Get Comfortable with Visual Aids

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Visual aids help an audience understand and remember what they
hear; they are a valuable tool for speakers. The most popular visual aids are computer-based
visuals, overhead transparencies, flip charts, whiteboards and props.
The type of visual aid you choose depends on several factors, including the information
you wish to display and the size of the audience. Visuals must be appropriate for your
message and the audience, and be displayed correctly with ease and confidence.
O!ECTIVES:
Select visual aids that are appropriate for your message and the audience.
se visual aids correctly with ease and confidence.
Time! "ive to seven minutes
Projects 2 and 7 mentioned visual aids as one type of support material for a speech. Because people remember
best what they simultaneously see and hear, visual aids are powerful tools for a speaker.
They offer five benefits:
#. They increase understanding. urs is a visual a!e. "ost of what we learn is in!ested throu!h our eyes #
not our ears. $isual aids help you convey messa!es in the dimension best suited to clear understandin!.
$. They save time. %nformation presented visually is received and processed by the brain faster than a verbal
messa!e. $isual aids are especially useful in helpin! people &uickly understand comple' or abstract ideas.
%. They enhance retention. People remember an avera!e of just () percent of a spoken messa!e a week after
it is presented. *owever, they remember up to two thirds of what they both see and hear.
&. They promote attentiveness. People think much faster than you speak, so their minds tend to wander
durin! a speech. $isuals help keep them focused on your messa!e+ they also add variety and interest to a
presentation.
'. They help control nervousness. ,isplayin! visual aids !ives you purposeful physical activity that lets your
body process nervous ener!y without distractin! the audience.
Sele"ti#$ the Ri$ht Visual Aid
The most common visual aids are computer#based aids, overhead transparencies, flip charts, whiteboards and
props. -our choice for a particular speech depends on several factors, includin!:
The information you wish to convey
The si.e of the audience
The e&uipment available to you
The time available to prepare visuals
The amount of money you can afford to spend
Computer-based visuals. The technolo!y for computer#based visual presentations is rapidly chan!in!.
/sin! a laptop computer, presentation software, a screen and other e&uipment, you can produce and display
dramatic visual aids, includin! animation and simulations. 0omputer#based visuals are becomin! the standard
for most presentations. They can be used for lar!e and small audiences and can convey simple as well as com#
ple' information. %f you use a remote control, you can chan!e the visuals while walkin! about the room, !ivin!
you more freedom of movement. *owever, the e&uipment needed can be e'pensive to purchase or rent and, like
most electronic e&uipment, sensitive. Plan to devote plenty of time to creatin! the visuals in advance, to makin!
sure all of the electronic components work to!ether and to rehearsin! with them. *ave a backup plan in case
technical problems occur durin! the presentation.
Overhead transparencies. 1hile not as hi!h#tech as computer#based visuals and clumsy to use, overhead
transparencies work well for small audiences and are ine'pensive to make. They re&uire only a projector and a
screen to use, and many meetin! facilities have the e&uipment available for a small fee. Transparencies can
easily be produced on a computer and printed on a laser printer or copy machine. -ou also can write on the
transparencies as you speak and use colored markers on them.
Flip Charts. 2lip charts are used for small !roup trainin!s or briefin!s and for brainstormin! sessions. They
are !reat for recordin! audience responses, but you can also use them to display information. -ou can prepare
flip chart pa!es in advance, but you have the fle'ibility to add to them as you speak. 1rite on every second or
third pa!e # so succeedin! visuals won3t show throu!h # usin! colorful crayons or markers. ,urin! your
presentation you can then tear pa!es from the pad and tape them to the wall for display.
Whiteboards. These are available in many meetin! rooms. They are useful for small audiences, allowin! you
to display simple lists, !raphs and dia!rams and to record audience responses. *owever, they re&uire thorou!h
cleanin! before each use and you can3t save the material on the board unless you transcribe it to a computer or
paper.
Props. 4 prop is an object that contributes to your speech. %t can be a book, a ball, a tool, a model or any
other item that helps you make your point or helps the audience to better understand and remember your
messa!e. -ou may need a table to place a prop on when you are not usin! it, and perhaps a cloth to cover the
prop from view until you need it.
%he# to Use Them
$isual aids are intended to complement a presentation, not to be the presentation. 0harts, !raphs, dia!rams,
models, pictures and printed words can stimulate your audience and increase their retention of your material.
But you don3t need a visual aid for every sentence you say or every point you make. %f you emphasi.e
everythin!, then nothin! seems important5 -ou should use them only:
To reinforce a main point. 4 visual aid tells the audience that what you just said, or are about to say, is
important and somethin! they should remember.
To enhance understanding/remembrance of complex material. $isual aids help the audience understand
thin!s such as relationships, construction and statistics.
To save time. 6ometimes the same messa!e is communicated faster and better throu!h visuals rather than
spoken words.
6ome people use visual aids as prompts for their presentations, relyin! on them as notes. $isual aids do not
replace preparation. -ou still must be so thorou!hly familiar with your presentation that you can !ive it even
without usin! visual aids.
&esi$# Guideli#es
To be effective, visual aids should be easy to read and understand as well as pleasin! to view. 1hatever types of
aids you are creatin! or usin!, consider the followin! !uidelines:
a!e them visible. 7veryone in the room must be able to see your visual aid. /se the lar!est possible
letterin! and both upper and lower cases. /se blank space to make te't stand out.
"imit each visual to only one main thought or point. "ore than one point distracts the audience.
#se no more than six lines of text and no more than si' $ords per line per visual. This keeps the te't bi!
enou!h for the audience to read.
%eep them simple. 4void clutterin! a visual aid with too much artwork or fancy !raphics. -our audience
should be able to &uickly !rasp the visual aid3s point.
#se color carefully. 0olors add interest and improve retention. 0hoose colors that enhance readability. 2or
e'ample, black letters on a dark blue back!round are difficult to read. 4void usin! too many colors+ two or
three are enou!h.
a!e them consistent. %ncludin! some consistent desi!n elements, such as font, colors and8or artwork, will
make your visual aids more pleasin! to the eye.
#se different types of aids. $ariety adds interest. %f you3re !ivin! a presentation with computer#based
visuals, for e'ample, follow a bar chart with a te't visual or a dia!ram.
Proofread all visuals for spellin! and !rammar. %f your visual is a !raph, table, chart or dia!ram, be sure to
title it so the audience knows what it is.
&is'la( Ti's
/sin! visual aids successfully re&uires practice. ,isplayin! them too soon, too late or too &uickly will decrease
their impact. 0onsider these tips:
#. &isplay a visual 'ust before you are ready to tal! about it. -our audience will look at a visual the
moment you display it. Pause, !ivin! the audience time to read and comprehend it, then be!in discussin! the
point.
$. aintain eye contact with the audience as you display the visual. ,on3t talk to the screen or flip chart or
read from it.
%. &isplay it long enough. 6how the visual as lon! as it takes you to discuss the point it makes, then remove
it. %f you are usin! an overhead projector, display black or opa&ue transparencies between visuals to avoid
showin! a bri!ht white screen. ,on3t continue to show a visual after you have moved on to a new point.
&. &on(t bloc! the visual. The entire audience must be able to see it. %f you3re projectin! a visual onto a screen
or usin! a flip chart, stand off to the left side. To point out somethin! on the screen or chart, use your left hand
or a pointer. %f you3re holdin! an object for the audience to see, display it to the left or ri!ht of your body.
'. &on(t $rite as you spea!. %f you3re writin! on a flip chart or overhead transparency, pause as you write.
Then turn back to the audience and be!in to speak.
(. &isplay the correct visual. %f you for!et part of your presentation or present material out of se&uence, you
may unwittin!ly display the wron! visual. %f possible, before you display a visual, check that it is the correct
one.
). )ave them ready. Before your presentation, check the room to make sure listeners will have clear views of
your visual aids. Put them in place and ready for use. ,ouble#check any electronic e&uipment to make sure it is
functionin!.
*. *ehearse. Practice with your visuals until you can display them smoothly and confidently.
)a*e a a"+u' ,la#
%f you are usin! computer#based visuals, an overhead projector or other electronic e&uipment, be prepared for
technical failures. %f somethin! !oes wron!, keep speakin! and don3t waste the audience3s time while you try to
replace a burned#out li!ht bulb or chan!e a cable. %f necessary or appropriate, have paper copies of your visuals
ready to distribute to the audience.
Your Assi$#me#t
This project focuses on visual aids. -ou are to:
6elect a speech subject that allows you to use two or more visual aids.
6elect visual aids that are appropriate for your messa!e and the audience.
,isplay the visual aids correctly with ease and confidence.
Be sure to incorporate what you learned in previous projects about purpose, or!ani.ation, word usa!e, body
lan!ua!e, vocal variety and research and use appropriate su!!estions from the evaluations you received. 9eview
the 6peaker3s 0hecklist in Project ( as you prepare your speech. -ou may want to read the book The
Toastmasters International Guide to Powerful Audio/Visual Presentations :0atalo! ;o. B<7= for more
information on usin! visual aids.
E*aluatio# Guide for
Get Comfortable with Visual Aids
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;T7 T T*7 7$4?/4T9: The speaker is to present a speech that uses two or more visual aids. The
visual aids selected must be appropriate for the message and audience, and be displayed correctly with ease
and confidence. The speaker is to incorporate what he or she has learned in previous projects about purpose,
organization, word usage, body language and vocal variety. The speaker also is to use appropriate suggestions
from the evaluations received and thoroughly research the subject. Please complete this evaluation form by
checking the appropriate column for each item. Add comments for items where special praise is warranted or
where you can offer specific suggestions for improvement.
COULD COMMENTS/
EXCELLENT SATISFACTORY IMPROVE SUGGESTIONS
1ere the visual aids appropriate for
the speech and messa!e@
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,id each visual aid help you to
understand and remember the speaker3s
point@
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1as each visual aid clearly visible@ >>>>>
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%f the speaker used computer#based
visuals or overhead transparencies, was
each visual easy to read and well#
desi!ned@
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,id the speaker use the visual aids
smoothly and with confidence@
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*ow clear was the speaker3s purpose@ >>>>>
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,id the speaker use body lan!ua!e to
reinforce the messa!e@
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1as the speaker3s word choice
effective and appropriate@
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1as the speech well#researched@ >>>>>
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1hat could the speaker have done differently to make the speech more effective@
1hat did you like about the speech@