11.4 Visual Aids
Learning Objective
1. Demonstrate how to use
visual aids effectively in your presentation.
Almost all presentations
can be enhanced by the effective use of visual aids. These can include
handouts, overhead transparencies, drawings on the whiteboard, PowerPoint
slides, and many other types of props. Visual aids are an important nonverbal
aspect of your speech that you can control. Once you have chosen a topic, you
need to consider how you are going to show your audience what you are talking
about.
Have you
ever asked for driving directions and not understood someone’s response? Did
the person say, “Turn right at Sam’s Grocery Store, the new one” or “I think
you will turn at the second light, but it might be the third one”? Chances are
that unless you know the town well or have a map handy, the visual cue of a
grocery store or a traffic light might be insufficient to let you know where to
turn. Your audience experiences the same frustration, or sense of
accomplishment, when they get lost or find their way during your speech.
Consider how you can express yourself visually, providing common references,
illustrations, and images that lead the audience to understand your point or
issue.
Visual
aids accomplish several goals:
- Make your speech more interesting
- Enhance your credibility as a speaker
- Serve as guides to transitions, helping the audience stay on track
- Communicate complex or intriguing information in a short period of
time - Reinforce your verbal message
- Help the audience use and retain the information
Purpose,
Emphasis, Support, and Clarity
When you look at your own
presentation from an audience member’s perspective, you might consider how to
distinguish the main points from the rest of the information. You might also
consider the relationships being presented between ideas or concepts, or how
other aspects of the presentation can complement the oral message.
Your
audience naturally will want to know why you are presenting the visual aid. The
purpose for each visual aid should be clear, and almost speak for itself. If
you can’t quickly grasp the purpose of a visual aid in a speech, you have to
honestly consider whether it should be used in the first place. Visual aids can
significantly develop the message of a speech, but they must be used for a
specific purpose the audience can easily recognize.
Perhaps
you want to highlight a trend between two related issues, such as socioeconomic
status and educational attainment. A line graph might show effectively how, as
socioeconomic status rises, educational attainment also rises. This use of a
visual aid can provide emphasis, effectively highlighting key words, ideas, or
relationships for the audience.
Visual
aids can also provide necessary support for your position. Audience members may
question your assertion of the relationship between socioeconomic status and
educational attainment. To support your argument, you might include on the
slide, “According to the U.S. Department of Education Study no. 12345,” or even
use an image of the Department of Education Web page projected on a large
screen. You might consider showing similar studies in graphic form,
illustrating similarities across a wide range of research.
Figure 11.4
Visual aids provide necessary support for your position,
illustrate relationships, and demonstrate trends.
Austin Kleon – powerpoint as a comic – CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Clarity is key in the use
of visual aids. One way to improve clarity is to limit the number of words on a
PowerPoint slide. No more than ten words per slide, with a font large enough to
be read at the back of the room or auditorium, is a good rule of thumb. Key
images that have a clear relationship to the verbal message can also improve
clarity. You may also choose to illustrate the same data successively in two
distinct formats, perhaps a line graph followed by two pie graphs. Your central
goal is to ensure your visual aid is clear.
Methods
and Materials
If you have been asked to
give a presentation on a new product idea that a team within your organization
is considering, how might you approach the challenge? You may consider a
chronological organization pattern, starting with background, current market,
and a trend analysis of what is to come—fair enough, but how will you make it
vivid for your audience? How to represent information visually is a significant
challenge, and you have several options.
You may
choose to use a chart or diagram to show a timeline of events to
date, from the first meeting about the proposed product to the results from the
latest focus group. This timeline may work for you, but let’s say you would
like to get into the actual decision-making process that motivated your team to
design the product with specific features in the first place. You may decide to
use decision trees (or tree diagrams) showing the variables and products in
place at the beginning of your discussions, and how each decision led to the
next, bringing you to the decision-making point where you are today.
Figure 11.5
Visual aids make it vivid for your audience.
Gareth Saunders – Welcome
to Powerpoint – CC BY-SA 2.0.
To complement this
comprehensive guide and help make a transition to current content areas of
questions, you may use a bar or pie graph to show the percentage of competing
products in the market. If you have access to the Internet and a projector, you
may use a topographical map showing a three-dimensional rendering of the local
areas most likely to find your product attractive. If actual hills and valleys
have nothing to do with your project, you can still represent the data you have
collected in three dimensions. Then you may show a comparable graph
illustrating the distribution of products and their relative degree of market
penetration.
Figure 11.6
Bar and pie graphs can clearly demonstrate results.
Christopher Porter – EuroTrip2006
– Total Expenses – CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Finally, you may move to
the issue of results, and present the audience with a model of your product and
one from a competitor, asking which they prefer. The object may be just the
visual aid you need to make your point and reinforce the residual message. When
we can see, feel, touch, or be in close proximity to an object it often has a
greater impact. In a world of digital images and special effects, objects
presented in real time can still make a positive effect on the audience.
Additional
visual aids you may choose include—but are not limited to—sound and music,
video, and even yourself. If your speech is about how to use the product, your
demonstration may just be the best visual aid.
You will
want to give some thought to how to portray your chart, graph, or object when
it’s time to use your visual aids. The chalk or white board is common way of
presenting visual aids, but it can get messy. Your instructor may write key
words or diagrams on the boards while discussing a textbook chapter, but can
you read his or her writing? The same lesson holds true for you. If you are
going to use a white board and have a series of words on it, write them out
clearly before you start your presentation.
Flip
charts on a pedestal can also serve to show a series of steps or break a chart
down into its basic components. A poster board is another common way of
organizing your visual aids before a speech, but given its often one-time use,
it is losing out to the computer screen. It is, however, portable and allows
you a large “blank page” with which to express your ideas.
Handouts
may also serve to communicate complex or detailed information to the audience,
but be careful never to break handout rule number one: never give handouts to
the audience at the beginning of your speech. Where do you want the audience to
look—at you or at the handout? Many novice speakers might be tempted to say the
handout, but you will no doubt recognize how that diverts and divides the
audience’s attention. People will listen to the words from the handout in their
minds and tune you out. They will read at their own pace and have questions.
They may even be impolite enough to use them as fans or paper airplanes.
Handouts can be your worst enemy. If you need to use one, state at the
beginning of the speech that you will be providing one at the conclusion of
your presentation. This will alleviate the audience’s worry about capturing all
your content by taking notes, and keep their attention focused on you while you
speak.
Transparencies
and slides have been replaced by computer-generated slide show programs like
PowerPoint by Microsoft, which we will discuss in greater detail later in this
section. These programs can be very helpful in presenting visual information,
but because computers and projectors sometimes break down and fail to work as
planned, you need a plan B. You may need a poster board, or to write on the
whiteboard or to have a handout in reserve, but a Plan B is always a good idea
when it comes to presentations that integrate technology. You may arrive at
your destination and find the equipment is no longer available, is incompatible
with your media storage device, or is simply not working, but the show must go
on.
Video
clips, such as those you might find on YouTube, can also be effective visual
aids. However, as with handouts, there is one concern: You don’t want the
audience to want to watch the video more than they want to tune into your
presentation. How do you prevent this? Keep the clip short and make sure it
reinforces the central message of your presentation. Always stop speaking
before the audience stops listening, and the same holds true for the
mesmerizing force of moving images on a screen. People are naturally attracted
to them and will get “sucked into” your video example rather quickly. Be a good
editor, introduce the clip and state what will happen out loud, point out a key
aspect of it to the audience while it plays (overlap), and then make a clear
transitional statement as you turn it off. Transitions are often the hardest
part of any speech as the audience can get off track, and video clips are one
of the most challenging visual aids you can choose because of their power to
attract attention. Use that power wisely.
Preparing
Visual Aids
Get started early so that
you have time to create or research visual aids that will truly support your
presentation, not just provide “fluff.” Make sure you use a font or image large
enough to be legible for those in the back of the room, and that you actually
test your visual aids before the day of your presentation. Ask a friend to
stand at the back of the room and read or interpret your visual aid. If you are
using computer-generated slides, try them out in a practice setting, not just
on your computer screen. The slides will look different when projected. Allow
time for revision based on what you learn.
Your
visual aids should meet the following criteria:
- Big. They should be legible for everyone, and should be “back row
certified.” - Clear. Your audience should “get it” the first time they see it.
- Simple. They should serve to simplify the concepts they illustrate.
- Consistent. They should reinforce continuity by using the same visual style.
Using
Visual Aids
Here are three general
guidelines to follow when using visual aids (McLean, S., 2003). Here are
some dos and don’ts:
1.
Do make a clear connection between your words and the
visual aid for the audience.
2.
Do not distract the audience with your visual aid, blocking
their view of you or adjusting the visual aid repeatedly while trying to speak.
3.
Do speak to your audience—not to the whiteboard, the video,
or other visual aids.
The timing of your
presentation, and of your visual aids, can also have good or bad consequences.
According to a popular joke, a good way to get your boss to approve just about
anything is to schedule a meeting after lunch, turn the lights down, and
present some boring PowerPoint slides. While the idea of a drowsy boss signing
off on a harebrained project is amusing, in reality you will want to use visual
aids not as a sleeping potion but as a strategy to keep your presentation
lively and interesting.
Becoming
proficient at using visual aids takes time and practice, and the more you
practice before your speech, the more comfortable you will be with your visual
aids and the role they serve in illustrating your points. Planning ahead before
speaking will help, but when it comes time to actually give your speech, make
sure they work for the audience as they should. Speaking to a visual aid (or
reading it with your back to the audience) is not an effective strategy. You
should know your material well enough that you refer to a visual aid, not rely
on it.
Using
PowerPoint as a Visual Aid
PowerPoint and similar
visual representation programs can be an effective tool to help audiences
remember your message, but they can also be an annoying distraction to your
speech. How you prepare your slides and use the tool will determine your
effectiveness.
PowerPoint
is a slideware program that you have no doubt seen used in class, presentation
at work, or perhaps used yourself to support a presentation. PowerPoint and
similar slideware programs provide templates for creating electronic
slides to present visual information to the audience, reinforcing the
verbal message. You’ll be able to import, or cut and paste, words from text
files, images, or video clips to create slides to represent your ideas. You can
even incorporate Web links. When using any software program, it’s always a good
idea to experiment with it long before you intend to use it, explore its many
options and functions, and see how it can be an effective tool for you.
Video Clip
Intercultural
Communication
PowerPoint
slides can connect words with images.
At first, you might be
overwhelmed by the possibilities, and you might be tempted to use all the
bells, whistles, and sound effects, not to mention the tumbling, flying, and
animated graphics. If used wisely, a dissolve or key transition can be like a
well-executed scene from a major motion picture film and lead your audience to
the next point. But if used indiscriminately, it can annoy the audience to the
point where they cringe in anticipation of the sound effect at the start of
each slide. This danger is inherent in the tool, but you are in charge of it
and can make wise choices that enhance the understanding and retention of your
information.
The
first point to consider is what is the most important visual aid? The answer is
you, the speaker. You will facilitate the discussion, give life to the
information, and help the audience correlate the content to your goal or
purpose. You don’t want to be in a position where the PowerPoint presentation
is the main focus and you are on the side of the stage, simply helping the
audience follow along. It should support you in your presentation, rather than
the other way around. Just as there is a number one rule for handouts, there is
also one for PowerPoints: do not use PowerPoints as a read-aloud script for
your speech. The PowerPoints should amplify and illustrate your main points,
not reproduce everything you are going to say.
Your
pictures are the second area of emphasis you’ll want to consider. The tool will
allow you to show graphs, charts and illustrate relationships that words may
only approach in terms of communication, but your verbal support of the visual
images will make all the difference. Dense pictures or complicated graphics
will confuse more than clarify. Choose clear images that have an immediate
connection to both your content and the audience, tailored to their specific
needs. After images, consider only key words that can be easily read to
accompany your pictures. The fewer words the better: try to keep each slide to
a total word count of less than ten words. Do not use full sentences. Using key
words provides support for your verbal discussion, guiding you as well as your
audience. The key words can serve as signposts or signal words related to key
ideas.
A
natural question at this point is, “How do I communicate complex information
simply?” The answer comes with several options. The visual representation on
the screen is for support and illustration. Should you need to communicate more
technical, complex, or in-depth information in a visual way, consider preparing
a handout to distribute at the conclusion of your speech. You may also consider
using a printout of your slide show with a “notes” section, but if you
distribute it at the beginning of your speech, you run the risk of turning your
presentation into a guided reading exercise and possibly distracting or losing
members of the audience. Everyone reads at a different pace and takes notes in
their own way. You don’t want to be in the position of going back and forth
between slides to help people follow along.
Another
point to consider is how you want to use the tool to support your speech and
how your audience will interpret its presentation. Most audiences wouldn’t want
to read a page of text—as you might see in this book—on the big screen. They’ll
be far more likely to glance at the screen and assess the information you
present in relation to your discussion. Therefore, it is key to consider one
main idea, relationship, or point per slide. The use of the tool should be
guided with the idea that its presentation is for the audience’s benefit, not
yours. People often understand pictures and images more quickly and easily than
text, and you can use this to your advantage, using the knowledge that a
picture is worth a thousand words.
Use of
Color
People love color, and
understandably your audience will appreciate the visual stimulation of a
colorful presentation. If you have ever seen a car painted a custom color that
just didn’t attract you, or seen colors put together in ways that made you
wonder what people were thinking when they did that, you will recognize that
color can also distract and turn off an audience.
Color is
a powerful way to present information, and the power should be used wisely. You
will be selecting which color you want to use for headers or key words, and how
they relate the colors in the visual images. Together, your images, key words,
and the use of color in fonts, backgrounds, table, and graphs can have a
significant impact on your audience. You will need to give some thought and
consideration to what type of impact you want to make, how it will contribute
or possibly distract, and what will work well for you to produce an effective
and impressive presentation.
There
are inherent relationships between colors, and while you may have covered some
of this information in art classes you have taken, it is valuable to review
here. According to the standard color wheel, colors are grouped into primary,
secondary, and tertiary categories. Primary colors are the colors from which
other colors are made through various combinations. Secondary colors represent
a combination of two primary colors, while tertiary colors are made from combinations
of primary and secondary colors.
Figure 11.7 Color Wheel
Michael Hernandez – color
wheel – CC BY 2.0.
- Primary colors. Red, blue and yellow
- Secondary colors. Green, violet, and orange
- Tertiary colors. Red-orange, red-violet,
blue-violet, blue-green, yellow-orange, and yellow-green
Colors have relationships
depending on their location on the wheel. Colors that are opposite each other
are called complementary and they contrast, creating a dynamic effect.
Analogous colors are located next to each other and promote harmony,
continuity, and sense of unity.
Your
audience comes first: when considering your choice of colors to use, legibility
must be your priority. Contrast can help the audience read your key terms more
easily. Also, focus on the background color and its relation to the images you
plan to incorporate to insure they complement each other. Consider repetition
of color, from your graphics to your text, to help unify each slide. To reduce
visual noise, try not to use more than two or three additional colors. Use
colors sparingly to make a better impact, and consider the use of texture and
reverse color fonts (the same as a background or white) as an option.
Be aware
that many people are blue-green colorblind, and that red-green colorblindness
is also fairly common. With this in mind, choose colors that most audience
members will be able to differentiate. If you are using a pie chart, for
example, avoid putting a blue segment next to a green one. Use labeling so that
even if someone is totally colorblind they will be able to tell the relative
sizes of the pie segments and what they signify.
Color is
also a matter of culture. Some colors may be perceived as formal or informal,
or masculine or feminine. Recognize that red is usually associated with danger,
while green signals “go.” Make sure the color associated with the word is
reflected in your choice. If you have a key word about nature, but the color is
metallic, the contrast may not contribute to the rhetorical situation and
confuse the audience.
Seeking
a balance between professionalism and attractiveness may seem to be a
challenge, but experiment and test your drafts with friends to see what works
for you. Also consider examining other examples, commonly available on the
Internet, but retain the viewpoint that not everything online is effective nor
should it be imitated. There are predetermined color schemes already incorporated
into PowerPoint that you can rely on for your presentation.
We’ve
given consideration to color in relation to fonts and the representation of key
words, but we also need to consider font size and selection. PowerPoint will
have default settings for headlines and text, but you will need to consider
what is most appropriate for your rhetorical situation. Always think about the
person sitting in the back of the room. The title size should be at least forty
points, and the body text (used sparingly) should be at least thirty-two
points.
Figure 11.8
Visual aids should be clear from the back of the room.
Martin Roell – Powerpoint + Sonne = … – CC BY-SA 2.0.
In Designing
Visual Language: Strategies for Professional Communicators (Kostelnick,
C., and Roberts, D., 1998), Charles Kostelnick and David Roberts provide a
valuable discussion of fonts, font styles, and what to choose to make an impact
depending on your rhetorical situation. One good principle they highlight is
that sans serif fonts such as Arial work better than serif fonts like Times New
Roman for images projected onto a screen. The thin lines and extra aspects to
serif the font may not portray themselves well on a large screen or contribute
to clarity. To you this may mean that you choose Arial or a similar font to
enhance clarity and ease of reading. Kostelnick and Roberts also discuss the
use of grouping strategies to improve the communication of information
(Kostelnick, C., and Roberts, D., 1998). Bullets, the use of space, similarity,
and proximity all pertain to the process of perception, which differs from one
person to another.
Helpful Hints
for Visual Aids
As we’ve discussed, visual
aids can be a powerful tool when used effectively, but can also run the risk of
dominating your presentation. As a speaker, you will need to consider your
audience and how the portrayal of images, text, graphic, animated sequences, or
sound files will contribute or detract from your presentation. Here is a brief
list of hints to keep in mind as you prepare your presentation.
- Keep visual aids simple.
- Use one key idea per slide.
- Avoid clutter, noise, and overwhelming slides.
- Use large, bold fonts that the audience can read from at least
twenty feet from the screen. - Use contrasting colors to create a dynamic effect.
- Use analogous colors to unify your presentation.
- Use clip art with permission and sparingly.
- Edit and proofread each slide with care and caution.
- Use copies of your visuals available as handouts after your
presentation. - Check the presentation room beforehand.
- With a PowerPoint presentation, or any presentation involving
technology, have a backup plan, such as your visuals printed on
transparencies, should unexpected equipment or interface compatibility
problems arise
Becoming proficient at
using visual aids takes time and practice. The more you practice before your
speech, the more comfortable you will be with your visual aids and the role
they serve in illustrating your message. Giving thought to where to place
visual aids before speaking helps, but when the time comes to actually give
your speech, make sure you reassess your plans and ensure that they work for
the audience as they should. Speaking to a visual aid (or reading it to the
audience) is not an effective strategy. Know your material well enough that you
refer to your visual aids, not rely on them.
Key Takeaway
Strategically
chosen visual aids will serve to illustrate, complement, and reinforce your
verbal message.