Stand out with your Scientific Poster
A scientific poster should be a conversation starter, not a paper squeezed onto A0.
How do you stand out in a room with a hundred scientific posters? We will explain, step by step, how to translate your core message into a clear and
attractive poster. Success guaranteed!
For more than 10 years, The Floor is Yours has been training researchers to design scientific posters that really make a difference. We also developed the Pitch Poster, an innovative and effective format that turns complex research into a clear, visually engaging poster.
Many participants in our poster workshops have gone on to win poster prizes at international conferences. We’ve delivered this workshop at every university in Belgium, at many scientific organisations, and internationally: ranging from France to South Africa, and from Poland to the Netherlands.
The workshop is based on our book Stand Out with Your Scientific Poster, a practical guide used by researchers around the world to transform their posters from “wallpaper” into real eye-catchers.
What you’ll learn
The workshop is built around three key questions:
1. WHY should they look at your poster?
We start from your audience and context:
- Audience & event – Who will be the audience at the event? What do they find interesting?
- Goal – Do you want feedback, collaboration, funding, or visibility?
- Key message – What is the one message that should stick when people look at your poster?
2. CONTENT: What to put on your poster?
Then we sharpen your story:
- Your poster pitch – You learn to explain your research in 30 seconds, from problem to solution and relevance. This pitch becomes the backbone of your poster.
- Structure pyramid – Together we map which elements should be on your poster (and what can go to the handout).
- Title that attracts –You experiment with titles that grab attention, spark curiosity, and make people want to read on.
- Pitch Poster – You will also learn this award winning alternative approach to scientific posters. And where to use it.
3. ATTENTION: How to design your poster?
Finally, we translate your story into a strong visual design:
- Shapes & structures – You discover alternative layouts, such as roadmaps, flows, and arrows, to guide the eye and highlight your main message.
- Images that pull people in – How to choose and place images, and where to find good visuals.
- Data and graphs – Do’s and don’ts to make your figures clear and visual arguments rather than puzzles.
During the workshop
- We show plenty of real examples: posters that make people walk away… and posters that instantly grab, and hold, people’s attention.
- You work on your own key message and sketch several layouts for your poster.
- You receive feedback from the trainer and fellow participants on your own crafted poster, so you leave with concrete ideas, not just theory.
With an average recommendation score of 9.5/10, this workshop is one we believe every PhD student and researcher should attend at least once. (no lie: more than a thousand scientists gave this workshop an average recommendation score of 9,5/10)
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Audience
For whom
This workshop is designed for PhD students, postdocs, clinicians, and other researchers who present their work at scientific conferences or research days. It is suitable for all disciplines and career stages.
Number of participants
To ensure interaction and individual feedback, we recommend a maximum of 12 participants per group. Larger groups are possible on request.
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Practical
Language
English or Dutch.Venue and timing
At your location or online.
Possible as a half-day or full-day workshop; additional follow-up sessions (e.g. try-out or feedback sessions) are available.Contact and information
If you would like a tailored proposal, please use the form on this page to request a free quote. -
Approach
This workshop is:
- Customized
We work with the research of the participants and adapt the examples, exercises, and focus (e.g. clinical posters, early-career researchers, internal research days) to the needs and context of the participants - Interactive and practical
No endless theory, but clear step by step advice. Participants work with their own topics, sketch their own poster, and practise their pitch. They can immediately apply the tips to an upcoming conference. - Visual and concrete
We use many before-and-after examples, live sketching, and simple design principles that researchers can apply even without any graphic design background.
- Customized
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About The Floor is Yours
Science has the power to make the world a better place. But that only works if researchers succeed in communicating their science with clarity and impact. That’s why, since 2012, we have been offering trainings such as Presenting with Impact, Scientific Posters, and Science4Policy.
We are the regular training partner for, among others, the Nerdland Festival, the Flemish PhD Cup, and Sciensano, SCK CEN, University of Antwerp and many many more.
Instructor
Jorn Ockerman obtained a PhD in physiotherapy and is a skilled graphic designer. He has designed numerous scientific posters himself, several of which have won awards at international conferences.
In this workshop, Jorn combines his experience as a researcher and designer: he makes live sketches, shows how to visualise even highly complex topics, and helps participants turn their own work into clear, attractive posters.
Toon Verlinden is author of How to Stand out with your scientific poster and organiser of Nerdland Festival. As a biochemical engineer, he has a background in research on water purification and has made a lot of scientific posters along the way.
In combination with our book
This workshop can be combined with our book “Stand Out with Your Scientific Poster”, which guides participants step by step towards a poster that truly works: from defining your message and choosing a title, to selecting images, cutting text, and fine-tuning the design.
Providing the book to all participants ensures that they can revisit the concepts after the workshop and apply them to future posters as well.
What do the participants think?
Some organizations that have already booked this workshop
Also discover our other workshops
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Pitch your research
Need to explain your research or project to a jury or a large audience in one to three minutes? We will help you to find the essence and to convey it convincingly. Less is more!
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Presenting with Impact
You learn how to present your complex message in a clear and appealing manner. Our focus is on content, performance, and slides. To get started right away.
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Storytelling for researchers
Facts inform, but stories connect. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to use storytelling techniques to make your research more relatable, memorable, and impactful, whether you are giving a talk, writing a text or pitching your ideas.
Read more about scientific posters in our blog
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