Excerpts from
Do's and Don'ts of Poster Presentations
Steven M. Block
Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
Biophysical Journal, 71: 3527-3529 (1996)
http://www.molbio.princeton.edu/block/poster.html

DON'T - stand directly in front of your poster at the session, or get too close to it. Don't become so engrossed in conversation with any single individual that you (or they) accidentally prevent others from viewing your poster.

DO - try to stay close by, but off to the side just a bit, so that passers-by can see things, and so that you don't block the vision of people already gathered round.

DON'T - be an eager beaver and badger the nice people who come to read your poster.

DO - give them some space. Allow them to drink it all in. If they engage you with a question, then that is your opening to offer to take them through the poster or discuss matters of mutual scientific interest. Conversely, don't ignore people who look as though they may have questions, especially by becoming engrossed in talking to all your buddies.

DON'T - pull a disappearing act.

DO - stick around. It's your poster, your work! Try to hang around for as long as you can to help and advise people. At the very least, give them a chance to associate a human face with your work. If you need to circulate, try to get a co-author to spell you.

DON'T - forget ancillary materials.

DO - be a good scout, and come prepared to your poster, armed with reprints of any of your own relevant papers that you might have, plus extra copies of any material you may wish to share. Have ready some business cards, or slips of paper you can use to provide colleagues with your address (or fax or email, or whatever). Posters are a terrific way to get scientific suggestions and meet like-minded individuals! And don't forget to bring plenty of push-pins, as well.

DON'T - hesitate to provide supporting materials, if these can help. But don't over-do it.