Dr Lucas Kohnke, EdD Programme Coordinator and Senior Lecturer from the Department of English Language Education, delivered an online workshop on Effective Presentation Skills for Academic Posters on February 7th.

As the second workshop in a series of six aimed at enhancing students’ academic communication skills, Dr Kohnke focused on effective communication of research through academic poster presentations. Key topics included the structure and common elements of a research poster, such as the title, author names, introduction, methods, results, discussion, recommendations, references, and acknowledgements.

Participants learned guidelines for creating an effective poster, emphasizing clarity, conciseness, and visual appeal. Recommendations included limiting text to 1,000 words, using bullet points, selecting appropriate font sizes, and maintaining a balance of text, visuals, and white space.

The workshop also highlighted the importance of knowing the audience and preparing a concise narrative to convey the research’s significance. During the Q and A session, Dr Kohnke recommended a powerful application – Canva, for preparing academic documents, including poster design.