CASE STUDY
Creating Posters with Purpose:
Poster Design & Delivery Workshop
Client
Ruhr University Bochum – MoNN&Di (Monoaminergic Neuronal Networks & Disease) Research Group
Audience
PhD students and early-career researchers working across interdisciplinary neuroscience projects
Purpose
To help participants design and present their first academic posters, develop skills in visual communication, and build confidence for upcoming conferences.
Our Approach
We worked with the MoNN&Di group to design a one-day, onsite workshop tailored to students from Biology, Biotechnology, Medicine, and Computer Science backgrounds. Many were preparing for their first poster presentations, so we built the workshop around a practical, hands-on process:
Session 1 – Design Theory:
Key concepts including poster purpose, audience alignment, message creation, layout, colour, and design principles.
Session 2 – Practice & Drafting:
Students created hand-drawn posters to experiment with layout, flow, and visual elements — a low-tech but high-impact way to test ideas and encourage creativity.
Session 3 – Delivery Practice:
A mini poster presentation round allowed each student to present their draft poster to small groups twice. They received feedback on:
- Content (from peers)
- Design (from all)
- Delivery (from facilitator and peers)
Highlights
- Focus on peer learning and real-time feedback
- Inclusion of students with different levels of comfort and experience
- Integration of communication skills and design principles
- Follow-up one-to-one poster design review for each participant
- Supportive, team-building environment that encouraged discussion of research topics across projects
Follow-up Support
Participants received:
- Custom cheat sheets and poster design templates
- A personalised review of their final poster draft via email
Impact
As a non-native English speaker, the session on voice, promotion, and delivery helped me think about how to confidently connect with others.
I was the organiser, not a participant — but I still learned a lot and enjoyed seeing how the group engaged with the material.I was the organiser, not a participant — but I still learned a lot and enjoyed seeing how the group engaged with the material.
Made me think more strategically about science communication and public outreach.
Curious? Want to know more?
Interested in learning more about our communication workshops, training and coaching for scientists and researchers? Take a look around, or get in touch – we’d love to help.
We believe that research matters. We also believe that good research deserves to be shared. What about you?
Curious about how our communication workshops, training programmes and coaching can help you, your research group or your institution get better about talking about your research with expert and non-expert audiences alike? Book a 30-minute call, or drop us a line.
