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Research Poster: Assignment

Group of black women listening to a presentationYou will design a research poster, based on the details in your Recommendation Report. It will inform non-expert readers about the kind of writing that you have examined using a highly-visual presentation format.

As a research poster, your document will provide information about the kind of writing that you examined in your Recommendation Report.

The audiences for your poster presentation differ slightly from your Recommendation Report. You will communicate your research to others in your field, such as coworkers, managers, and other students.

To understand more about the connections among the Major Projects, read How the Major Projects Connect.

Research Poster Scenario

Imagine yourself in same setting as you were in for the Recommendation Report, with the following details and updates:

You are an intern at a company, non-profit association, or governmental agency (whatever makes sense for your career and field). Your supervisor, Christina Royal, wants you to share your recommendations on a particular kind of writing in a staff meeting.

The meeting will be set up as a poster presentation session, with various interns and employees from the company sharing best communication strategies for the organization to use.

Royal has asked you to present the best way for the organization to complete the kind of writing in the future, demonstrating how your findings will improve communication (and other goals) within the company. Your research poster will explain how the kind of writing works and inform your audience about it fully and with relevant, specific details.

She has given you this specific list of requirements for your research poster:

  • Present the recommendations on the kind of writing as a solution to a problem and specifically discuss how they solve the problem.
  • Use this structure for your poster (p. 474):
    • Introduction
    • Problem Discussion
    • Solution(s)
    • Conclusions & Recommendations
    • Works Cited
  • Rely on fully-documented research (using quotations, paraphrase, and/or summary) to support your recommendations.
  • Use visuals that help clarify the information in the chart, which can include photos, illustrations, charts, tables, and graphs.
    noun_Tips_2021795.pngTIP: Avoid clipart (which typically looks unpolished or unprofessional), and use only graphical elements that directly relate to the information in the presentation.
  • Include a bibliography that provides documentation for all of the resources you have consulted. You may use the bibliographical format that is appropriate for your field. Here are some tools if you are unsure what to use:

Check These Sources

From Technical Communication:

  • A Problem-Solving Model for Recommendation Reports, Figure 18.1, on page 474.
  • Ethics Note: Presenting Honest Recommendations, on page 477.
  • Analyzing the Speaking Situation, on page 583.
  • Characteristics of an Effective Slide, on page 587–589.
  • Using Language To Signal Advance Organizers, Summaries, and Transitions, on page 600.
  • Guidelines: Using Memorable Language in Oral Presentations, on page 601.
  • Speaker’s Checklist, on page 610.

From Other Sources:

Project Requirements

Your Final, Finished Draft must meet these requirements in order to earn a B or better in this course:

  • Focuses on the kind of writing examined in your Recommendation Report.
  • Is a 48" X 36" document, presented in landscape orientation (horizontal), which has been created in a slide show/presentation program (*.ppt, *pptx, or Google Slides link).
  • Meets all of the requirements listed in the Scenario section above.
  • Uses professional design and formatting that does the following:
    • Makes a good first impression as a polished, professional document.
    • Uses appropriately-sized headings and text (24 pt minimum).
    • Makes information easy for readers to find and read.
    • Emphasizes important information.
    • Uses well-integrated, well-designed visuals to clarify the information (p. 592).
  • Has presentation graphics that meet these five characteristics:
    • It presents a clear, well-supported claim. (p. 587)
    • It is easy to see. (p. 587)
    • It is easy to read. (p. 588)
    • It is simple. (p. 589)
    • It is correct. (p. 589)
  • Uses accurate/appropriate grammar, spelling, punctuation, mechanics, linking, and formatting.

Activities Making Up This Major Writing Project

The following activities will all contribute to your Proposal Memo. You can complete all of them, or you can pick and choose. *Remember that the Final, Finished Draft is required in order to earn a B or better in this course.

Week of April 1

Week of April 4

Week of April 15

  • Check for Professional Design (25 points)
  • Check Your Use of Visuals (25 points)
  • Check for Citations and Documentation (25 points)
  • Check for Content Completion (25 points)
  • Complete your Final, Finished Draft* (500 points)

Links for each week will be available beginning on the Monday of the related week in the Module Overview.

Credits
Photo: wocintech (microsoft) - 220 by WOCinTech Chat on Flickr Links to an external site., used under a CC-BY 2.0 license. Light bulb: Tips By Becris Links to an external site., from The Noun Project.