Poster Slam
Information on Preparing Your Slam Presentation
General Information:
A scientific poster slam involves presenting a scientific topic – usually based on one’s own research project – in a concise, clear and engaging manner. It combines a poster (as in a traditional poster presentation at a conference) with a short oral presentation.
At the annual conference, each presentation is allocated 2 minutes.
Here are the key features:
- Content: Presenting an academic research question, methodology and findings – often drawn from a final-year dissertation, PhD thesis or research project.
- Aim: To enable the audience to grasp the topic quickly, without needing any specialist knowledge.
- Style: Clear, concise and often creative or humorous, similar to a poetry slam, but with academic content.
- Audience: Often interdisciplinary – that is, people from different academic disciplines.
- Judging: In competitions, either a jury or the audience judges the best entries.
So it’s a mix of scientific communication and an entertaining short talk.
Assembly instructions
🔶 Introduction – The ‘hook’ (approx. 20 seconds)
- Start with something that grabs people’s attention: a provocative question, a joke, a ‘aha’ moment or a short story.
- Aim: To engage the audience emotionally or intellectually and spark their curiosity.
Example: “Did you know that bees are good at maths? No? Neither did I – until I started looking into neural networks in insects.”
🔶 2. Problem Statement & Relevance (approx. 20 seconds)
- What is the goal of your research?
- Why is the topic important or interesting – even for non-experts?
- Avoid technical jargon – or explain it simply and clearly.
“We know surprisingly little about how microplastics behave in rivers – even though we could be breathing them in or drinking them all the time.”
🔶 3. Methods (short & easy to understand!) (approx. 20 seconds)
- How did you go about it?
- Keep it short and vivid – feel free to use comparisons or mental images.
“I analyzed over 200 water samples – using a method you can think of as a fine tea strainer, only high-tech.”
🔶 4. Results (main section, approx. 45 seconds)
- What did you find out?
- What was surprising, new, or important?
- Use images, metaphors, and comparisons – but be accurate.
“Instead of settling to the bottom like sand, some microplastics float in the water like dust – and thus travel farther than expected.”
🔶 5. Conclusion & Outlook (approx. 15 seconds)
- What do the results mean? For research, society, and practical applications?
- Are there any unanswered questions or new ideas?
“If we know how microplastics behave, we can filter them out more effectively – and perhaps improve water quality as a result.”
🔶 6. Style & Language
- Speak freely, don’t read from a script.
- Be clear, lively, and authentic – feel free to show your personality!
- Use simple language, short sentences, and examples.
- Humor is allowed – as long as it fits the topics
🔶 7. The Poster
- Not a traditional conference poster!
- Use: Large images, minimal text
- Clear structure (e.g., 3-column layout: Problem – Method – Results)
- A QR code linking to your paper or contact information
- It should support your presentation, not distract from it.