send fewer fundraising solicitations, but they’d get less money. The campaign did not slow the pitches.

Partially fueled by Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen , the campaign raised more than $100 million from small donors in the final weeks of 2020, much of which was spent on legal bills after the election. Few pitches did better than ones that purported to fight the results of the 2020 election.

After the riot on the Capitol on Jan. 6 , 2021, Trump’s team stopped its small-dollar fundraising program for a short period. Federal prosecutors investigated the campaign’s fundraising methods, and sent subpoenas to some vendors. Trump advisers said the main vendor that sent out the pitches, Salesforce, dropped them as a client. Salesforce did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Trump’s team resumed sending emails after a few weeks, but donors weren’t giving like they once did. Trump was not in the news as much. Many were exhausted. Trump tried to keep the money train going by bombarding people with emails, and advisers rented his list to some other political candidates.

Trump’s success in 2020 led more candidates to want in. Nearly every Republican elected official signed on with one of the handful of firms, mostly based in Northern Virginia, that specialize in helping politicians persuade ordinary Americans to hand over their credit card details. One of the biggest such firms is Targeted Victory, which counts dozens of senators and members of Congress among its clients.

Targeted Victory, which is housed in a gleaming skyscraper in Arlington, hired about 140 people to take on an avalanche of new clients. In 2021, the company bused employees to New York for an elaborate Christmas party. Later, the company expanded onto two more floors of the tower, according to former employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe their former employer.

In an open-air bullpen, a team of writers, usually junior employees, crafted language designed to inspire Republican base voters to give money to candidates. The pitches that worked best included mentions of Trump being persecuted or prosecuted or coming under attack.

“The fact is that President Trump is the best digital fundraiser in the history of the party,” CEO Zac Moffatt said in an interview.

Other successful pitches focused on immigration or hot-button cultural issues or promised a matching donation, the former employees said. Promises of matching donations are often misleading, according to multiple Republican consultants who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the tactic. Targeted Victory executives say they strongly discourage misleading donors about matching.

Elsewhere, the GOP small-dollar fundraising operation was showing signs of weakness.

In 2021, top advisers to Republican politicians across Washington held conference calls to discuss the precipitous decline in small-dollar fundraising. On at least one of the calls, Josh Holmes, an adviser to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), raised concerns that Republican donors were being asked for money too often, according to people who remembered the calls and spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. Trump’s fundraisers did not agree and said they wanted to continue pelting donors with texts and emails, one of the people said.

Top officials at the NRSC, which invested extensively in small-dollar fundraising during 2021, were disappointed by the results, former employees said. The committee suspended some of its small-dollar fundraising efforts months before the 2022 midterm election and ended the cycle about $20 million in debt — largely because the small-dollar fundraising numbers did not meet projections.

Democratic House and Senate candidates running for election in 2022 raised significantly more that year from small-dollar donors than Republicans did — $279 million to $212 million in total, according to federal filings.

“While the committee was impacted by the drop-off in low-dollar donations across the party, we withstood that hit better than the other committees because of our investment and will continue to see the investment pay off for election cycles to come,” a spokesman for the 2022 NRSC effort said.

The Republican National Committee also struggled. Its small-dollar fundraising campaigns for candidates other than Trump often flopped. One such message, a sweepstakes to meet Pence, raised less than $500, according to people familiar with the 2022 sweepstakes.

Trump’s name still helped bring in money from small-dollar donors. But his team was angry that so many candidates were using his picture and his words to raise money that did not go to him. At one point in 2022, Targeted Victory executives instructed their copywriting team to slow the Trump-focused pitches because the Trump team was litigious and was raising concerns about candidates using his name without permission, according to the former employees.

‘There’s far more competition in the space’

By early 2023, the small-dollar boom had slowed. Donors had been sent “too many messages that guilt them into donating,” or were “being duped” into donating to candidates they didn’t know their donations were supporting, said Hall, who was president at Targeted Victory until late 2022. Some donors were ending up on dozens of different lists and donating less to each candidate as a result, he added.

That January, Targeted Victory laid off about 100 people.

Too many people were trying to get money from the same donors, Moffatt said. These days, every candidate expects to be able to raise small-dollar donations.

“It’s easy to blame texts and emails, but people don’t want to state the obvious: There’s far more competition in the space,” Moffatt said. “As more races come on board, more people are competing. It used to be 50 people trying to talk to them; now it’s 150, even if the donors have grown 25 percent.”

Too many political consultants “are very comfortable going to the same donors over and over, then complain when it doesn’t work as well as it once did,” Moffatt added. “The idea that someone — no matter who they are — can hit a button, spin something up, and expect money to gush in overnight isn’t the current reality. The best candidates are the ones who invest in it and have their own unique group of donors.”

Changing how small-dollar firms make money would be “the best way to correct the oversending and overspending on campaigns,” Hall argued. Sometimes, small-dollar fundraising consultants get paid based on how many emails or texts they send out, creating an incentive for them to send as many as possible. Fundraising firms can also make big money renting out their lists. Other contracts allow consultants to keep a small percentage of every dollar they raise for a candidate.

“If to make a profit folks had to net money, far more campaigns would net money,” Hall said.

‘I signed this NEVER SURRENDER poster!’

Trump has made changes to his small-dollar strategy as his rematch with Biden draws near. Susie Wiles, his de facto chief of staff, is now responsible for his small-dollar fundraising. Coby, the architect of his 2020 strategy, is no longer involved.

Wiles tested various strategies, including fewer emails, toggling the number of pitches based on the week and trying various vendors, according to people familiar with her methods. Trump cut ties with one major vendor less than a year ago, the people said, and Wiles has polled various Trump advisers about how to raise more money from small donors. At times, she described the process to others as frustrating, but she has expressed confidence in recent weeks that the situation is improving.

Some small-dollar donors stopped giving to the RNC as much. It brought in $35 million in small-dollar donations last year, down from $94 million in 2019 and only barely ahead of the Democratic National Committee.

In the first month of 2024, the DNC outraised the RNC among small-dollar donors, $4.1 million to $3.6 million, and the RNC outraised the DNC narrowly in February. The committee is poised to boost its small-dollar fundraising, co-chair Lara Trump said recently.

“Our digital online fundraising continues to skyrocket, our major donor investments are climbing, and Democrats are running scared of the fundraising prowess of President Trump,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said.

Trump advisers said they do not expect to have as much money as Biden and the Democrats this time, but will make use of Trump’s ability to secure media attention. They expect to post even stronger small-dollar numbers soon.

Trump and his team still send multiple pitches a day with headlines like “I want you to own this flag!” or “I signed this NEVER SURRENDER poster!” which offers donors a signed poster of Trump’s Georgia mug shot. On days when Trump is under attack or has said something particularly controversial, he usually raises more money, his people said. He is sometimes briefed on the fundraising numbers, advisers said.

These days, messages about his looming criminal trials and his promises to deport millions of immigrants perform better than anything else.

Election 2024

Get the latest news on the 2024 election from our reporters on the campaign trail and in Washington.

Who is running? President Biden and Donald Trump secured their parties’ nominations for the presidency , formalizing a general-election rematch.

Key dates and events: From January to June, voters in all states and U.S. territories will pick their party’s nominee for president ahead of the summer conventions. Here are key dates and events on the 2024 election calendar .

Abortion and the election: Voters in a dozen states in this pivotal election year could decide the fate of abortion rights with constitutional amendments on the ballot. Biden supports legal access to abortion , and he has encouraged Congress to pass a law that would codify abortion rights nationwide. After months of mixed signals about his position, Trump said the issue should be left to states . Here’s how Trump’s abortion stance has shifted over the years.

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