Visual aids for presentations

Transcription

1 Visual aids for presentations Ms Usana Wongnarkpet Devawongse Varopakarn Institute of Foreign Affairs

2 Visual aids for presentations There are many advantages in using visual aids during the presentation. Visual aids can create a powerful effect, help keep students' attention, and illustrate main ideas. The basic rule is to use visual aids to support the presentation, not to dominate it. However, the disadvantage of overusing visual aids is that the attention of the audience will be divided and students may stand aside and have visual aids take their place. What is a Visual Aid? The main types of visual aids are whiteboard, flip chart, overhead projector (OHP), PowerPoint (or other presentation software), video, props, handouts, yourselves demonstrating an action or in a role play Using Visual Aids as Notes Simple visual aids can serve as your notes when speaking. Carefully select your titles. These titles alone can serve as "triggers" to what you want to say next. If you know your subject well and have rehearsed your presentation, your visual aids should be all you need to "jog" your memory. Using visual aids has 4 important advantages 1. You don't have to worry about what you're going to say next - Your next visual aid has your next major idea on it. 2. Visual aids allow you to move around the room - Movement helps you to relax and adds energy to your presentations. Movement also allows the listeners to follow you and pay closer attention to you. 3. You can have good eye contact with your audience - You can look at your audience all the time, except when you look briefly at your visual aid. That's okay since the audience will also look at your visual aid. This will help them see your message as well as hear your message. 4. Your Audience feels comfortable knowing you're on your planned track - Well designed visual aids show that you have a plan and have properly prepared and you are following your plan. NOTE: When you use visual aids, always introduce your visual aid before you actually show the visual aid. Rehearse your presentation with your actual visual aids. It is very important that you are very familiar with your visual aids. Make sure your message and visual aids match. There is nothing worse than showing a visual aid which does not go along with what you are saying. VISUAL AIDS

3 How to design an excellent Power Point presentation PowerPoint takes the presentation to a different level. The aim of this section is to offer guidelines and tips to improve your PowerPoint skills. Think back to some PowerPoint presentations that you have seen recently. With a partner make a list of the top five annoying PowerPoint habits Now make suggestions as to how you would remedy these annoying habits As you watch Version 1 and 2, compare the design of Joanna s visuals. Note anything you particularly like or dislike. Watch Version 1 and 2 again. As you watch this time, compare the way Joanna uses her visuals. Again, note anything you particularly like or dislike. NOTE: When you use visual aids, always introduce your visual aid before you actually show the visual aid. Rehearse your presentation with your actual visual aids. It is very important that you are very familiar with your visual aids. Make sure your message and visual aids match. There is nothing worse than showing a visual aid which does not go along with what you are saying.

4 Using your Visual Aids: Here are a few suggestions for making most effective use of your carefully designed visual aids: Be careful not to stand in front and obscure the view of your audience. Avoid reading from the large projector screen as this means you turn your back to the audience obscuring eye contact and reducing projection of your voice. If you need to read directly from the text look at the PC or laptop screen. Try making brief notes on index cards, including any details like dates, statistics or names that you need to get right. No-one will expect you to speak without an aide memoir. Be sure to interact with the information on your visual aids by pointing to specific points or part of diagrams etc. This helps the audience to make links between your speech and detail on the visual aids. Think about what you want the audience do with any handouts. If they need them during the session hand them out when necessary. If they are for future reference consider handing them out at the end to avoid them causing distraction. Advise the audience of what you plan to do. Contingency Plans: Whenever you use technology in a presentation you run the risk of technical problems. You can reduce the risk of this impacting on your presentation by: Making sure you have your PowerPoint presentation saved in a few formats (memory stick, CD, ed to an easily accessible account). Prepare OHP transparencies and/or handouts in case technical issues mean that you can't use the computer and/or projector. If you want to show a website, you could use screen captures rather than risking going online. Make sure all the hardware and software you need will be available, e.g. speakers, access to internet, multimedia software, spare bulb, if you're using an OHP. Practise with any multimedia, ideally in the venue you will be presenting in. Be aware that PowerPoint presentations created on an Apple Mac operating system may not be compatible with the PC/laptop that you are required to present on. You may need to check this compatibility.

5 Language phrases Here is the essential language you need to present visuals. You don t need to learn all of the phrases, but you should be able to use a few of them. This is so that you can vary what you say each time you show a visual during your presentation. Introducing the visual - I d like you to look at this.. - Let me show you.. - As you can see.. - Let s have a look at. - OK. Let s take a look at - The first / second / next/ final slide is - If you look at the screen, you ll see. - On the right / left you can see. As you can see, this is Check with the audience - Is that clear for everyone? - Is that in focus? - Can everybody see that? Meaning of the visual - This shows/illustrates/demonstrates/refers to - This is a graph/a diagram/which shows. - As you can see, this is. - Here we can see. Focusing attention - I d like to draw your attention to - One of the most important aspects of this is - At first glance it seems but - I d like to start by drawing your attention to. - What I d like to point out here is.. - I think you ll be surprised to see. - I d like you to focus your attention on. - Let s look more closely at.

6 Points to remember Here are some points you may need to recognize when you give a presentation Design Don t use visuals to repeat what you can say with words. Don t overcrowd visuals with too much information. Visual aids should be simple. Use visuals to support or summarize what you say. Only use key words, not lines of text. Think about which kind of visual is right for you. (graph, table, picture, words, etc.) Use colour (but not too much). Use Don t use too many visuals. Don t read from the visual. Make sure the audience understands the visual. Use a pointer and/or masking techniques where appropriate. Face the audience as much as possible. Don t block the audience s view. * Remember that your visuals should help you communicate your message. They should not distract your audience s attention from what you say. Five principles for visual aids 1. You are your most important visual aid too many people hide behind their visual aids. Step out from behind your speech note visuals and let people see your natural interest and enthusiasm for the topic. 2. Less is more try not using visuals throughout your entire presentation. Turn off the overhead projector or press the B button on your computer (which turns the power point projection to black) to return attention to yourself. Put less information on your visual aids. 3. A picture tells a thousand words The best way to add impact or help to explain something is through pictures, graphics or images.

7 4. Go 3-D An actual object will have much more impact. This works best with smaller groups, but beware of passing things around while you are talking. Allow time for people to look, touch or smell something at the end of your talk or during you talk when you have set aside time for this. 5. Variety is the spice of life Great speakers try to do something different every seven minutes. Try not to be too fancy (too much spice) as you ll only confuse and distract the audience. Think about creating variety within your visual aids (colour, font, images) but again, don t go overboard as it will just look messy. References Dignen, B. Communicating in Business English. Asian-Pacific Press Holdings Ltd Lowe, S. & Pile. L. Presenting. Delta Business Communication Skills Grussendorf, M. English for Presentations. OUP Brunel.ac.uk