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Public Speaking Tips & Speech Topics

Visual Aids

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

There are four basic reasons to include visual aids in your speech:

• To hold the audience’s attention – by getting the audience involved visually as well as orally, you are more likely to keep their interest.
• To serve as a memory aid or learning device – people learn in different ways, some people easily recall spoken information, others written information. No matter what style they prefer, the more you expose your audience to the information, the more likely they are to remember it.
• To replace your speaking notes – This doesn’t mean reading directly from your visual aid. However, a PowerPoint presentation or slide show will have keywords that you can use to structure your extemporaneous speech.
• To help indicate transitions – When you switch slides, for example, it reinforces the transitions between the two ideas indicated on the slide.

In this article:

Charts and graphs

Audio and video, five tips for your presentation, types of visual aids.

As you can see, used effectively, visual aids can add a lot to a speech. Some types of visual aids you could use in your speech include:

There are a number of different types of charts and graphs that serve a variety of purposes such as pie charts, line graphs, bar charts, flow charts and organizational charts. Be sure to pick the one which best conveys the points you are trying to make.

Use pie charts to present  figures, outcomes of surveys  and  percentages of achievements  in their context.

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Use bars, timelines or charts to compare  data , to demonstrate how something has developed over a period of time, to illustrate a series of  steps  or  processes .

Use an organography to provide insight to the  structure  or the  communication  and  command levels  of and organization, process or program.

Use a flip chart if you do not have an electronic component to note or draw the  main points ,  arguments ,  theories  or  controversies  of your visual aid speech topic for small audiences.

Note: All I wrote above about lettering and colors of overheads and slides go for visual aids like graphics and charts too.

Microsoft PowerPoint is the standard for slide software today. Using PowerPoint, you can create highly sophisticated slides with audio, video, animations and much more. An old-fashioned overhead projector can still do the job, though.

Use slides to illustrate for instance  travel adventures ,  collections ,  historial sights , Power Point-presentations or the major points of your speech for small or larger groups.

• Do not forget to darken the room somewhat.
• Give your listeners enough time to see or read the slices, let’s say at least 25 to 30 seconds. Watch out for increasing the amount of data per slide. One bit at the time.

An overhead beamer projector is a very popular instrument to support visual aid speech topics. Use overheads to show for example how a  machine ,  building  or a  plane  has been built, to present a complex  problem  with its solution and benefits, and to illustrate  processes ,  procedures , and  steps in a sequence .

• Write large characters with a big marker pen.
• Number your transparencies.
• Keep the screen in full view of participants.
• Darken the room a little bit.
• Talk to the audience, not to the screen.
• Use a slidshow pointer.
• Do not offer too much data and info.
• Use colors and large lettering. Be careful with the color red. Sometimes it is hard to see!
• Write or print with dark ink.
• Keep enough white space between the information you show wit the beamer projector. They have to be easily seen and read.

Flipcharts should only be used when you need to record information or ideas during your speech (such as taking an audience survey). Using a flipchart as a pre-prepared visual aid will seem unprofessional in most situations.

DVD’s and CD’s that relate to your topic will add interest and variety to your presentation. However, don’t use up too much of your speech time playing these. Remember, the audience is there to see you, not your media.

Use DVD’s and videotapes to emphasize the main points of your speeches about for instance  matches ,  movies ,  journeys ,  hiking trails , or  instructions .

• Tell them why you are playing the DVD or videotape.
• Tell your listeners what they are going to see.
• Keep the screen in full view.
• Darken the room somewhat to increase the feeling of seriousness of you presentation, and in order to give everyone a clear sight on the screen.

Use Audiotapes, CD’s and MP3’s to illustrate your speech about  music ,  plays ,  poems ,  literature , or perhaps even even  famous speeches .

• Ensure everybody can hear everything! Ask them if they can hear all. If not, speak out louder.
• Use amplifying equipment that is powerful enough to reach all audience members in the back row.

Handouts are a good idea in a couple of situations: 1) Your topic is too complex for the audience to easily understand from just your spoken words, and 2) If you need to ensure that the audience will remember the information long after your speech. Be careful when using handouts, however. They tend to be distrating to audience members if you don’t refer to them often. The audience also can get ahead of you by skipping to later sections of the handout.

Distribute  reports ,  invitations ,  quizes ,  questions ,  games ,  schedules ,  summaries  after or before you explain the visual aid speech topic.

• Distribute them after your visual aid speech if you want them to act the way you proposed.
• Distribute the handouts before if you want to guide your audience through the content.

Props fall into two categories: objects and models. Objects are the actual physical item that you are speaking about. Models are representations of the item that you are speaking about. No matter which type you use, props are good to refer to if they help clarify your messages and increase understanding.

Look at things around you. All things you can show live to your public are potential props and therefore candidate visual aid informative speech topics for a public speaking speech! Force yourself to think broad.

In many years I have seen lots of creative speeches about objects: someone who shows and explains a  favorite painting ,  book ,  camera ,  coins collection ,  pet ,  jewelry,fashion look ,  sporting equipment ,  toys  etc, etc. Use your imagination, elaborate further on these ideas, such as researching some fashion jewelry online for getting the big picture. Some questions to develop visual aid speech topics with props:

• Why you use it or has it been used for?
• What is the story behind it?
• When did you buy it? Why?
• Who used it?
• Can you demonstrate it step by step?
• Can you teach the audience to do or to make it themselves during or after your speech?
• Why do you want to talk about it?
• Why do they have to hear your story?
• How does it work?

If you choose for a very small or little visual aid speech topic, then move it closer to your listeners. Pass the prop round in class. Or if that is possible – think about images of expensive fashion jewelry online – show them with a beamer projector.

If it is very valuable, protect it! And ask their assistance to be very careful with it. Sure they will.

Use a poster to highlight the key points of your visuals aid speech topics. When you talk about a  country ,  city , a very expensive  drawing , or your  home  or  automobile  etc. you can show a picture printed on a poster.

• Use thick, stiff paper for your posters.
• Hold them in a visual aid holder.

There is one major rule of thumb for a successful delivery of visual aid speech topics: A visual aid is not a purpose in itself. Integrate them smartly. They have to support the content of your informative speech.

Here are five basic tips for a successful delivery of your visual aid speech topics:

• Prepare your visual aid informative speech topics adequately.
• Practice several times aloud in front of family and friends.
• Check if your electronic component is running. Have a backup option in mind.
• Constantly check if your public can see and understand what you say and present. Every member of the audience must have the possibility to see your visual aids, hold them up as long as needed.
• Point to parts in your visual aid speech topics when you talk about the features.

Speech Delivery

1 thought on “Visual Aids”

1. You can also use pictures to explain each slide.

2. Speaking outline.

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Visual Aid Essentials: Transforming Your Speech into a Visual Journey

At The Sketch Effect, our expertise lies in making events, speeches, and presentations more engaging and memorable. 

With our extensive experience supplementing large-scale events with rich illustrated narratives, we’ve seen firsthand how visual aids can elevate a speech, making complex ideas more accessible and retaining the audience’s attention. 

In this blog, we’ll dive into the essentials of visual aids for speeches, exploring various types, from traditional slides to innovative visual solutions, and provide insights into why and how they can dramatically transform your next speech.

Whether you’ve got seasoned public speaking skills or gearing up for your first address, understanding how to use visual aids effectively is crucial. 

Let’s embark on this journey to uncover the secrets of using visuals as an add-on and a powerful tool to enhance your message and connect deeply with your audience.

The Role of Visual Aids in Speeches

Visual aids are more than just embellishments; they are pivotal tools that can significantly enhance the impact and effectiveness of a speech. Their role is multifaceted, extending beyond mere decoration to become an integral part of the communication process.

Enhances Comprehension

Visual aids are critical in helping an audience understand and retain complex information. By translating abstract concepts into tangible visuals, these aids make the content more digestible. 

For instance, graphs, charts, and diagrams can simplify complicated data, making it easier for the audience to grasp and remember.

Emphasizes Key Messaging

A well-placed visual can underscore key points of a speech, drawing the audience’s attention to the most crucial aspects. It serves as a visual cue that reinforces the speaker’s message, ensuring that important points are noticed and remembered.

Increases Audience Engagement

In a world with increasingly short attention spans, visuals can capture and maintain the audience’s interest, making the speech more lively and dynamic. 

This is especially true for storytelling elements like Graphic Recording, which unfolds live and keeps the audience hooked on the evolving narrative.

Facilitates an Emotional Connection

Compelling visuals can evoke emotions, a powerful way to connect with the audience. The right image, color, or visual metaphor can resonate emotionally, making the speech more persuasive and impactful.

Caters to Different Learning Styles

People absorb information in different ways, and visual aids cater to those who are primarily visual learners. By providing a visual component, you ensure your message reaches a broader audience, accommodating varied preferences and learning styles.

Examples of Visual Aids in Speech Settings

Visual Aid Speech Ideas & Implementation Tips

Here’s where to focus on leveraging visual aids in your speech delivery.

Carefully Design Your Slides

Well-designed slides can significantly reinforce your message, making it more memorable and engaging for your audience. 

Here are some key tips for designing slides that complement and elevate your presentation.

Focus on Simplicity & Clarity 

Avoid cluttering your slides with too much text or too many graphics. Use a clean, simple layout that highlights your key points effectively.

Choose fonts and sizes that are easy to read from a distance. Stick to a consistent font style throughout the presentation for a cohesive look.

Use of Visuals and Colors

Incorporate high-quality, relevant images that align with your content. Visuals should enhance, not distract from, your message.

Select a color scheme that is visually appealing and consistent with your brand or the theme of your speech. Use contrast effectively to make your text stand out.

Data Preparation

When presenting data, use graphs and charts that are easy to interpret. Simplify complex data into digestible visual formats. When presenting data, use graphs and charts that are easy to interpret. Simplify complex data into digestible visual formats.

Consistency & Branding

Ensure that all your slides follow a unified theme or template. This includes consistent use of colors, fonts, and layouts. If applicable, include your brand’s logo or color scheme subtly in the slides to reinforce brand recognition.

Methodical Content Structure

Structure your slides to tell a story. Each slide should seamlessly lead to the next, creating a narrative that aligns with your speech. Structure your slides to tell a story. Each slide should seamlessly lead to the next, creating a narrative that aligns with your speech.

Capture Attention & Drive Retention With Graphic Recording Artists

Graphic Recording is a visual communication solution where a skilled sketch artist listens to a speech and, in real-time, translates its content into a visual narrative. 

This process involves creating a large-scale illustration that combines drawings, icons, and text, effectively mapping out the key themes and ideas of the speech. More than just a visual aid, Graphic Recording is a dynamic and engaging art form that unfolds live, adding a unique and captivating performance element to any speech.

Why is Graphic Recording an Ideal Visual Aid?

• Enhances Audience Engagement: Watching ideas being visually captured in real-time keeps the audience engaged and curious about the evolving visual story.
• Facilitates Understanding and Retention: The visual representation helps in breaking down complex ideas, making them easier to understand and remember.
• Increases Accessibility: Graphic recording can cater to different learning styles, making the speech more accessible to a diverse audience.
• Adds a Unique Element: Incorporating graphic recording adds a unique and memorable element to any speech, differentiating it from standard presentations.

In summary, Graphic Recording is an effective visual aid that captivates the audience and enhances the overall impact of a speech by making it more understandable, memorable, and visually stimulating.

Incorporate Videos & Multimedia

Video and multimedia can add a dynamic and engaging element, bringing your content to life in ways that text and still images cannot. 

Here’s how to make the most of your multimedia presentation. 

Choosing & Implementing Multimedia

Integrating videos and multimedia into your speech can transform it into a dynamic and visually captivating experience. To effectively weave these elements into your presentation, focus on relevance and quality. Select videos that enhance your message and are of high quality. 

Place them strategically to emphasize key points or provide narrative breaks, and balance their use to complement rather than overshadow your spoken content.

Technical Preparation

Technical preparation is crucial. Test all multimedia elements in advance to avoid technical glitches. Have a backup plan in case of unexpected failures, ready to describe the video content or smoothly transition without it if needed.

Enhance Your Storytelling

Videos and multimedia are powerful storytelling aids. Use them to convey stories, testimonials, or case studies that reinforce your speech’s themes. Choose media that evokes emotions to forge a stronger connection with your audience.

By thoughtfully incorporating multimedia into your speech, you create an informative, emotionally engaging, and visually memorable presentation.

Use Physical Objects & Demonstrations in Your Speech

Using physical objects and conducting live demonstrations can bring an interactive and tangible aspect to your presentation. 

This approach effectively transforms abstract ideas into something concrete and relatable for the audience. When you introduce a hands-on element, whether a new gadget, a unique artifact, or an interactive demonstration, you’re not just speaking about a concept – you’re bringing it to life. 

Using Physical Object Effectively

When selecting a physical object, ensure it is directly relevant to your topic and can be easily seen by your audience. For instance, if you’re discussing a new product, having the actual product on hand for a demonstration can be much more impactful than just showing images or videos.

Conducting Live Demonstrations

Live demonstrations provide a visual and experiential element that can captivate the audience. When planning a demonstration, practice it thoroughly to ensure it goes smoothly and consider any safety precautions if necessary.

Encouraging Audience Participation

Invite audience participation during your demonstration or when showcasing a physical object. This interaction not only makes your presentation more engaging but also helps the audience better understand and remember the information being presented.

Overcoming Limitations

Be aware of the logistical limitations of using physical objects or conducting demonstrations, especially in large venues or with large audiences. Use cameras and screens to project the demonstration if needed, so everyone has a clear view.

Distribute Handouts & Physical Signage

Handouts, along with eye-catching posters or visual boards, can really elevate your presentation. They’re not just there to relay information; they add a visual punch that underlines and amplifies what you’re saying.

Maximizing the Impact of Handouts

Consider handing out materials at the beginning of your speech to help attendees follow along or at the end as a summary and takeaway.

Design them to complement your speech. Include additional details, references, or data that support and expand on your spoken content.  

Make sure that the design is clear and organized. Use headings, bullet points, and visuals like diagrams or key images to make the content accessible and engaging. 

Display Physical Signage 

Create posters that are visually appealing and succinct, focusing on main ideas or impactful quotes. Utilize brand colors or themes to maintain consistency. Place these visual aids where they are easily visible to the audience but do not distract from the main presentation. They should serve as a reference point that attendees can view throughout your speech.

Design Tips for Posters & Handouts

• Consistent Branding: Use consistent branding elements like logos, colors, and fonts in both your handouts and posters to create a cohesive look.
• Quality Materials: Invest in quality printing and materials, especially for posters, to ensure they are durable and leave a professional impression.
• Interactive Elements: Consider adding interactive elements to your handouts, like QR codes linking to additional resources or digital content.

Incorporating these elements can significantly enhance your audience’s experience. These tools aid in information retention and add a tangible dimension to your speech, making it more memorable and impactful.

Incorporate Interactive Technology

Integrating technological elements can amp up your audience’s engagement and add a modern twist to your presentations, making them far more impactful. Here’s how to thoughtfully leverage technology in a speech or conference setting. 

Live Polling and Audience Response Systems

Tools like Slido or Mentimeter allow you to conduct live polls and quizzes or gather audience feedback in real-time. This interaction keeps the audience engaged and makes your speech more dynamic.

Integrate these polls or questions into your presentation, using the responses to guide your talk or gauge audience sentiment on the discussed topics.

Consider Interactive Presentation Software

Apps like Prezi or Canva offer dynamic ways to present information visually, moving beyond static slides to create more engaging and visually appealing presentations. 

Some presentation apps allow audience members to interact directly with the content, such as submitting questions or comments that can be displayed and addressed in real-time.

Social Media Integration Can Broaden Your Reach

Use social media platforms to extend your reach. You can encourage live tweeting, sharing key points, or even streaming parts of your speech on platforms like Facebook Live, Instagram, or TikTok.

Create a unique hashtag for your speech or event to aggregate audience comments, photos, and feedback.

Create Digital Feedback Channels for Post-Event Learnings

Set up digital channels for feedback and questions post-speech. This could be a dedicated email, a survey link, or a social media group where the conversation can continue.

Step-by-Step Guide to Planning & Delivering a Speech With Visual Elements

By following these tips, you can ensure a smooth and professional visual integration that enhances your presentation and keeps your audience engaged.

• Prepare Visuals Early: During the speech-writing phase, think about where visuals can best complement your points. This early planning ensures a cohesive flow between your words and visuals.
• Choose the Right Tools: Select tools and software that best fit the type of visuals you need. Familiarize yourself with their features and limitations.
• Keep Design Consistent: Ensure that your visuals have a consistent design style, color scheme, and font choices to maintain a professional and cohesive look.
• Test on Actual Equipment: If possible, test your visuals on the same equipment you’ll be using during the actual presentation to avoid format or compatibility issues.
• Backup Your Material: Always have a backup of your presentation and visuals on a separate device or cloud storage.
• Rehearse with Visuals: Practice your speech with your visuals to get comfortable with the timing and transitions.
• Prepare for Technical Issues: Familiarize yourself with basic troubleshooting for the equipment you’ll be using. Have a plan in case of technical failures.
• Check Venue’s AV Capabilities: Understand the audio-visual capabilities of your venue and ensure they can support your presentation needs.
• Simple and Accessible: Keep visuals simple and accessible. Avoid overloading slides with information and ensure visuals are visible from the back of the room.
• Interactive Elements: I f using interactive elements like polls or AR, make sure they’re easy for the audience to access and participate in.
• Audio and Video Testing: Test all audio and video elements beforehand to ensure they play correctly and are synchronized with your speech.
• Get Feedback on Visuals: I f possible, get feedback on your visuals from a colleague or 3rd party to ensure they effectively convey your intended message.

Graphic Recording: The Best Visual Aid for Important Speaking Engagements

Interested in making your next speaking engagement truly unforgettable? 

Contact us to discover how Graphic Recording can transform any type of speech into visually stunning and memorable events.

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We process information in a number of ways, most notably visually and audibly. If your visual aids do not properly match your speech of if they are used in an ineffective manner, this could be a detriment to your speech. Anything that distracts an audience from your message will result in your inability to deliver your message.

Visual aids comprise a wide variety of items, handouts, slides, moving pictures, posters, models, objects, and many others. All of these visual aids are meant to reinforce your main message. Moreover, they become vital when it is necessary to present information that can only be described in a visual format. To use an obvious example, if you are giving a speech to a company's board of directors on the plans for a new building, it would be essential to have a picture or some sort of visual aid to accompany your speech. Yes, it would be possible to give an audible only speech about the new building's plans, but it would be extremely ineffective to do so. There are occasions when a visual aid is a necessary component of your message.

When you are giving a speech, you ideally want the audience to pay complete attention to your voice and message. A visual aid is an invitation for them to pay attention to something else, if even for a moment. Therefore, this visual aid must reinforce your message. The following guidelines will help you decide when visual aids are helpful.

• Relevancy. Ensure that the visual aids you use are relevant to your speech. This sounds obvious, but many speakers make the mistake of providing "additional information" handouts during a speech. This is one of the worst mistakes a speaker can make. Such handouts would be great to give out after a speech, but certainly not during it.
• Appropriateness. Likewise, your visual aids should be appropriate to the occasion. You would not typically, for example, use charts and graphs to give an entertaining speech. If the aids are not appropriate, they will distract an audience.
• Attractiveness. If you are not skilled at using the popular software products typically used to create charts and graphs, and other visual aids, it is best to hire someone who is. An unattractive visual aid will "speak" poorly of you and it will lessen the impact of your message delivery.
• Visibility. Not everyone in the audience will have 20/20 vision, and not everyone in the back of the room will be able to see small text regardless of their visual ability. Your visual aids must be appropriately sized and legible.
• Variation. If you are going to use a great many visual aids (and this is only recommended if you feel that it is vital to your message), you should try to incorporate different types of visual aids. Do not use graphs exclusively, for example. This will bore the audience, and it will surely distract them.

Some Rules to Follow when Using Visual Aids

The following are some practices to use and some to avoid when using visual aids.

Good Practices

• Do use color. Black and whites slides will look boring. Use color even if it is just for a heading for the slide.
• Make sure the visual aid you are using is visible from at least 8 feet away. If it is legible from approximately that distance, it will be legible to an entire room when it is projected using visual equipment.
• Consider using clip art. Virtually all computers have some free clip art available. Consider using some on your visual aids, especially if you pick a theme for the art and use a different image on each presentation.
• Do not keep an image displayed for more than 10 minutes. All visual aids distract some attention from the speaker but this is acceptable since your aids help communicate your message. However, after 10 minutes, the audience will be bored looking at a stale image.
• Do not use cartoons or other "cute" additions to your presentation unless it is appropriate for your audience. Want to learn more? Take an online course in Motivational and Public Speaking .
• Do not experiment with different fonts throughout your presentation. Use a single font, but you may use it in different sizes to set off information that is more important . In addition, the use of bold lettering is effective.
• Do not overuse colors, and make sure that the color is relevant to your message. You would not use a bright blue color, for example, for a slide that is delivering bad news to a company. Similarly, you should not use a wide variety of colors, as this will be distracting to an audience.

If you are presenting a speech in a foreign city, the last thing you want to do is transport your own audiovisual equipment. You naturally want the host to provide this equipment for you, and this is considered standard practice. Do not feel it is inappropriate to ask them to do this. When you do ask them, however, the request should be in writing. You want to ensure that you have proof that you have requested this equipment, and be sure to follow up with the host after you have made the request.

Since charts are the most popular type of visual aids used in most speeches, here are some guidelines for their effective use:

• Do not use all capital letters, ever . Even when you want to emphasize a particular statistic or fact, use color or boldness to accomplish this goal.
• Is the chart properly labeled? Do not assume that the audience will know little details that you take for granted.
• Avoid emphasizing certain material with anything other than text; do not use any flashing elements in your aid, boxes, arrows, or any other distracting element.

Nearly all of us have heard a recording of our own voice at some point in our lives, and we are most often discouraged by what we hear. We think we sound differently, but, in fact, we are hearing our voices as others hear it. Just as practicing the delivery of a speech repeatedly will increase your ability to deliver an excellent speech; you can also practice voice techniques that will improve the overall quality of your voice. However, you should be cautioned that practicing in the wrong way could do more harm than good.

We will discuss pitch and rate in more detail later. Both of these characteristics comprise the overall quality of your voice, and they can both be altered with the proper training and practice.

How well you articulate words will determine the clarity of your speech. During the rehearsal portion of the speech process, it is a good idea to record your speech and play it back at least once so that you can hear how it will sound to an audience. Some things to notice regarding clarity and articulation are the following:

• Contractions. Some people tend to slur contractions. Take note whether you are clearly pronouncing each element of the contraction. If, for example, you were slurring the contraction "wouldn't," use the two words instead, would not.
• Reversed words. Some people mispronounce common words that sound alike by reversing the order of some letters. For example, pre scription versus per scription. Only the first spelling, and thus, the first pronunciation, is correct.
• Omitted letters. Good articulation means pronouncing all letters in a word clearly. Do not omit letters. For example, pronounce the "t" in "mists" rather than speaking a word than sounds more like "miss."

Rate of Speech

Your rate of speech is a vital component of the overall quality of your voice. People who are nervous tend to speak more quickly than they normally would, so it is especially important to monitor your rate. When you listen to your rehearsal tape, count the number of words you speak in one minute. You should be speaking at the rate of approximately 150 words per minute. This is not a universal speed. There are times when a speaker may alter this rate slightly, depending on the circumstances. However, a rate of 150 words per minute is a comfortable speed for most informational and motivational speaking.

If you were to use the same pitch and inflection throughout an entire speech, you audience would fall asleep within 10 minutes. Nothing makes a speech more boring than a speaker who uses a monotone pitch and inflection. Pitch describes the level of deepness of your voice, regardless of your gender. A person might have a very high pitch if they are speaking excitedly or a low pitch if they are reading a dramatic reading slowly. Inflection is the varying degree of emphasis that you place on words during speech. For example, if a parent is giving a firm instruction to his or her child, they might say, "You will eat your vegetables." Here, the word will (in italics) will have a different inflection than the rest of the sentence. It is imperative that your speech uses the proper inflection when you wish to emphasize your main point. Let the audience know something is important by using the proper inflection.  

Just as it is important to alter the inflection of your voice when you wish to emphasize a thought, it is also important to pause appropriately between thoughts. You should never speak two sentences together back-to-back without a pause if the two sentences each convey an important point or thought. The pace and rhythm of your speech is determined by how fast you are moving from one thought to the next. You want to maintain a comfortable pace, which means always using pauses when appropriate.

Naturally, the volume of your voice is important, and it differs from its pitch. While pitch is used to describe how deep or high your voice is, volume describes how loud your voice is. Volume can easily be controlled and it is one of the most important elements of your voice that you need to control during a speech. If you wish to emphasize something, always remember to use a higher inflection rather than a higher volume. A high volume speaker will be interpreted as screaming to an audience, and that should be avoided whenever possible.

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Using visual aids during a presentation or training session

June 21, 2018 - Gini Beqiri

Visual aids can enhance your presentations – they can increase the audience’s understanding of your topic, explain points, make an impact and create enthusiasm. It has become more important to make information visual:

“Something is happening. We are becoming a visually mediated society. For many, understanding of the world is being accomplished, not through words, but by reading images” – ( Lester, 2006 )

In this article, we discuss how to use visual aids for presentations or training sessions.

What are visual aids?

Visual aids are items of a visual manner, such as graphs, photographs, video clips etc used in addition to spoken information. Visual aids are chosen depending on their purpose, for example, you may want to:

• Summarise information.
• Reduce the amount of spoken words, for example, you may show a graph of your results rather than reading them out.
• Clarify and show examples.
• Create more of an impact, for example, if your presentation is on the health risks of smoking, you may show images of the effects of smoking on the body rather than describing this. You must consider what type of impact you want to make beforehand – do you want the audience to be sad, happy, angry etc?
• Emphasise what you’re saying.
• Make a point memorable.
• Enhance your credibility .
• Engage the audience and maintain their interest.
• Make something easier for the audience to understand.

Preparation and use of visual aids

Once you have decided that you want to use a visual aid, you must ensure that the audience is able to quickly understand the image – it must be clear. They can be used throughout your speech but try to only use visual aids for essential points as it can be tiring for the audience to skip from one visual to another.

Preparation

• Think about how can a visual aid can support your message. What do you want the audience to do?
• Ensure that your visual aid follows what you’re saying or this will confuse the audience.
• Avoid cluttering the image as it may look messy and unclear.
• Visual aids must be clear, concise and of a high quality.
• Keep the style consistent, such as, the same font, colours, positions etc
• Use graphs and charts to present data.
• The audience should not be trying to read and listen at the same time – use visual aids to highlight your points.
• One message per visual aid, for example, on a slide there should only be one key point.
• Use visual aids in moderation – they are additions meant to emphasise and support main points.
• Ensure that your presentation still works without your visual aids in case of technical problems.
• Practice using the visual aids in advance and ask friends and colleagues for feedback. Ask them whether they can clearly see the visual aid and how they interpret it.

During the presentation

• Ensure that the visual aids can be seen by everyone in the audience.
• Face the audience most of the time rather than the image.
• Avoid reading from the visual aid.
• As soon as you show the visual aid the audience’s attention will be drawn to it so you must immediately explain it. You will be ignored if you talk about something else.
• Make it clear to the audience why you are using it.
• When you no longer need the visual aid ensure that the audience can’t see it.

Tailor to your audience

Choose your visual aids tactically so you appeal to your audience. This means finding images your audience can relate to, images they will find familiar and images they will like. Also think about what style of visual aid is suitable for the audience; is it quite a serious presentation? Can you be humorous? Is it more formal or informal?

Example of using visual aids

When watching this video, notice how the presenters:

• Talk to the audience while writing
• Turn their body to the audience while writing
• Don’t spend too long writing in one session

Types of visual aids

There are a variety of different types of visual aids, you must decide which will suit your presentation and your audience.

Microsoft PowerPoint is widely used for presentations because it’s easy to create attractive and professional presentations and it’s simple to modify and reorganise content compared to other visual aids. You can  insert a range of visual items  into the slides which will improve the audience’s focus. Also, the audience can generally see slideshows better than other visual aids and you don’t have to face away from them. However, your presentation can look unprofessional if this software is used poorly.

• Have a clear and simple background.
• Avoid using too many different types of fonts or font sizes.
• Only use animations for a purpose, such as, to reveal the stages of a process, otherwise this can be distracting and look amateurish.
• Use a large font size – a minimum of 24pt.
• Use bullet points to summarise key points.
• Consider providing handouts of diagrams because the audience will find the diagrams easier to read.
• Avoid putting too much text on a slide.
• Avoid using red or green text as it’s difficult to read.
• There should only be one key point for each slide.
• Always have a back-up plan in case there is a technical issue and you cannot show the visuals on the day, for example, bring handouts or a poster.

Whiteboards

Whiteboards are great for providing further explanations, such as, showing the order of a process, creating diagrams or explaining complex words or phrases. They’re often used to display headings and write down audience suggestions. Whiteboards are also ideal for displaying important information for the entire duration of the presentation, such as, key definitions, because the audience can just glance at the whiteboard for a reminder.

• Ensure that enough time has passed for the audience to take notes before rubbing something off of the whiteboard.
• Write concisely to avoid facing away from the audience for too long.
• Handwriting must be large and legible.
• Practice beforehand as you may feel nervous about writing in front of an audience at the time.

Handouts are papers that contain key information from your presentation or they may provide further information. They prevent you from overwhelming the audience as there will be less information on the slides and therefore less information they need to write down.

You must consider when you want to give the audience the handouts:

• If given at the beginning and middle of your presentation the audience may be reading rather than listening to you or they might not pay attention to what you’re saying as they already have the information.
• If given at the end of your presentation the audience may be trying to take lots of notes which may reduce the amount of information they are actually understanding.

To manage this, provide the audience with partially completed handouts so they will have to listen to what you’re saying to be able to fill in the gaps. Providing the audience with graphs and charts beforehand is also beneficial because the audience will find them easier to read than, for example, from a slide.

• Tips on creating handouts for your presentation

Video clips

Using videos are a great wait to  engage the audience  and increase their interest. Use video to bring motion, images and audio into your presentation.

• Ensure that any videos used are relevant to the presentation’s content.
• Only show as much of the video as necessary.
• Never show a really long clip.
• Videos can be difficult to fit into the structure of a presentation so ensure that you tell that audience why you’re showing them a clip and tell them what to look for.
• Inform the audience how long the video will last.

Flip charts offer a low cost and low tech solution to record and convey information as you speak. They’re more beneficial for smaller audiences and they are favoured for brainstorming sessions as you can gather ideas easily. Flip charts are also widely used for summarising information and, like with a whiteboard, you can use them to show permanent background information.

• Before your presentation, place the flip chart in a location that you can easily access.
• Prepare any sheets you can in advance, even if you can only write down the headings.
• Flip charts can be moved so you can avoid facing away from the audience – stand next to it and continue to face the audience.
• Have only one main idea per sheet.
• Write legibly, largely and in block capitals so it’s more visible.
• Check with the audience that they can read the text – do not use a flipchart if there is a large audience.
• Only write in black and blue ink. Red ink is good for circling or underlining.
• Using a pencil write notes to yourself beforehand so you remember what to include – the audience will not see this writing. Also drawing lines in pencil beforehand can keep your handwriting straight.
• Flip back through the sheets to consolidate points.
• Practice writing on the flip chart advance as you may feel nervous at the time of presenting.

Poster boards can be created using a variety of visual devices, such as graphs and images. They’re generally quite portable and you can make them as elaborate as you want. However, they can be expensive to produce if the poster is quite complex.

• One poster per message or theme
• Use block capitals
• Avoid using posters when presenting to large audiences as they will not be able to see the content

Product, objects or artefacts

Objects can be useful tools for making an impact or even for making a dull topic more interesting. Sometimes they’ll be needed for technical and practical reasons, such as, showing a model or conducting an experiment.

• If you are presenting to a small audience consider passing the object around but provide enough time so they won’t have to divide their attention between the object and what you’re saying.
• If the audience is large ensure that you move the object around so everyone sees it.
• The audience will be more distracted from what you’re saying when they’re looking at the object so keep it hidden until the right time and provide the background information before revealing it.
• Explain why you’re using the object.
• If you are conducting an experiment or demonstration, move slowly with exaggerated movements so the audience can follow. Also explain precisely what’s going on.

Two examples of live product demos:

Key points for using visual aids

Try to find out what the presentation room is like beforehand, such as, the layout of the room, the equipment etc, so you can see if your visual aids are appropriate and whether they will work there but always have a contingency plan regardless. Also remember that the audience should be able to understand an image almost immediately.

Before your presentation, ensure that you  practice with your visual aids  so you know how to operate the equipment. If something goes wrong you’ll have a better chance of solving the problem.

Research suggests that using colour increases people’s motivation to read and their enthusiasm for a presentation. Software like PowerPoint is great for producing colour visuals.

Using the colour wheel can help when choosing your presentation’s colours:

• Colours opposite each other in the wheel are complementary and they create contrast. Using complementary colours makes your text more readable.
• Colours next to each other are analogous and they are harmonious. Using analogous colours makes your presentation more unified.

The  Adobe colour wheel , which helps you pick complementary colours for your presentation design.

Avoid using too many colours in your presentation as this can look cluttered and unprofessional and keep your colour themes continuous, for example, if you highlight all the key words on one slide in blue, continue to do this throughout the presentation. Also be careful with colour associations, for example, in many cultures red is linked to danger. Try to represent your words and topics with colours that make sense and are appropriate.

Many people are blue-green or red-green colour-blind so avoid putting these colours next to each other’s in, for example, a graph. If you cannot avoid placing these colours next to each other then use text to clearly label items.

Research suggests that information displayed visually is well remembered: “retention of information three days after a meeting or other event is six times greater when information is presented by visual and oral means than when the information is presented by the spoken word alone.” ( U.S. Department of Labor OSHA Office of Training and Education, 1996 )

There is also significant evidence suggesting that most learning occurs visually – some researchers suggest that 83% of human learning happens visually. The psychologist Bruner conducted multiple studies which suggest that people remember 80% of what they see and do, 20% of what they read and only 10% of what they hear.

Visual aids are worth including in your presentations because they can help you explain information more coherently which makes presenting easier for you and learning easier for the audience. They also help add variety to your presentation thus making it more interesting for the audience. If the audience understand what you’re saying and they are more engaged, they’re more likely to be persuaded by you.

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Visual Aids

Visual aids can powerfully help the effectiveness of a speech. Many speeches benefit from having objects, images, key quotes, or data presented in a clear and dramatic fashion. Visual aids vary in kind, but there are similar benefits and tips for dealing with any kind of supplementary evidence that is shown to an audience.

Reasons to Use Visual Aids

• Improves audience understanding and memory
• Serves as notes
• Provides clearer organization
• Facilitates more eye contact and motion by the speaker
• Contributes to speaker credibility

Types of Visual Aids

Tips for Using Visual Aids

Stand to the side of the visual aid. Do not obscure the visual aid if at all possible. Traditionally, speakers have the visual aid on their left.

Maintain eye contact. While the visual aid will be tempting to many speakers, the audience should still be their main focus. When a speaker loses eye contact, they often end up turning their back to the audience. A SPEAKER SHOULD NEVER TURN THEIR BACK TO AN AUDIENCE.

Introduce a visual aid before talking about the information contained in it. Giving background on where the information for the visual aid was obtained from provides the audience with more resources for understanding the content of the speech.

Practice with a visual aid. The visual aid adds an additional focus for the audience, and the speaker should be able to effectively and smoothly interact with the aid to minimize distractions. Experience with one type of visual aid (a Powerpoint presentation, for example) does not necessarily provide the resources to deal with others (showing how to tie a shoe).

Make sure the visual aid supports the message. Consistency between what is being said and what is being seen is crucial to a speaker's credibility.

Supplement, do not supplant, the speech with the visual aid. Do not allow the visual aid to overwhelm the speech itself. Visual aids are not crutches to lean on, but rather lampposts to illuminate.

Ensure the logistics of the setting are conducive to the visual aid. Make sure that everyone can see the visual aid, that any electronic equipment necessary for the visual aid is functioning (and that the speaker knows how to operate it), and that the visual aid is set up before the speech (there's few things worse for an audience then having to wait while a speaker fiddles with their equipment.)

Point out key elements in the visual aid, especially if it is complicated. Pictures, charts, graphs, and some objects, are often so complex, with so much "going on," that the audience might need to be directed to the area of the visual aid that the speaker is referencing.

Avoid distributing materials before the speech. If there are supporting materials to assist the audience, they should be passed out either before or after the speech. Failing to do so will delay the speech, lead to much unnecessary rustling of paper, and is an unnecessary distraction.

Limit lists. If the visual aid utilizes lists to communicate the central ideas of the speech, do not overwhelm the audience with endless lists on one slide or page. Generally, only five items should be on any single slide or page of a visual aid.

Remember that simplicity is a good design principle. Do not overload a visual aid with unnecessary information, color, font changes, or superfluous images.

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Using visual aids.

1. Visual Aids

Visual communication relies on vision and is primarily presented or expressed with two-dimensional images.

Visuals with accompanying text have a greater power to inform, educate, or persuade a person or audience than text alone. One way to make your presentation vivid and memorable is through visual aids. Although computer-generated and projected visual—and presentation—aids are commonly used, it is still important to understand how to use them or any other type of visual aids in your presentation.

There are many different types of visual aids. The type of visual aid a speaker uses depends on his preference and the information he is trying to present. To determine the type of visual aid to use, begin by writing your outline first, focusing on the main points of your presentation, and considering your audience and any cultural contexts.

• Graphic design
• Illustration
• Electronic resources
• Photographs
• Drawings or diagrams
• Display charts
• Video excerpts

term to know Visual Communication The communication through visual aid and the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon.

1a. Selecting the Right Visual Aid

Select visual aids that are appropriate to the point that you wish to illustrate or clarify. Visual aids should support, clarify, and amplify, not repeat what you are saying. In order to make sure that the intent of your visual aid is clear, try to use only important or memorable words or phrases. For example, eliminate any unnecessary word slides or overcrowding of visual aids. Pictorial slides and appropriate color usage have the biggest impact.

1b. Testing Your Visual Aid

It is important to consider if your visual aid can be seen and understood by the member of your audience who is farthest from the screen when choosing to use it. To do this, test your visual aids in different environments. Practice with your visual aid when going through your presentation for timing and familiarity.

Introduce visual aids so that they blend smoothly with your speech and highlight your main points or provide clarity to examples. It is important to maintain eye contact; talk to your audience, not the visual aid, throughout your presentation.

Practice going through your presentation and coordinating your points with your visual aids when discussing them. Avoid passing hard copies of your visual aids around to the audience, as it is often a distraction. Try to provide interactive aspects in your visual aids that involve the audience, such as polls, feedback requests, and interactive activities.

2. The Importance of Preparation

Appropriate preparation of your visual aids is essential in making sure that they are effective in helping to improve your audience’s engagement, memory, and comprehension.

• Are your visual aids appropriate for your audience?
• Are your visual aids easy to understand and easy to read or view?
• Do you know what is on your visual aids, and can you present them effectively?

2a. Are Your Visual Aids Appropriate for Your Audience?

Once your topic has been decided upon, and your research is underway, it's time to think about how you plan to present your information in visual aids.

Of the several angles that need to be addressed in regard to delivering a speech, the most important thing to keep in mind is, "Who is my audience?" Never underestimate the importance of knowing your audience. If your audience can't understand your visuals, you'll find it much harder to accomplish your objective.

Make sure to consider the knowledge base, demographic background, occupation, and values of your audience when creating a visual aid.

Your decision to use visual aids such as PowerPoint, charts, or any kind of demonstrative props will have a sizable impact on your audience, so they should be given careful thought.

term to know Demographic A characteristic used to classify people for statistical purposes, such as age, race, or gender.

2b. Are Your Visual Aids Easy to Understand and Easy to Read or View?

When you are preparing your visual aids, you should make sure that your audience will be able to read and understand what they are saying.

Be sure to use text that is large enough and colors that do not conflict with one another. This ensures that words are legible. Make sure that any photos, charts, and diagrams are easily understood within the first few seconds of looking at them. If they are not easily understood, be sure to spend time during your presentation explaining what the photos or charts mean.

Additionally, one way to make sure that people in the back of the presentation can read your visual aids is to print off a full-page slide of your presentation, place it on the floor, and stand up and see if you can read the entire slide. If you cannot read it, people in the back of the room during your presentation will also likely not be able to read your slide.

One other consideration is to be sure that you are comfortable using any technology that you will use to assist in the presentation of your visual aids. You must also make sure that the location of your presentation has this working technology available to you.

2c. Do You Know What Is on Your Visual Aids and Can You Present Them Effectively?

An essential component of using visual aids effectively is to prepare yourself to understand what is on them and determine how you want to explain them. If you are using pictures, graphs, or charts to help you explain a point, be sure that you understand the graph or picture and that you are comfortable explaining this to an audience.

If you are confused about a graph during your presentation or do not do an adequate job of explaining a graph, your audience will likely be confused about the graph as well. Such confusion will detract from audience engagement and comprehension.

Before you present, go through your graph, charts, and pictures. In your notes, write where each visual aid is presented in your presentation, what they mean, and how you plan to present them. Be sure to rehearse this before your presentation so your visual aids can be as effective in helping your audience be engaged, understand your presentation, and remember your key points.

3. Physical and Animate Objects

In today's media-driven world, public speakers have a plethora of visual aids to choose from when augmenting their presentations.

From LCD projections to flip charts, visual aids help presenters inform and persuade audiences, as well as help them understand the presentation topic.

Physical and animate objects can also help integrate the verbal and visual elements of the speaker's presentation into one unified and memorable message.

Ultimately, objects should enhance rather than detract from a presentation. The use of objects as visual aids involves using actual objects as live demonstrations or props for the audience.

terms to know LCD A flat-panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly. Prop An item placed on a stage or set to create a scene or scenario in which actors perform. Contraction of "property."

3a. Choosing Objects for Presentations

Using physical objects is often necessary when demonstrating how to do something so that the audience can fully understand the procedure or process.

The use of physical and animate objects in formal presentations is the same as in stage acting, where actors use still and animated props. For the objects to be as effective as possible, they must be positioned in a way where they are quickly detected and easily understood by the audience.

A common mistake involves placing an object where it is obstructed or hidden from view or in front of a more interesting object that divides the audience's attention. Speakers must also be cognizant of objects that are too large or inconvenient for stage use.

There are many physical and animate objects available for presentations. Choosing the appropriate visual aids depends on the speaker's preference, as well as the content and setting of the presentation.

Objects can be both beneficial or distracting during speeches. Therefore, presenters should prepare and plan ahead accordingly to ensure that objects are appropriate for the audience and the material being presented.

3b. Chalkboards, Whiteboards, and Flip Charts

Visual aids such as chalkboards, whiteboards, and flip charts are used by presenters to help weave their words and images together into a cohesive message.

Using visual tools effectively during a presentation helps speakers appear prepared, professional, interesting, and credible. Writing tools and imagery also help audience members focus on and remember the presenter's major points, as well as better understand the presenter's argument.

Although we often think of chalkboards in academic or teaching settings, chalkboards are also used in business environments. However, dry-erase boards, also known as whiteboards, are becoming more common.

Chalkboards are reusable writing surfaces where text and drawings are made using chalk. Organizations typically use dry-erase whiteboards, which use dry-erase markers for easy application and removal. These boards can be used for presentations, as well as advertisements or recordkeeping.

In presentations, chalkboards and whiteboards provide significant flexibility for recording audience responses and jumpstarting discussions. This spontaneity allows for fast, simple, and easy use by presenters who may not be familiar or comfortable with presentation software tools.

Like chalkboards and whiteboards, flip charts have a low learning curve, allowing anyone with the ability to write to quickly convey information to audience members.

Flip charts are typically stationary items consisting of pads of large paper sheets fixed to the upper edge of a whiteboard. These are typically supported on a tripod or four-legged easel. Invented by Peter Kent, who built one to help him in a presentation, flip charts are commonly used for presentations.

• Stand-alone flip charts
• Metallic tripod (or easel) stands
• Metallic mounts on wheels

4. Static Presentations: Images, Drawings, and Graphs

As we’ve discussed earlier, public speakers often employ a variety of presentation tools—including drawings, paintings, and graphs—to inform, educate, or persuade a person or audience. Here is a quick review of the many ways you can use visuals to enhance your presentation.

4a. The Many Uses of Images in Presentations

Although static in nature, nonelectronic imagery has both advantages and disadvantages when used as visual aids in presentations.

• Photographs : Photographs are helpful tools to make or emphasize a point or to explain a topic when the actual object cannot be viewed. For example, photographs are particularly useful for displaying historical places and sites that no longer exist.
• Maps : Maps show geographical areas of interest. They are often used as aids when speaking of differences between geographical areas or showing the location of something.
• Handouts : Charts, graphs, pictures, illustrations, and other images can be printed on handouts for distribution before, during, or after a presentation. An important aspect of the use of a handout is that a person can keep the handout long after the presentation is over. This helps the person better remember what was discussed.

4b. Graphs and Data

Graphs are used in both static and electronic presentations to visualize relationships between different quantities.

• Line graphs
• Scatter plots

However, it is the complexity of graphs—their detailed calculations, complex data, and large figures—that causes them to become cluttered during use in a speech. Graphs often include too much detail, overwhelming the audience and making the graph ineffective.

4c. Drawings in Presentations

Drawings or diagrams can be used when photographs do not show exactly what the speaker wants to show or explain. They could also be used when a photograph is too detailed.

Nevertheless, talent and skills are usually needed for professional drawings that require significant detail or realism. If not done correctly, drawings can look sloppy, ineffective, and unprofessional.

5. Dynamic Representations: Video and Multimedia

Presenters may use navigation devices such as text links, picture thumbnails, or small screenshots to move around spontaneously within and between extensive collections of related content.

Using these relational presentation techniques allows presenters to interact with rather than "talk at" audiences.

5a. Audience Reception of Dynamic Content

Studies have revealed that audiences are more engaged during presentations that employ dynamic elements. There are also ongoing assessments as to how much using multimedia improves learning and retention of presentation material.

Regardless of whether speakers use static or dynamic content, all presentations must present consistent and compelling information within a limited time frame.

The various formats of technological or digital multimedia available to presenters may be intended to enhance the users' experience, quickly and easily convey information, or transcend everyday experiences.

term to know Multimedia The use of different media to convey information; text together with audio, graphics, and animation, often packaged on CD-ROM with links to the internet.

5b. Software Presentation Programs

Presentation software programs provide public speakers with the ability to display video, photography, and other dynamic content in slideshow formats suitable for small and large audiences.

IN CONTEXT Apple's iPhoto and Google photos are two examples of software that allow groups of digital photos to be displayed in a slideshow with options including transitions, looping functions, and the integration of music and digital images. Zooming presentation programs such as Prezi present content on one infinite canvas. This allows for nonlinear presentations where presenters can present richer detail of content, as well as provide a better overview and understanding of complex visual messages and relations. Technology keeps evolving, so we can expect new software programs to become options in the future.

5c. Multimedia Tools in Presentation Software

Many presentation programs come with predesigned images (clip art) or have the ability to import graphic images. Some tools also have the ability to search and import images from Google directly from the tool. Custom graphics can also be created in other programs, such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator, and then exported.

Similar to programming extensions for an operating system or web browser, plug-ins for presentation programs can be used to enhance their capabilities.

Certain presentation programs also offer an interactive, integrated hardware element designed to engage an audience (e.g., audience response systems) or facilitate presentations across different geographical locations (e.g., web conferencing).

Integrated hardware devices such as laser pointers and interactive whiteboards can ease the job of the presenter by adding emphasis and bringing attention to specific points in the presentation.

5d. Slideshows

A slideshow is an on-screen presentation of information or ideas presented on slides. Since the late 1960s, visual artists in museums and galleries have used slideshows as a device for presenting specific information about an action or research or as a phenomenological form in itself.

Before the advent of motion pictures, slides were originally projected onto a theater screen by a type of projector called a magic lantern . This practice later evolved into moving picture shows.

Even after the introduction of motion pictures, slides continued to be used between film showings to advertise for local businesses or advise on theater decorum—for example, by requesting that gentlemen remove their hats and refrain from smoking and urging mothers to remove crying infants from the auditorium.

Slideshows were later conducted using apparatuses such as a carousel slide or overhead projector. Most recently, modern slideshows are commonly assembled using presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Prezi.

Presentation software is most commonly used for instructional purposes, usually with the intention of creating a dynamic, audiovisual presentation. The relevant points and imagery of the entire presentation are placed on slides and accompanied by a spoken monologue.

The old adage "a picture is worth a thousand words" holds true, in that a single image can save a presenter from speaking a paragraph of descriptive details. As with any public speaking or lecturing, a certain amount of talent, experience, and rehearsal is required to make a successful slideshow presentation.

Slideshows have artistic uses as well. They are often used to provide dynamic imagery for museum presentations and installation art. Consumer uses of slideshows include personal screen savers and digital photo slides for display. Vendors or consumers can custom-make slideshows using their photos, music, wedding invitations, birth announcements, or other digital files. The slideshows are typically placed onto DVDs, converted into HD video format, or saved in an executable file for computer use.

Ultimately, photo slideshow software—coupled with digital cameras and computer technology—has made it easier to create photo slideshows, eliminating the need for expensive color reversal film.

terms to know Phenomenological Using the method of phenomenology, by which the observer examines the data without trying to provide an explanation of them. Magic Lantern An early form of slide projector that could achieve simple animation by moving and merging images.

summary In this lesson, you learned how to choose the right visual aid for your presentation. Visual aids should support, clarify, and amplify, not repeat what you are saying. Selecting the right visual aid requires you to understand your audience’s needs. When preparing and testing your visual aids , you should consider three important components: whether your visual aids are appropriate for your audience, whether your visual aids are easy to understand and easy to read or view , and whether you know what is on your visual aids and can present them effectively . Using physical and animate objects in a presentation requires the speaker to analyze the content and setting of the presentation first. You should choose objects used as visual aids that enhance rather than detract from a presentation. Chalkboards, whiteboards, and flip charts are examples of objects that can support your presentation. Static imagery can either serve as a useful visual tool to emphasize further or support a speaker's point or confuse audiences and detract from the speaker's message. There are many ways to use static images in presentations . Graphs, data, and drawings are all examples of visual aids that employ static imagery. For example, graphs and data can support a presentation of research, while drawings help to visualize concepts for your audience. Dynamic representations such as video and multimedia are also commonly used in public speaking. Studies have revealed that audiences are more engaged during presentations that employ dynamic elements. Integrating multimedia with presentation software can ease the job of presenters by adding emphasis and bringing attention to specific points in the presentation. Slideshows are used to provide dynamic imagery for museum presentations and installation art and for saving personal memories as digital photo albums.

Source: THIS TUTORIAL HAS BEEN ADAPTED FROM "BOUNDLESS COMMUNICATIONS" PROVIDED BY BOUNDLESS.COM. ACCESS FOR FREE AT oer commons. LICENSED UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION-SHAREALIKE 4.0 INTERNATIONAL.

A characteristic used to classify people for statistical purposes, such as age, race, or gender.

A flat-panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly.

An early form of slide projector that could achieve simple animation by moving and merging images.

The use of different media to convey information; text together with audio, graphics, and animation, often packaged on CD-ROM with links to the internet.

Using the method of phenomenology, by which the observer examines the data without trying to provide an explanation of them.

An item placed on a stage or set to create a scene or scenario in which actors perform. Contraction of "property."

The communication through visual aid and the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon.

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When Using Visual Aids in a Speech, You Should

When using visual aids in a speech, you should aim to captivate your audience and enhance their understanding of your message. Visual aids have the power to engage and hold the attention of your listeners, making your presentation more memorable and impactful. Whether it’s through slides, charts, or props, incorporating visual elements can effectively convey complex information, evoke emotions, and reinforce key points. However, it is crucial to use visual aids strategically and thoughtfully, ensuring they complement your speech rather than distract from it. In this article, we will explore the dos and don’ts of using visual aids in a speech, providing you with valuable insights and practical tips to deliver a compelling and visually appealing presentation.

Section 1: Importance of Visual Aids in Speeches

Visual aids play a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness of a speech. They provide a visual representation of information, making it easier for the audience to understand and remember the key points. By incorporating visual aids into a speech, speakers can engage their audience, clarify complex concepts, and create a lasting impact.

Visual aids can take various forms, such as slideshows, charts, graphs, images, or props. These aids help to break the monotony of a speech and capture the audience’s attention. They also serve as a powerful tool for reinforcing the speaker’s message and ensuring that it is conveyed accurately.

Using visual aids in a speech can significantly improve the audience’s comprehension and retention of information. Research has shown that people remember information better when it is presented visually. Visual aids help to organize and structure the content, making it easier for the audience to follow along and grasp the main ideas. Additionally, visual aids can simplify complex data or concepts, making them more accessible to a wider audience.

Section 2: Guidelines for Using Visual Aids Effectively

To maximize the impact of visual aids in a speech, it is important to follow certain guidelines:

1. Keep it simple: Visual aids should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. Avoid cluttering the slides or overloading them with excessive information. Use bullet points, keywords, or visuals to convey the main points effectively.

2. Use high-quality visuals: Ensure that the visuals used are of high quality and relevant to the topic. Low-resolution images or poorly designed charts can distract the audience and undermine the credibility of the speaker. Invest time in creating or selecting visuals that enhance the message and maintain a professional appearance.

3. Practice with the aids: Familiarize yourself with the visual aids before the speech and practice using them seamlessly. This will help you avoid technical glitches or awkward transitions during the presentation. Practice timing the display of visuals to ensure they align with your speech flow.

4. Maintain eye contact: While visual aids are important, remember to maintain eye contact with the audience. Do not rely solely on the visuals; instead, use them as a supplement to your speech. Engage with the audience and establish a connection by looking at them while speaking.

Section 3: Potential Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

While visual aids can greatly enhance a speech, there are potential pitfalls that speakers should be aware of and avoid:

1. Overdependence on visuals: Visual aids should support your speech, not replace it. Avoid reading directly from the slides or relying too heavily on the visuals. Maintain a balance between verbal communication and visual aids to ensure an engaging and dynamic presentation.

2. Technical difficulties: Technical glitches can occur during a speech, such as projector malfunctions or compatibility issues. To minimize the risk, arrive early to set up and test the equipment. Have a backup plan in case of any technical failures, such as having printed copies of the visuals or being prepared to deliver the speech without them.

3. Lack of accessibility: Ensure that your visual aids are accessible to all members of the audience. Consider individuals with visual impairments or color blindness by providing alternative formats, such as braille handouts or audio descriptions. Make sure the font size and color contrast are suitable for everyone to read and understand.

In conclusion, incorporating visual aids into a speech can greatly enhance its impact and effectiveness. By following the guidelines for using visual aids effectively and avoiding potential pitfalls, speakers can engage their audience, clarify complex concepts, and leave a lasting impression. Visual aids are a valuable tool for communication and should be utilized to maximize the disclosure of the topic.

Why should I use visual aids in a speech?

Visual aids can enhance your speech by making it more engaging and memorable for your audience. They can help clarify complex information, reinforce key points, and create visual interest.

What types of visual aids can I use in a speech?

There are various types of visual aids you can use, such as slideshows, charts, graphs, images, videos, props, and handouts. Choose the type that best suits your topic and audience.

How should I incorporate visual aids into my speech?

Visual aids should be used strategically and sparingly. Introduce them at the appropriate time, explain their relevance, and ensure they are visible to everyone in the audience. Use them to support your main points, not distract from them.

What are some tips for creating effective visual aids?

To create effective visual aids, keep them simple, clear, and visually appealing. Use large fonts, high-quality images, and minimal text. Use colors and design elements that enhance readability and comprehension. Practice using your visual aids beforehand to ensure they work smoothly.

Are there any potential drawbacks to using visual aids in a speech?

While visual aids can be beneficial, they can also have drawbacks if not used properly. They can become a distraction if they are too complex or if you rely too heavily on them. Additionally, technical issues or poor design can hinder their effectiveness. It’s important to use visual aids thoughtfully and ensure they enhance your speech rather than detract from it.

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Visual Aids and Props

• Diagrams, graphs and charts should always coincide with what is being said in the speech. Always stand to the side of a diagram, graph or chart while facing the audience.
• Maps should be simple and easy to understand, with key places or points clearly plotted or marked.
• PowerPoint slides should present main points as short sentences and bullet points and should never be read verbatim by the speaker or presenter.
• Lists should be kept to a minimum. Five or six listed items are usually enough.
• Handouts should be passed out to an audience before or after a presentation to avoid wasting time and causing a distraction.
• Photographs or sketches can be powerful visual aids as long as a speaker maintains consistency between what is being said and what is being shown. 
• Physical objects and props should not be too large or too small, nor too few or too many. They should always be relevant to the presentation or speech and should always be checked prior to taking the stage to make sure they are working properly.

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5 pointers to make your visual aids valuable.

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• How to use props

Using props (visual aids) well in speeches 

10 tips, (and more), to enhance your presentation with visual aids

By:  Susan Dugdale  

Props (aka visual aids) used well make it easier for a presenter to deliver their message effectively and for the audience to receive it. They add variety and interest to a speech.

When you 'show' as well as 'tell' an audience is more likely to be engaged, to understand and, importantly, to remember what you share.

What's on this page

• props or visual aids from the point of view (POV) of an audience 
• the benefits  of using props
• the  pros and cons  of using visual aids 
• 10 tips  on using visual aids well

Think about using props from your audience's POV

Which of these alternatives is more effective from your audience's point of view (POV)?

If I were giving a presentation on my working holiday in Russia, and you were sitting in the audience, would you prefer to simply hear about it?

Or would you rather hear about it AND see a few carefully chosen photographs, along with a few Russian souvenirs?

The 'hear and see' option wins hands down.

(The photos were taken during a visit to Russia to teach a course for Russian English teachers on teaching English . It was a fantastic experience, and sadly, given the current situation, one that could not happen now.)

Here's one more example.

Imagine explaining something like the current weather patterns, or the fluctuation of the US dollar over the past year without using visual aids. No diagrams. No graphs.

It's tough. It's not impossible, but it is definitely a challenge.

When you use good visual aids as part of your speech, you are giving your audience so much more. They add value to your presentation.

The benefits of using visual aids are:

You reduce the number of words you have to use to explain a concept or describe an event.

Remember that old saying, 'a picture is worth a thousand words'?

The image below by cromaconceptovisual from Pixabay sums up the recent global Covid-19 situation succinctly.

Similarly the Hurricane Katrina picture below it doesn't need words. The devastation wrought by the winds and flooding is obvious. We see it and in seeing, understand and feel it.

Credibility

You become more believable through your audience 'seeing' something to reinforce your words.

Another old saying says it for us like this: 'seeing is believing'. When we add 'showing' to 'telling' effectively our credibility rating soars.

Use what will work for your topic, purpose, audience and space to back you words, to add proof. It could be personal photographs, like the ones from my trip to Russia. It could be an info-graphic, a video clip ...

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Does every speech need props or visual aids to make it effective?

The short answer is, no.

The longer answer is to consider carefully the nature of the speech you're preparing and its content.

Ask yourself: what could I show (or demonstrate) that would add value for my audience?

Obviously, your answers will vary hugely.

Do add any time or financial constraints into your decision making process. It takes time to gather together and prepare effective visual aids. It may take money as well.

Weigh up the pros and cons before going ahead.

If you don't have time, simplify your plans. It is better to have a few simple well presented visual aids than a grand incomplete scheme.

You may even decide that this time, props are not for you and modify your topic accordingly.

What can I use as a prop or a visual aid?

A bsolutely anything at all!

However there are pros and cons. Before you get too excited consider:

• whether or not your intended visual aid fits your topic. Something brought along merely because its interesting, or a novelty, needs to be left at home.  A visual aid should support the purpose and content of your speech. If it doesn't, it is irrelevant and could undermine your credibility as a speaker.
• the suitability of the prop for your audience. Think carefully before showing shocking photographs or any material that may offend, even if it fits the theme of your speech.
• the monetary value of the prop. Some things are too valuable to shift around without making the necessary arrangements with your insurance company. If you are willing to do that, good. If not, perhaps photographs or a video will suffice.
• the emotional value of the prop. Are you willing to take responsibility for having either your, or somebody else's, very special items on show?
• the suitability of your prop in the venue you are using. For example: If it's a huge hall, will your collection of miniatures actually be seen by the people down the back when you hold them up?
• the setting before committing yourself to a particular prop and shaping your speech around its use. For instance, using the example above close-up photos of the miniatures shown on a large screen might be much better than the real things. However, deciding to use photos cannot be a last-minute decision as they take time to prepare.

A nd now having considered all the angles let's get down to ...

How to Use Props - 10 tips for speakers

How to use props tip 1 - integrate, how to use props tip 2 - describe, how to use props tip 3 - less is more, how to use props tip 4 - check, how to use props tip 5 - test.

Plan to give yourself enough time to familiarize yourself with how to operate it properly or to fix any problems you may find.

Please don't try to set it up at the last minute. That puts so much stress on yourself.

How to Use Props Tip 6 - Rehearse

Give your helper clear instructions about precisely what you want done, when. Have all your material in the right order ready for them.

Prepare a cue sheet for them to follow.

Cue 1 = '...reading rates across 11 - 13 year olds has fallen in the last decade. Research shows...' Graph 1 on screen.

Cue 2 = '...however reading recovery schemes have been implemented in some states with some success...' Graph 2 on screen.

When the operator hears the cue, (the words you are saying), they will bring up the right image.

How to Use Props Tip 7 - Order

How to use props tip 8 - effectiveness.

What's the difference? Demonstrating is active . You are doing something. Showing is passive . You are holding something up to be looked at.

Example: 'Here's a remarkably easy drawing technique. I start here...' And the speaker does it on a drawing board in such a way to be visible to the audience.

'Here's the result of a drawing exercise...' And the speaker holds up his drawing pad to display the completed exercise.

The first is active and the second is passive .

NB. When you demonstrate, the key is simplicity. Keep everything you do to a minimum.

Think of how a live cooking demonstration is shown on television. Every aspect is prepared beforehand. The movements of the cook are clear and they've rehearsed their speech to fit precisely what they're doing so the audience can follow easily.

And, please, do not prepare text heavy power point slides and read them to your audience! That is a guaranteed turn-off.

Firstly, generally your audience can read and they do not need you to do it for them. Secondly, reading and listening at the same time can be tricky. The rate your audience reads at and the rate they absorb information through listening can vary. That becomes confusing. What do you do? Listen or read?

Good practice is one slide per idea. Clean. Clear. Not a clutter. When you move on to the next point, the slide is taken down. You don't want the minds of your audience preoccupied with what has passed while you are sharing the point that followed it. You want their full attention.

How to Use Props Tip 9 - Using Animals

How will they respond to the stress of being moved? How will they react to an unfamiliar place with lots of people? Do you need a minder to look after them while you're talking? If you do decide to go ahead, think every aspect out ahead and plan accordingly. Be real in your evaluation.

How to Use Props Tip 10 - Using Assistants

And if you're going to have children taking part, make doubly sure they know what they're doing!

Kids on stage with you can be great fun but the reverse is true too. It's up to you to make them feel at ease and confident about what you've asked them to do. Make it safe for them as well as yourself.

In summary, learning how to use props well will enhance how the audience receives your speech.

 Visual aids give power to presentations

On a personal note I coached senior high school students (17-18 years) through major end of project speeches for several years.

At the school I was teaching in each student chose a topic or theme to explore in depth over the course of their final year. They were expected to examine their subject theoretically, practically and artistically.

The process had a written component- a report documenting their study findings, a practical component (what they did to bring the knowledge into reality), a display (which showed off their practical work as well as their artistic), and a final speech which they gave to the school community. These presentations were a high point of school year and the hall was always filled until it could fit no more.

I remember clearly those students whose presentations were made more powerful through their use of props. I saw video clips of cars that had been built and driven. And likewise, microlight aircraft, extraordinary bicycles, and revolutionary skateboards.

I saw mime performances integrated into a speech. I remember clothes being modeled, live science experiments, excerpts from anthologies of short stories read aloud, pianos played, and songs sung. There was even a live demonstration of breaking in a horse on the school's playing field.

Those speeches covered the spectrum in terms of subjects. What made them live, aside from their passion filled delivery, was the care that had been put into choosing and working with props.

* Props is a shortened form of the word 'properties'. Props are anything used to enhance a presentation. The term originally came from live theater and covered any object (property) used by an actor on stage as part of their performance.

Looking for reliable evidence

Here's an aside that rapidly became a warren full of rabbit holes to go down. I looked for verifiable research showing unequivocally that using visual aids boosted a presentation's believability.

I found the same 'studies' and the same compelling 'extracts' from them quoted over and over again.

This was the quote I really wanted to source. 'According to a 1986 3M-sponsored study at the University of Minnesota School of Management visual aids are 43% more effective than text in persuading audience members to take a desired course of action'. But I could not find the original study, anywhere. Mmm. Perhaps it was a fabrication from a clever marketer who understood the power of names of prestigious universities coupled with statistics?

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Chapter 10: Visual Aid

This chapter is adapted from Stand up, Speak out: The Practice and Ethics of Public Speaking , CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 .

What is the importance of visual aids?

Reasons visual aids are important in public speaking.

Visual aids, which we will also refer to as presentation aids in this chapter, fulfill several functions: they can help your audience understand the information you are conveying, help you clarify a complex message or visual information, help to emphasize important ideas, help the audience remember and retain the message, add variety and interest to your speech, and enhance your credibility as a speaker. Let’s examine each of these functions.

To Improve Audience Understanding

Presentation aids help the audience understand your information. Human communication is a complex process that often leads to misunderstandings. If you are like most people, you can easily remember incidents when you misunderstood a message or when someone else misunderstood what you said to them. Misunderstandings happen in public speaking just as they do in everyday conversations.

One reason for misunderstandings is the fact that perception and interpretation are highly complex individual processes. Most of us have seen the image in which, depending on your perception, you see either the outline of a vase or the facial profiles of two people facing each other. This shows how interpretations can differ.

As a speaker, one of your basic goals is to help your audience understand your message. If some of the information you convey is unclear, your listeners will feel puzzled or possibly even misled. One way to reduce misunderstandings is to use thoughtfully prepared presentation aids.

Presentation aids can help clarify a complex message or visual information. For instance, if your speech is about the Coriolis effect’s impact on tropical storms, you will have great difficulty clarifying it without a diagram because the process is complex. The Coriolis Effect diagram you see is effective because it shows the audience the interaction between equatorial wind patterns and other directional wind patterns. The diagram allows the audience to process the information in two ways: through your verbal explanation and through the diagram’ visual elements.

Another way visual aids clarify is when a speaker wants to help audience members understand a visual concept. For example, if a speaker is talking about the importance of petroglyphs in Native American culture, just describing the petroglyphs won’t completely convey what they look like. Instead, show a petroglyph example such as in the Petroglyph image. Notice how more easily your audience can form a clear mental image of your intended meaning.

To Emphasize

Presentation aids also help emphasize important ideas. For example, in a water conservation speech, you want to show water’s environmental proportions. When you use a conceptual drawing like the one in the Planetary Water Supply image, you show that if the world’s water supply were equal to ten gallons, only ten drops would be available and potable for human or household consumption. This drawing is effective because it emphasizes useful water’s scarcity and thus draws attention to this important information in your speech.

Another way to emphasize a specific interesting aspect of your speech is to visually zoom in. In the Chinese Lettering Amplified image, we see a visual aid of various parts of Chinese characters. On the left side of the visual aid, see how the characters all fit together, with an emphasized version of a single character on the right.

To Aid Retention and Recall

Presentation aids also function to help the audience remembering and retain your speech. A 1996 US Department of Labor article summarizes research on how people learn and remember. The authors found that “83 percent of human learning occurs visually, and the remaining 17 percent through the other senses: 11 percent through hearing, 3.5 percent through smell, 1 percent through taste, and 1.5 percent through touch” (United States Department of Labor, 1996). Since most people learn visually, this learning component is very important. The article goes on to note that information stored in long-term memory is also affected by how we originally learn the material. For example, in a memory study, learners were asked to recall information after three days. The researchers found that the learners retained 10 percent of what they heard from an oral presentation, 35 percent from a visual presentation, and 65 percent from a visual and oral presentation (Lockard & Sidowski, 1961). It’s amazing to see how the combined effect of both visual and oral components can contribute to long-term memory.

For this reason, showing a visual image aids your listeners’ memory. When you deliver effective graphic images and when your audience understand them clearly, they are likely to remember your message long after your speech is over. Moreover, people often remember information that is presented in sequential steps more easily than if that information is presented in an unorganized pattern. When you use a presentation aid to display your speech’s organizational sequence, you help your listeners to observe, follow, and remember your information.

An added plus to using presentation aids is that they can boost your memory while you are speaking. Using your presentation aids while you rehearse your speech will familiarize you with the association between a given place in your speech and the presentation aid that accompanies that material. For example, if you are giving an informative speech about diamonds, display a slide sequence illustrating the most popular diamond shapes: brilliant, marquise, emerald, and so on. As you finish describing one shape and advance to the next slide, seeing the next diamond shape will help you remember the information that you are going to deliver.

To Add Variety and Interest

Additionally, well-chosen presentation aids add variety and interest to your speech. For example, you may have prepared a very good speech to inform local gardeners about several new rose varieties suitable for growing in their area. Although your listeners will undoubtedly understand and remember your message well without any presentation aids, your speech will have a greater impact if you accompany your remarks with a picture of each rose. But, imagine how your audience will be even more enthralled if you display an actual flower of each variety in a bud vase!

To Enhance a Speaker’s Credibility

Presentation aids can also enhance your credibility as a speaker and will contribute to your professional image. However, your presentation aids must contain important information, be clear, clean, uncluttered, organized, and large enough for the audience to see and interpret correctly. Also, you must give proper credit to your presentation aid’s source. Using a statistical chart or a map without proper credit will detract from your credibility, just as would not citing a quotation credit in your speech.

But, keep in mind that presentation aids alone will not be enough to create a professional image, nor will impressive presentation aids rescue a poor speech. And, even if you give a good speech, you will appear unprofessional if your presentation aids are poorly executed. Misspellings and shoddy designs can damage your credibility as a speaker.

If you focus your efforts on producing presentation aids that contribute effectively to your meaning, that look professional, and that are handled well, your audience will most likely appreciate your efforts and pay close attention to your message. That attention will help them learn or understand your topic in a new way and will thus help the audience see you as a knowledgeable, competent, credible speaker.

What types of media can I use as presentation aids?

Your speech venue will dictate how you use presentation aids. For example, in your classroom, you have several choices, including some that omit technology. If you are speaking in a large auditorium, you will almost certainly need to use technology to project large-screen text and images.

Many students feel that they lack the artistic skills to render their own graphics, so they opt to use copyright-free graphics on their presentation aids. You may do this as long as you use images that are created in a consistent style. For instance, do not combine realistic renderings with cartoons unless there is a clear and compelling reason to do so. Being selective will produce presentation aids that look like a coherent set, thereby enhancing your professionalism.

Create your presentation aids with careful choices and effective designs. They should never look or be hastily made, dirty, battered, or disorganized. They do not have to be fancy, but they do need to look professional.

In this section, let’s discuss the major presentation media types to use, such as computer-based media, audiovisual media, and low-tech media.

Computer-Based Media

In most business, industry, and other professional careers for which students are preparing themselves, computer-based presentation aids are the norm today. Whether the context is a weekly department meeting in a small conference room or an annual convention in a huge amphitheater, speakers are expected to be comfortable using PowerPoint or other similar software to create and display presentation aids.

If your public speaking course meets in a smart classroom, you’ve probably had the opportunity to see the computer system in action. Many such systems today are nimble and easy to use. Still, easy is a relative term. Don’t take for granted someone else’s advice that “it’s really self-explanatory”—instead, make sure to practice ahead of time. It is also wise to be prepared for technical problems, which can happen to even the most sophisticated computer users. When Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple and cofounder of Pixar, introduced a new iPhone 4 in June, 2010, his own visual presentation froze (Macworld, 2010). The irony of a high-tech guru’s technology not working at a public presentation did not escape news organizations’ notice.

Presentation Software

Computer presentations were first introduced to the world back in the 1970s, but these software packages were expensive and needed highly trained technicians to operate the programs. Today, there are many presentation software programs that are free or relatively inexpensive and that non-specialists can learn quickly. See the Presentation Software Packages list for examples.

Table 10.1 Presentation Software Packages

In addition to becoming more readily accessible, presentation software has become more flexible over the years. As recently as the mid-2000s, critics such as the eminent graphic expert and NASA consultant Edward Tufte charged that PowerPoint’s tendency to force the user to put a certain number of bullet points on each slide in a certain format seriously threatened the presentation data’s accuracy. As Tufte put it, “The rigid slide-by-slide hierarchies, indifferent to content, slice and dice the evidence into arbitrary compartments, producing an anti-narrative with choppy continuity” (Tufte, 2005). Tufte argues that poor decision making, such as was involved with the 2003 space shuttle Columbia disaster, may have been related to such presentation aid’s shortcomings in NASA meetings. While recent versions of PowerPoint and similar programs allow much more creative slide-design freedom, this freedom comes with a responsibility—the user must take responsibility for using the technology to support the speech and not get carried away with the software’s many special effects.

Good Design Principles

In essence, observe the universal principles of good design , which include unity, emphasis or focal point, scale and proportion, balance, and rhythm (Lauer & Pentak, 2000). As we’ve mentioned earlier, it’s generally best to use one text font on your visuals so that they look like a unified set. In terms of scale or proportion, make sure the information is large enough for the audience to see; and since the display size may vary according to the monitor you are using, it is imperative to practice in advance with the equipment you intend to use. Your slide display’s rhythm should be reasonably consistent—don’t display a dozen different slides in the first minute of a five-minute presentation and then display only one slide per minute for the speech’s duration.

Interactive Clickers

In addition to presentation software such as PowerPoint, interactive computer-based presentation aids are also available. These are often called “clickers” — handheld units that audience members hold and that are connected to a monitor to which the speaker has access. These interactive aids are useful for tracking audience responses to questions , and they have the advantage over asking for a show of hands in that they can be anonymous. Many various course instructors use clickers in their classrooms.

Using computer-based speech aids brings up a few logistical considerations. In some venues, you may need to stand behind a high-tech console to operate the computer. Be aware that this will physically isolate you from the audience with whom you are trying to establish a relationship. When you stand behind presentation equipment, you may feel really comfortable, but you end up limiting your nonverbal interaction with your audience. On speech day, arrive early enough to test out the equipment before class begins.

Audiovisual Media

Although audio and video clips are often computer-based, they can be, and in past decades, were always used without a computer.

Audio presentation aids are useful for illustrating musical themes. For instance, if you’re speaking about how nature sounds inspired Polish composer Frederick Chopin, convey that meaning through playing an example. If you have a smart classroom, use it to play an MP3. Alternatively, you may need to bring your music player. In that case, be sure the room’s speakers work. The people in the back of the room must be able to hear it, and the speakers must not sound distorted when you turn up the volume.

Video presentation aids that clarify, explain, amplify, emphasize, or illustrate a speech’s key concept is appropriate, as long as you do not rely on the video to do your presentation for you. There are several things you must do. First, identify a specific video section that delivers meaning. Second, cue the video so that you can just pop it into the player, and it will begin at the right place. Third, tell your audience where the footage comes from, for instance, you are showing them an example from the 1985 BBC documentary In Search of the Trojan War . Fourth, tell your audience why you’re showing the footage, such as, “This is an example of storytelling in the Bardic tradition.” You can interrupt or mute the video to make a comment about it, but your total footage should not use more than 20 percent of your speech time.

Low-Tech Media

Low-tech media such as chalk and dry erase boards, flipcharts, poster and foam boards, and handouts are useful in speaking situations where computer technology is not available, where computer-based presentation aids are unnecessary or counterproductive, and where low-tech presentation aids accompany computer-based media. One of the big advantages to using low-tech media is that they are very predictable and there is little that can interfere with using them. Additionally, they are generally inexpensive to produce. However, unlike digital media, low-tech presentation aids are prone to physical damage such as smudges, scratches, dents, and rips and can be difficult to keep professional looking if you have to carry them through a rainstorm or blizzard. So, take steps to protect them as you transport them to the speech location.

Let’s examine some low-tech media to use with a speech.

Chalk or Dry-Erase Board

If you use a chalkboard or dry-erase board you are not using a prepared presentation aid. Your failure to prepare visuals ahead of time can be interpreted in several ways, mostly negative. If other speakers carefully design, produce, and use attractive visual aids, yours will stand out by contrast. You will be seen as the speaker who does not take the time to prepare even a simple aid. Do not use a chalkboard or marker board and pretend it’s a prepared presentation aid.

However, numerous speakers do use chalk and dry-erase boards effectively. Typically, these speakers use the chalk or dry-erase board for a speech’s interactive components . For example, you’re giving a speech to executives and have a PowerPoint prepared, but at various points in your speech you want to visually show information that you are receiving from your audience. Chalk or dry-erase boards are very useful for this. If you ever use one, follow these three simple rules: 1) Write large enough so that everyone in the room can see. 2) Print legibly. 3) Write short phrases; don’t take time to write complete sentences.

It is also worth mentioning that some classrooms and business conference rooms are equipped with smartboards or digitally enhanced whiteboards. On a smartboard, you can bring up prepared visuals and then modify them as you would a chalk or dry-erase board. The advantage is that you can keep a digital record of what was written for future reference. However, as with other technology-based media, smartboards may be prone to unexpected technical problems, and they require training and practice to use properly.

Flipcharts are useful when you’re trying to convey change over a number of steps , such as to map dramatic population shifts. For example, prepare highly visible identical maps on three pages. Only change the data from page to page. Neatly title each page and actively point out each page’s changed information. For another example, use a flipchart to show the malaria-bearing mosquito’s growth and development stages. Again, label each page, making an effort to give the pages a consistent look.

Organize your flipchart in such a way that you flip pages in one direction only, front to back. It will be difficult to flip large pages without damaging them, and if you have to back up and skip forward, your presentation will look awkward and disorganized. Pages will get damaged, and your audience will be able to hear each rip.

In addition, most flipcharts need to be propped up on an easel. If you arrive for your speech to find that the classroom’s easel has disappeared, you will need to rig up another system that allows you to flip the pages.

Poster Board or Foam Board

Foam board is a thin sheet of Styrofoam with heavy paper bonded to both surfaces. It is a lightweight, inexpensive foundation for information and will stand on its own when placed on an easel without curling under at the bottom edge. Poster board tends to be cheaper than foam board, but it is flimsier, more vulnerable to damage, and can’t stand on its own.

If you plan to paste labels or text paragraphs to foam or poster board, for a professional look, make sure the poster board’s color matches the paste-on paper’s color. Choose a color that allows for easy visual contrast so that your audience can see it, and it must be a color that’s appropriate for the topic. For instance, hot pink would be the wrong poster color for a Protestant reformation speech.

Avoid producing a poster presentation aid that looks like you simply cut out magazine pictures and pasted them on. Additionally, slapping some text and images on a board looks unprofessional and will not be viewed as credible or effective. Instead, when creating a poster, take the time to think about how you are going to lay out your aid and make it look professional. You do not have to spend lots of money to make a very sleek and professional looking poster.

Handouts are appropriate for delivering information that audience members can take with them. But, handouts require much management if they are to contribute to your credibility as a speaker.

First, make sure to bring enough handout copies for each audience member. Having to share with one’s neighbor does not contribute to a professional image. Under no circumstances should you ever provide a single handout to pass around. There are several reasons this is a bad idea. You will have no control over the speed at which it circulates or the direction it goes. Moreover, only one listener can hold it while you’re making your point about it, and by the time most people see it, they will have forgotten why they need to see it. In some cases, it might not even reach everybody by your speech’s end. Finally, listeners could still be passing your handout around during the next speaker’s speech.

There are three possible times to distribute handouts: before you begin your speech, during the speech, and after your speech is over. Naturally, if you need your listeners to follow along in a handout, you will need to distribute it before your speech begins. If you have access to the room ahead of time, place a copy of the handout on each seat in the audience. If not, ask a volunteer to distribute them as quickly as possible while you prepare to begin speaking. If the handout is a takeaway, leave it on a table near the door so that interested audience members can take one on their way out; in this case, don’t forget to tell them to do so as you conclude your speech. It is almost never appropriate to distribute handouts during your speech, as it is distracting and interrupts your presentation’s pace.

Like other presentation aids, handouts should include only information necessary to support your points, and that information should be organized in such a way that listeners understand it. For example, in a speech about how new healthcare legislation will affect small business owners in your state, a good handout might summarize key legislation effects and include state agencies’ names and web addresses where audience members can request more detailed information.

If your handout is designed for your audience to follow along, tell them so. State that you will be referring to specific information during the speech. Then, as you present your speech, ask your audience to look, for example, at the second line in the first information cluster. Read that line out loud, and then go on to explain its meaning.

As with any presentation aid, handouts are not a substitute for a well-prepared speech. Ask yourself what information your audience really needs to be able to take with them and how it can be presented on the page in the most useful and engaging way possible.

What are the guidelines for preparing presentation aids?

Must be easily seen and heard.

The first presentation aids rule is that every audience member must be able to see and hear them. If those in the back of the room cannot see, hear, or otherwise experience a presentation aid, then it is counterproductive to use it. Graphic elements must be large enough to read. Audio must be loud enough to hear. If you are passing out food samples for audience members to taste, you must bring enough for everyone.

Do not attempt to show your audience a picture by holding up a book open to the page with the photograph. Nobody will be able to see it. It will be too small for your listeners in the back of the room, and the colored picture’s glossy paper will glare in the light so that upfront listeners won’t be able to see it either.

Create text-based visuals, charts, and graphs with strong, clean lines and blocks of color. Weak graph or illustration lines do not get stronger when magnified. Either strengthen those lines by hand or choose another stronger-lined graphic element. On a poster or a slide, a graphic element should take up about one third of the area. This leaves room for a small text grouping, rendered in a large, simple font. The textual elements should be located closest to the graphic element that they represent.

Carefully limit the amount of text on a presentation aid. If much text is absolutely necessary, divide it between two slides or posters. Many students believe that even small text will magnify amply when it’s projected, but we find that this is rarely the case. We can’t recommend a specific point size because that refers to the distance between the baselines of two text lines, not the type size.

We recommend two things: First, use a simple, easy-to-read text/font/type style. It doesn’t have to be utterly devoid of style, but it should be readable and not distracting. Second, we recommend that you print your text in three or four sizes on a sheet of paper. Place the printed sheet on the floor and stand up. When you look at your printed sheet, you should be able to make a choice based on which text clusters you are able to read from that distance.

Must Be Transported Easily

You should be able to carry your presentation aids into the room by yourself and be skilled in using the equipment needed to present them. Your presentation aids should not distract you from delivering your speech.

Must Be Aesthetically Pleasing

For our purposes, aesthetics refers to a presentation aid’s beauty or good taste. Earlier, we mentioned universal good design principles: unity, emphasis or focal point, scale and proportion, balance, and rhythm. Because peoples’ taste differs widely, not everyone will agree on what is aesthetically pleasing, and you may not think you have much artistic talent. Still, if you keep these principles in mind, they will help you to create attractive, professional-looking visuals.

The other aesthetic principle to keep in mind is that your presentation aids are intended to support your speech, not the other way around. The visual design decisions you make should be dictated by your speech’s content. If you use color, use it for a clear reason. If you use a border, keep it simple. Whatever you do, make certain that your presentation aids are perceived as carefully planned and executed speech elements.

Must Use Big, Simple, Bold Text

Use text only when you must. For example, if you’re presenting a First Amendment analysis, it is permissible to display the First Amendment text, but not your entire analysis. The text must be big, simple, and bold. It needs white space around it to separate it from another graphic element or text clusters that might be on the same presentation aid. When you display text, read it out loud before you talk about it. That way, your listeners won’t be reading it while trying to listen to you. However, under no circumstances should you merely read what’s on your text aids and consider that a speech.

Must Cite Your Sources

If you create your own graphic images, control their size and the visible line strength. However, if for instance, you want to display a part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, find a way to enlarge the photograph. Then, to show integrity, cite your source and include a caption, and cite the source out loud as you display the graphic, even if your photograph is considered to be in the public domain. The NASA photograph Spaceship Earth is such an example. Many people use it without citing the source, but citing the source boosts your credibility as a speaker, and we strongly recommend doing so.

What are the guidelines for using computer software programs?

Rules for computer presentations.

Mark Stoner, a professor in the Department of Communication Studies at California State University, Sacramento, has written a useful assessment of the uses and abuses of PowerPoint. Stoner observes that PowerPoint is a hybrid between the visual and the written. When we pay attention to the design of our writing—to whether we are putting key words at the beginning or end of a sentence, for instance—we are likely to communicate more effectively. In the same way, it makes sense to understand the impact that PowerPoint’s design has on our ability to communicate ideas to an audience (Stoner, 2007).

While this article is specifically about PowerPoint, Stoner’s advice works for all presentation software formats. Presentation aids should deliver information that is important or is difficult to present with spoken words only. Although many speakers attempt to put their entire speech on PowerPoint slides or other visual aids, this is a bad idea for several reasons. First, if you try to put your entire speech on PowerPoint, you will lose contact with your audience. Speakers often end up looking at the projected words or directly at the computer screen instead of at their audience. Second, your vocal delivery is likely to suffer, and you will end up giving a boring reading, not a dynamic speech. Third, you will lose credibility as your listeners question how well you really know your topic. Fourth, you are not using the presentation aids to clarify or emphasize your message, so all the information may come across as equally important.

No matter what presentation software package you decide to use, follow some general guidelines.

Don’t Create Illegible Slides

One of the biggest mistakes novice software users make is thinking that if you can read it on the screen, your audience will be able to read it in their seats. While this may be the case if you’re in a close, intimate conference room, most of us will be speaking in situations where audience members are fifteen feet away or more. Make sure each slide is legible from the back of your presentation room.

Don’t Write Everything Out

Don’t put too much information on a slide. Make sure that your slide has the appropriate information to support the point you are making and no more. We strongly recommend against putting complete sentences on a slide unless you need to display a very important direct quotation.

Don’t Bow Down to the Software

Remember, presentation software is an aid, so it should aid and not hinder your presentation. We have seen too many students read their slides instead of using the slides to enhance their presentations. When you read your slides right off the projector screen, you’re killing your eye contact. As a general word of advice, if you are ever forced to turn your back to the audience to read the screen, then you are not effectively using the technology. On the flip side, you shouldn’t need to hide behind a computer monitor to see what’s being projected.

Don’t Go Overboard with Slide Color

Color is very important and can definitely make a strong impact on an audience. However, don’t go overboard or use unappealing color combinations. For example, never use a light font color, such as yellow, on a solid white background because it’s impossible to read.

Also, realize that while colors may be rich and vibrant on your computer screen, a different monitor may distort them. While we favor experimenting with various color schemes, always check your presentation out on multiple computers to see if the slide color is distorted in a way that makes it hard to read.

Don’t Overuse Slide Animation & Movement

Everyone who has experimented with PowerPoint knows that using animation to transition between slides can be fun, but know that too much movement is actually distracting. While all presentation software packages offer very cool slide movements and other bells and whistles, they do not always enhance your presentation. If you’re going to use slide transitions or word animation, stick to only three or four different transition types in your whole presentation. Furthermore, do not use more than one movement type on a given slide. And be consistent: if you create text movement on the screen’s right side in a bulleted list, make sure that all bulleted-list items come from the screen’s right side.

Don’t Fail to Practice, Practice, Practice

It is vital to practice using the technology. Nothing is worse than watching a speaker stand up and not know how to turn on the computer, access the software, or launch his or her presentation. When you use technology, audiences can quickly see if you know what you are doing, so don’t give them the opportunity to devalue your credibility because you can’t even get the show going.

Don’t Forget to Have a Backup Plan

Lastly, always have a backup plan. Unfortunately, things go wrong. One aspect of being professional is keeping the speech moving in spite of unexpected problems. Decide in advance what you will do if things break down or disappear right when you need them. Don’t count on your instructor to solve your predicaments; it is your responsibility. If you take this responsibility seriously and check your presentation room early, you will have time to adapt. If the computer or audiovisual setup does not work on the first try, you will need time to troubleshoot and solve the problem. If an easel is missing, you will need time to experiment with using a lectern or a chair to support your flip chart. If you forgot to bring your violin for a speech about music—don’t laugh, this actually happened!—you will need time to think through how to adapt your speech so that it will still be effective.

Brandrick, C., Hooper, N., Roche, B., Kanter, J., & Tyndall, I. (2021). A comparison of ultra-brief cognitive defusion and positive affirmation interventions on the reduction of public speaking anxiety. Psychological Record , 71(1), 113. https://doi-org.libprox1.slcc.edu/10.1007/s40732-020-00432-z

University of Minnesota. (2011). Stand up, Speak out: The Practice and Ethics of Public Speaking . University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. https://open.lib.umn.edu/publicspeaking/ . CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2007, June 29). Homicide suicide USA [Gif]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Homicide_suicide_USA.gif

iheartpandas. (2007, October 8). Wigwams [Image]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/iheartpandas/1576706333/

King, C. (2021, October 19). Traffic pie chart [Image]. Center for eLearning, Salt Lake Community College.

LadyofHats. (2008, 10 September). Mitosis cells sequence [Image]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mitosis_cells_sequence.svg

McMillan, Don. (2009, November 9). Life after death by PowerPoint [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbSPPFYxx3o

NCBI. (2006, 29 August). MajorEventsInMitosis [Image]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MajorEventsInMitosis.jpg

Nehrams2020. (2009, August 10). Enron Stock Price Aug 00 Jan 02 [Image]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EnronStockPriceAug00Jan02.jpg

Nojhan. (2005, August 21). Tall ship rigging in Amsterdam close [Image]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tall_ship_rigging_in_amsterdam_close.jpg

Plumhoff, K. (2019). Guide Gender Neutral Dress Code . Power to Fly. https://blog.powertofly.com/gender-neutral-dress-code

T-kita. (2005, October 8). Decision tree model [Image]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Decision_tree_model.png

Unknown. (Ming Dynasty). Acupuncture chart [Image]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Acupuncture_chart_300px.jpg

Unknown. (2011). African Map with Nigerian Emphasis [Image]. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, University of Minnesota. https://open.lib.umn.edu/publicspeaking/chapter/15-2-types-of-presentation-aids/

Unknown. (2011). Causes of Concussions in Children [Image]. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, University of Minnesota. https://open.lib.umn.edu/publicspeaking/chapter/15-2-types-of-presentation-aids/

Unknown. (2011). Chinese lettering amplified diagram [Image]. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, University of Minnesota. https://open.lib.umn.edu/publicspeaking/chapter/15-1-functions-of-presentation-aids/

Unknown. (2011). Coriolis effect diagram [Image]. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, University of Minnesota. https://open.lib.umn.edu/publicspeaking/chapter/15-1-functions-of-presentation-aids/

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Unknown. (2011). Petroglyph diagram [Image]. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, University of Minnesota. https://open.lib.umn.edu/publicspeaking/chapter/15-1-functions-of-presentation-aids/

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software used to create a sequence of text and graphics, and often audio and video, to accompany a speech or public presentation

Public Speaking Copyright © 2022 by Sarah Billington and Shirene McKay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Types of Visual Aids

Generally, speakers want to utilize more active visuals than passive, but the ratio of active to passive visuals will depend upon the topic of discussion.

Poster Boards, Flip Charts, and Tri-Folds

Poster boards have their time, place, and purpose, but when attempting to establish credibility, speakers need to think critically about the impressions each visual aid imparts on the audience.

A poster board made at home with markers and cut-outs from a magazine simply will not do the job; a professionally printed poster has a more likely chance of creating a positive impression. However, creating such posters are fairly expensive in comparison with other visual options, so use a poster board or tri-fold as a last resort or when no other option will suffice. For example, a poster would likely work well at a convention or trade show, which would allow passers-by to stop and review information for themselves, up close, at their leisure. They could also work in a smaller meeting with limited access to electronic media. Everyone in the meeting could easily view the poster, but for larger audiences and rooms, however, posters simply will not work.

Static Displays

A static display offers a visual accompaniment to the presented information, and serves mostly as a passive visual aid. For example, while delivering a biographical speech on a well-known author, a speaker could set up a static display of some of her or his most popular books on a table near the center of the room. This adds value to the presentation because it adds listener interest and reinforces the speech’s subject matter.

Graphs/Charts

Graphs and charts present a highly effective method for showing an audience how statistics and figures affect them personally. As with maps, remember to keep them simple and clear, allowing the listeners to digest all the information at once.

A pie chart uses regions of a circle to show how the proportion of each component represents the whole. Use this type of graph to show how elements relate to one another, giving the audience an idea of size and relationship.

A line graph is a useful type of visual aid to show trends over time. An effective line graph must have a clearly labeled x- and y-axis, along with data labels showing how the numbers change over time.

A bar graph effectively demonstrates quantity relationships between items (as with pie charts) and and how things can change over time (as with a line graph). Bar graphs present a method for potentially detailing a large and complex amount of information using a single image.

Physical Objects

An object, whether large or small, can bring an element of presence to the visual presentation of information. It is one thing to present a picture of the topic of discussion on a two-dimensional screen, but it is another to allow the audience to physically see the object in question.

For example, in a speech on breast cancer and early detection, a student utilized a set of marbles of varying sizes to show the audience the scale of real-life tumor sizes when discussing breast cancer detection. The student walked the samples around the room as she talked, allowing listeners to see what she discussed, before returning to the front of the room, where she displayed the very same marbles using a picture on the screen. Had this student only used the visual on the screen, the audience may have had difficulty formulating a sense of proportion when discussing the size of the items in question. Since size represented the most important characteristic of the visual aid, this student thought critically about how best to present it.

Avoid passing around physical objects during the speech unless absolutely necessary. When most listeners receive an object, their attention span is broken momentarily, causing them to miss out on potentially important information in the speech. Instead, as in the example above, presenters could walk around with the object, still allowing everyone the opportunity to see it, but maintain focus on the speaker.

Helpful Hint

When using video or audio clips, try to keep the clip length to less than 10% of the total amount of time for the speech. For a 10-minute speech, keep the total time of clip(s) to one minute or less. For an hour, keep them to less than 10 minutes total.

Video/Audio

If one believes the old saying, “A picture is worth 1,000 words ,” then a brief video clip can be worth 100,000 words! For example, if delivering a speech about the importance of supporting a specific charity, look into the charity to determine if they have a brief promotional video or commercial to supplement the main talking points within the presentation.

When using a clip, preface it with some sort of introduction, pointing the audience in the right direction and priming them to watch for or listen for specific information. Also, avoid talking over the sound in a clip, as competing for the audience’s attention during such a viewing could prove difficult at best.

Handouts or Leave-Behinds

A handout is something, usually printed material, given to audience members to remind them of what they learned during the presentation. Sometimes, these are called “leave-behinds.” For example, in a speech on the science behind chocolate chip cookies, the speaker might want to hand out a copy of a favorite recipe. If speaking on donating blood, a handout might include a summary of the steps involved and where audience members can go to donate blood. Regardless of the leave-behind, be sure that, as with physical objects, that they do not get passed out during the speech, as they can create an unneeded distraction.

Note to Self

Messages that Matter: Public Speaking in the Information Age - Third Edition Copyright © 2023 by North Idaho College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Chapter 14: visual aids: when a picture is worth a thousand words.

A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. But it must be a good one. - Author

We are a visual society; if you want your words to be remembered, give your audience something it can see. You have a complex idea to get across: Is there some way to display it visually? People remember 50 percent more of what they see and hear than of what they only hear. It's no wonder that visual aids are integral to the majority of speeches and presentations. Visual aids are everywhere today, and this chapter will give you lots of ideas about how to use them - and how not to.

A visual aid is any sort of prop you use to support your speech. Charts, graphs, slides, photographs, handouts, and demonstration models are all visual aids. But always remember - you are your own best visual aid. The way you look, walk, use arm motions, and show expression (in other words, your body language) is a key part of your talk.

Visual aids are especially helpful to novice or nervous speakers, who may not have the confidence that their own movements and animation will carry the show. Aids also help diffuse any nervous energy by giving you something physical to do. But as with any aspect of your speech, practice is vital. Visual aids that weren't rehearsed will show the lack of preparation, and will accentuate a speaker's lack of experience. If practiced thoroughly, visual aids greatly enhance your professionalism. In fact, I advise my clients and students to use visual aids in all of their presentations.

However, visual aids do have their dark side: As any speaker who has had to come up with some will tell you, they take up a great deal of time and thought; they can take attention away from what you are saying; they are costly; and if anything goes wrong, they can be a catastrophe.

So why use visual aids at all? We use them because a picture really is worth a thousand words. They portray - vividly and instantly - things that would take volumes to explain verbally. They save time, create interest, add variety, and help your audience remember your main points.

Visual Evolution

Over time the character of acceptable visual aids has changed. There's more technology involved today. But some things have not changed. We've spent time researching the art and science of using visual aids, and here are some of the discoveries:

You must vary your visual aids. One of the problems with using slides from programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint (which we'll discuss more later) is that - especially for novice users - the slides all tend to look the same. Just because you're an expert in your particular subject, doesn't mean you're an expert at creating slides. If you show a series of lists, for instance, you'll lose the audience's attention after the second or third slide.

Talk about the information that's coming up before you actually show it. You lose 90 percent of the audience's attention if you put the visual up first and then start talking. You must orient the audience first; give them a chance to switch from their left brain (following your speech in a logical order) to their right brain function (taking in a picture or an image - even an aid with text only is still visual). The more directive you are, the better chance you have of being in control.

Don't read your slide after you present it; it's patronizing and it wastes time. They can read it themselves. Most people in the audience can read almost five times faster than you can speak. That means they'll be way ahead of you, and your reading will only be a distraction. If you think there's too much information on the slide for them to read, you're right. You should eliminate some of the points on the slide, not read it for them.

The less information you put on the slide - the more you have to say yourself - the more believable you are.

Remember that a visual aid is an aid to the presentation, not the presentation itself. A good presentation with visual aids is more effective than a good presentation without them, but remember that a visual aid is not a replacement for part of your speech. Done properly, visual aids can assist you in getting your message across. Done poorly, they can blur your message and lessen your credibility.

Put Your Visual Aids to the Test

To make sure each visual aid you are contemplating will really add to your presentation, ask yourself these two questions:

Can I do just as well without it? A visual aid you don't really need creates clutter. Each aid must have a purpose that goes beyond livening up your presentation. Make sure each one you use is related to the subject and adds value to your presentation. Always design visual aids to perform a specific function, and make sure each is self-explanatory and can stand by itself.

Is this really a visual aid, or a verbal visual? Words printed on a chart are not visual aids; words are what you are there to provide. Sometimes you can find dramatic ways to use words in a visual aid, and they can help the audience identify pictures, but for the most part, use as few words as possible when creating visual aids.

How to Create Visual Aids

A good visual aid springs to life after its creator has followed some basic steps:

Go back to the outline of your speech and jot down ideas for visual aids. How could a visual aid help clarify an idea? What kind will work best - chart, model, graph, or illustration? Always design a visual aid to perform a specific function. Use visual aids only where they are needed and make sure they are related to the subject. They should not only liven up your speech but also have a purpose.

Write down the essence of the visual aid on a piece of paper and start to work out the way it will look. The paper represents the visual aid; limit yourself to the one or two points you want to emphasize.

Sketch out the visual aid itself. You will give this rough sketch to an artist if you're working with one. Whether you are creating your own visual aids or working with a professional artist, always make a rough sketch before you create your final version.

Avoid clutter; make your visual aids simple and easy to grasp. If you must combine words and type, strive for a good, balanced layout. Each visual aid should have a title, and should cover no more than three main points. If you have more points to make, create additional visual aids. Limit yourself to no more than six lines on each visual aid; less is definitely best!

If you're using numbers and words on the visual aid, make them large and easy to read; take advantage of the ways graphics can reduce the number of words. Make sure each visual aid emphasizes your main ideas.

Use color in three ways: to please the eye, add emphasis, and differentiate one point from another. Even a little bit of color can spruce up a dull visual aid: Underline headings in color and put colored bullets in front of major points. But don't overdo it: A lot of color can lead to confusion. Using too much color is far worse than using too little.

Color has a psychological impact on most people; we are drawn to the colored portions of advertisements and sales letters. Blue and black are both good for headlines; blue is also good for highlighting and underlining. Green implies go ahead and tends to be perceived favorably. Red is an excellent eye-catching accent; however, it is harder to see than the others and implies both stop and losses (red ink).

So when you work out your rough sketches, use color and practice with it. Try out different colors and get reactions from your friends. In other words, work out the bugs before you finish the visual aids.

Rules to Remember

Ineffective visual aids - and there are a surprising number of them out there - all share mistakes that the good ones manage to avoid. Here are some tricks of the trade to help you make your visual aids and your presentation look professional:

Make all the visual aids consistent but NEVER boring. Titles should be the same size, and type styles should not vary wildly. All charts should use color in the same way: If you use blue bullets for emphasis in one chart, use them in all charts. Never use more than three colors in a visual aid.

Keep the visual aid out of sight until you are ready to use it. You want it to support you, not beat you to the punch line.

Always talk to the audience, not to the visual aid. Don't let the visual aid become a security blanket; powerful speakers use powerful visual aids, but they also maintain eye contact with the audience.

Stand to the side of what you're showing; not in front of it.

Don't forget to stage the visual aid: Consider the room size, where the audience will be, the easel, power cord, lights, and so on. Clear away visual aids used by other presenters so that you can start fresh. Make sure your visual aids are high enough for people in the back rows to see. If you don't have a stand or an easel, hold the visual aid up yourself, but don't block your face. When you're finished, put all the visual aids aside; don't let them clutter the platform when you give your concluding remarks.

Practice using your visual aids as you practice your whole talk. It's a mistake to practice your speech first and add the visual aids later. Use them as you develop your talk and each time you practice. Make sure they work - and work for you.

The Power (or Misuse) of PowerPoint

Technology is a wonderful thing. Most of the time. In the field of visual aids, the development of PowerPoint and other computer-aided graphics programs allow you to create powerful visual aids yourself, without having to depend on IT professionals to create them for you. Like any technical advance, however, programs such as PowerPoint don't solve every problem. Many presenters now rely on a computer program for success or to give them an excuse for failure. You can NEVER rely on a visual aid to make or break your presentation. It is not the slide, the animation, or the bells and whistles that spell success - it's the individual who is speaking.

One of the problems with using presentation software is that everyone else is using it too. In an article in an issue of Business 2.0 called "Ban it Now! Friends Don't Let Friends Use PowerPoint," author Thomas Stewart wrote that conference organizers will often offer to transfer your overhead transparencies to PowerPoint because they "want a uniform look."

"Why in the world would you want a uniform look?" says Stewart, who, as a presenter himself, also has to listen to a lot of other presentations. "They're all the same. One speaker finishes, his last slide saying thank you and giving his e-mail address. There is applause. The lights go up, he unplugs his laptop and leave the podium, the emcee introduces the next speaker. She walks up, mumbles inconsequentially while she plugs in her laptop. The lights dim and she shows her first slide. It reads good morning. This starts at eight, goes to 12, resumes at one, and ends at five."

So why use PowerPoint or any other presentation software? Because, done right, it can help your presentation be effective and professional. PowerPoint can be used for four different kinds of presentations:

Overhead transparencies: You can use this program to create transparencies that are used with an overhead projector. If you don't have a color printer, you can save your work on a disk, take it to a printing center (either in-house or outside), and have color overheads printed.

35mm slides: Most commercial copy centers can convert PowerPoint presentations to 35mm slides if that's what you need for your presentation.

Computer-driven slide shows: This is the most common use of presentation programs, where they are presented via a laptop computer. This is the most effective use of a presentation program, because it allows you to add movement and even sound to your presentation.

Web slide shows: You can turn your PowerPoint presentation into a Website; this is particularly useful when you are using the presentation for distance-learning classes.

Some presenters seem to think that a slide is a slide is a slide, and that simply having computer-generated slides makes the presentation interesting. The audience knows better. Here are some tips for making your PowerPoint slides most effective:

Take your audience into account. To whom are you speaking? What impression do you want them to get from your presentation? If you want a serious, professional presentation, be sure your slides reflect that image. Don't use bright colors or playful graphics. On the other hand, if you're doing a presentation to a group of children, or you're speaking on a fun topic, do use brighter colors and lots of pictures.

Consider the space. Where will you be speaking? If it's in a large hall or auditorium, use simple backgrounds and the largest fonts you can provide. Don't include too much detail; if you want to augment what you have on the slides, provide it in a handout.

Be constrained with your use of bulleted lists. Because this is the easiest type of slide to create, presenters tend to go overboard, using too many in a row with too much information on each one. NEVER put more than three bullets on a slide. And keep your bulleted items as short and succinct as possible.

Choose your fonts wisely. Fancy fonts may seem creative, but they are often hard to read. Make sure the font you choose is large enough to be read from the back of the hall (especially if it's long and narrow). Don't use more than two fonts on any one slide. And generally speaking, use a sans-serif font for titles, and a serif font for text.

Choose your titles wisely to gain maximum interest. Most slides should have a title. For example, if you're giving a talk describing the progression of an illness and you show various diagrams and pie charts for each stage. Each one should have a title such as "Stage 1: The Infection," "Stage 2: The Onset," "Stage 3: The Symptoms," and so on. However, if you're using pictures, as I do in my presentations, you don't always need them. You can let the pictures speak for themselves.

Use caution when inserting clip art or other graphics. An appropriate graphic can add punch and pizzazz to your presentation, but don't let it take away from your message. Think about all those television commercials people talk about for weeks - but can't remember what they were advertising. If people walk away from your presentation saying, "Boy, those graphics were great!" you have not fulfilled your purpose.

It's your purpose that counts, of course. That's why you should NEVER start designing your presentation by designing your slides first. By the end of my workshops, most participants end up eliminating at least half the slides they have created. Begin with a sheet of paper or a blank computer screen and start outlining what you want to say. Get the content first, and add the graphics later.

Don't Keep Your Audience in the Dark: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Slides

Slides are a double-edged sword: They can effectively dramatize a difficult concept, but they also turn the audience's attention away from you, and your visual self is your most effective weapon as a speaker. So if you're going to use slides, they have to be very good for two reasons: to make up for the fact that you're plunging yourself and your audience into darkness, and to counter the tendency of most people to lose interest when they hear they're going to see slides. I have seen members of an audience deflate when they hear that slides are part of the presentation, and it's up to you to prove to them - very quickly - that what's coming up won't be disappointing.

Your voice has to be especially lively and dynamic if your presentation takes place in total darkness after a meal. Try to leave some light on; what you lose in slide clarity you more than gain back in audience involvement and alertness.

Despite the drawbacks, slides can work very well and are good visual aids for large audiences. Some situations really call for their use; for example, a surgeon demonstrating a new surgical technique, an engineer showing the ground around a new facility, and a real estate dealer presenting a property would all welcome the ability of slides to present in an instant what would take many words to convey. Sophisticated computer-generated graphics are common in both slide and overhead projector presentations and help speakers convey complicated concepts elegantly.

Slides also give repeat speakers flexibility; they can update their presentation by adding or subtracting slides without changing the entire display.

In fact, fewer and fewer people are using slides today - but they are still prevalent in some industries. If you have a good application for slides and are not using them to print words that you are already saying, the following rules of thumb will help you produce effective ones:

Target what you want the audience to remember, and build your slides around these points.

Use only as many slides as you really need. Don't waste the audience's attention by inundating it with superfluous slides.

Practice your slide presentation. If you show a slide, make sure you refer to it; don't show a complex slide and continue talking without explaining it. Otherwise, your audience will be trying to figure it out while you're talking about something else.

Don't leave a slide on the screen longer than you have to. When you're through talking about it or explaining it, go on to the next one.

Prepare the technical aspects carefully. Make sure ahead of time that your slides are in the correct sequence with the right side up. Number them clearly and make sure your projector and slide carousel are in good condition. Double check everything before you begin: Are the electrical outlets in the right places? Do you have extension cords if you need them?

Establish good communication with your listeners before you begin the slide show. Let them know you're the expert, not the slides, and that you really want to be there. Many audiences have sat through boring slide presentations, and you must counterbalance that experience. Show them you are a good presenter who uses slides because you want to, not because you have to.

Look for places within the presentation to turn the lights back on. Some presenters feel that you should turn the lights off only once, that flicking them on and off is very disorienting for the audience. I disagree. I think that turning the lights back on can serve as a pick-me-up for the audience, and keep their attention moving forward.

Don't start your "slide show" without talking to the audience - with the lights on - for at least two minutes.

Because you don't want to put the slide up before orienting the audience to it, you may need a default slide, one that goes up while you are making a transition. For example, in my presentation, I might put up a slide that says, "NEVER BE BORING." If your presentation was about change, your "transition" slide could read: CHANGE = GROWTH AND PROSPERITY. A company like Nike, with the recognizable slogan, "Just Do It," might use this slide as their default so that people see it many times. You can add to the effectiveness and impact of your message by using the default strategy.

Be careful when using slides to give the audience a break. Some presenters like to use cartoons when going through a transition, just to break things up a bit. However, unless the cartoon is directly related to your topic, it can be distracting and make it difficult for the audience to get back on track. Used well, however, "break" slides can be very effective. I once attended a presentation on osteoporosis, where, during transitions, the speaker showed photos of a woman from age 50 to age 80, and how she changed. Another speaker, a financial planner trying to convince her audience to keep up with inflation, used break slides showing what $100 bought in 1940, 1955, 1970, 1990, 2010, etc.

If something goes wrong with the slides - if you drop the carousel, or they are out of order, or the switches fail, or there is some other emergency - take a five-minute break to fix it; don't try to muddle through the problem. Before you speak, plan in your mind what you will do if you suddenly can't use your slides.

The Overhead Projector: Not Yet Obsolete

That old standby, the overhead projector, is still a helpful tool for many presentations. I use it because I do not use words on my visuals - only drawings. Many of my clients who are very involved in delivering teaching presentations have joined the ranks of companies that prefer overhead projectors. Here's why:

You can produce transparencies easily and inexpensively.

Transparencies are easy for the audience to read and can be used with large groups. You can project images from a few feet to more than 15 feet away.

You can "interact" with this visual by marking on the transparency during your presentation.

The projector is easy to carry, at least the portable ones.

Duplication is easy and inexpensive.

You don't have to turn off the lights to use an overhead projector, which lets you maintain eye contact with your audience. This is a major advantage.

You can use a white wall instead of a screen if necessary.

You never have to turn away from your audience.

Keys to good transparencies include limiting yourself to six words per line and using display-size print that is large enough to ensure good visibility. You can also use clip art, preprinted borders, and attention-getting designs. Overlays can provide color for even more interesting visuals. Number your transparencies so that if they are somehow shuffled, you can sort them out easily.

Enhance Your Delivery

When you add the extra element of an overhead projector, you need to adjust your delivery accordingly. Here are some tips for a smooth presentation:

Stay in control. If you leave an image on the screen, you're inviting competition, because audience attention is then divided between you and the screen. But you can control attention by turning the projector's switch on and off. For each transparency, you can keep your audience from getting ahead of you by covering specific points with a sheet of paper, and then exposing each point when you're ready to discuss it.

Don't annoy the audience by turning the machine on without a transparency on the light table. Learn to transfer smoothly from one transparency to the next, or turn the machine off if you need to pause between transparencies.

Don't look at the screen and don't keep pointing at it; when you do either, you lose eye contact with the audience. To emphasize something, point to the transparency with a pointer or pen, and leave it on the transparency. If you are nervous and worried about the pointer shaking, rest it on the projector until you are ready to use it.

Decide how you are going to use the projector and place it accordingly. Usually the best place for it is catercorner, stage right for a right-handed person and stage left for a left-handed person. If you will be writing on the transparencies, you might want the projector directly behind you.

Don't weaken your conclusion by starting to pack up your transparencies while you're still speaking. Turn off the machine and leave the transparencies alone. Then move forward slightly to deliver your closing remarks.

Use borders around your transparencies (you can buy them at any office supply store). You can write notes on them (which the audience can't see) and you will appear well prepared. The borders also make it easy for changing transparencies. You can then eliminate the annoying and time consuming paper separators. I have seen more speakers loose an audience while they take off the paper separator, put it down, put down the transparency, pick up the separator, etc.

Plan for the Unexpected

You can avoid most common problems with overhead projectors through careful preparation and by assuming responsibility for the logistical details:

Arrive early to oversee setup procedures.

Verify for yourself that everything is ready; don't rely on someone else's word.

Locate the on/off switch, because each projector is different, and many have switches in hard-to-find locations. For example, some machines use a bar instead of a switch.

Bring an extra light bulb for the projector.

Be sure you order an overhead projector on a proper stand that has room on each side of the projector for your transparencies. You need space for your visuals before you use them and a place to put the already viewed slides. Even though I request this on my audiovisual list, 75 percent of the time I have to come up with an alternate plan.

Carry an extension cord, just in case. Also carry a kit of other supplies - an extra roll of acetates, tape, scissors, and so on.

Set up and test equipment.

Test the lighting with a transparency on the light table.

Have a contingency plan.

Points About Laser Pointers

Commercial laser pointers were designed to assist speakers when giving lectures or business presentations. The laser pointer beam produces a small dot of light on any object at which it is aimed. It can be an effective tool for drawing an audience's attention to a particular point on a slide or overhead, especially when you're speaking to a large audience and the slide is projected at a great distance.

However, like all other technological advances, it has its down side. It's difficult to hold the pointer steadily focused on the point you're stressing. What happens then is that the laser beam goes jumping around the slide like Tinkerbell flying around the Lost Boys, and the audience gets lost trying to follow the light.

Also, remember that a laser pointer is not a toy. The Laser Institute of America points out that the laser light can pose a risk to the eye if used incorrectly. They recommend:

Never shine a laser pointer at anyone. Laser pointers are designed to illustrate inanimate objects.

Do not point a laser pointer at mirror-like surfaces. A reflected beam can act like a direct beam on the eye.

Do not allow minors to use a pointer unsupervised.

Videos are being used increasingly by firms with sizable production budgets. This medium is characterized by high price and a lack of flexibility: Videos are not only hard to update inexpensively, but also can't be controlled by the presenter. Because the speaker has to stop the video to comment, most video presentations are designed for continuous viewing.

Videos make up for their drawbacks in sophistication and power. They most closely resemble the television and cinema experiences by which people are so swayed, and production can be very slick indeed. When both budget and occasion call for a powerful presentation, videos are particularly effective. If you ever use video, get to the site well in advance to check the setup. Nothing messes up a presentation faster than a DVD player that won't work.

Flip Charts

Believe it not, a flip chart is my favorite visual aid - actually two flip charts on either side of the stage or speaking area. They force you to move horizontally, which creates greater action and attention than moving forward and backward.

Flip charts are very good for smaller audiences. You can prepare them beforehand, or illustrate them as you go along. They can be actual cardboard displays, or simply an easel and a large pad. Follow these steps as you use flip charts:

Set up the flip chart ahead of time, but keep it covered until you need it.

Always start with a title so people know what the information refers to. This is a step most people eliminate. Print the title in capital letters.

Make the drawings bold and simple.

Don't talk and write at the same time unless you really have command of the audience and have a strong voice that will carry while your back is turned.

For drawing, use big, heavy lines. Lightly sketch in complicated designs ahead of time so you can go over them quickly and expertly during the presentation.

Don't use red unless you're speaking to a very small group - it's especially difficult to see on flip charts.

If ink goes through the paper, use every other sheet. It's also easier to flip two pages at a time.

If you're speaking in a long, narrow room, put the flip chart on a raised platform, or else people in the back of the room will have trouble seeing the bottom of your pages.

When you're pointing to the chart, and you're standing with it to your left, use your left arm to point. If you use your right arm, you close yourself off from your audience by placing your right arm across your body. If you're right-handed, place the chart to your right.

One of the main values of the flip is that you can leave your message up their while you're speaking about other things, which is not true of a slide or computer-graphic presentation.

Make your presentation multi-media by using flip charts along with your other graphics.

As with any visual aid, once you've used your flip chart, you need to find a way to get rid of it. You might want to use your flip chart at different times in your talk, so the best thing to do is to have a neutral page after every picture or sequence. This can be a blank page, or one containing a symbol or picture relevant to your whole presentation.

Chalkboards

Chalkboards are also good visual aids for small audiences, if you follow these hints:

Always check the chalkboard ahead of time to make sure the legs and pegs are stable.

Have plenty of yellow chalk available, and keep a spare piece in your pocket. Yellow shows up better than white.

Use damp, not dry, dusters.

If you use a pointer, don't let it waver around the board. Point at what you want to emphasize, leave the pointer there for a moment, and then take away the pointer.

Never try to draw or write for more than a few seconds at a time; avoid talking while you're drawing. When you want to explain what you're doing, turn and face the audience before speaking.

Clear the board as soon as you're finished with what's on it and have moved on to a new topic. Old drawings will distract your audience.

Special Hint for Chalkboards and Flip Charts

To draw straight lines and perfect circles, trace them very faintly in pencil or with chalk before your presentation. Then draw over the lines during your speech; your audience will think you're a latter-day Leonardo da Vinci.

Models and Objects

Models and objects are limited to small groups. Good ones tend to be expensive, costly to duplicate, and often unwieldy. Models require ongoing narration from the speaker to come to life, but this need means that the presenter has flexibility and can change the speech to fit the audience. As with videos, models work best when the situation really calls for them.

When you pass out objects, samples, handouts, or other materials as visual aids, you lose attention as you do so. Don't introduce vital new points at that time; rather, use the time to summarize or to describe the object being distributed.

Handouts are visual aids the audience can manipulate, so it's important to manage their presentation in a way that keeps you in control. Make it clear what you expect your audience to do with your handouts. Don't give them out without first talking about the ideas they contain, or people will start to read ahead of where you are and you'll lose control.

Audience members are a lot more likely to remember things when they write them down, even if they never go back and look at their notes again. That's why handouts with questions and fill-in-the-blanks can be a good way to help an audience retain your information and message.

Save time and confusion and create a polished impression by counting handouts ahead of time. You'll need to know the number of rows and the number of people in each row. Try to be creative with your handouts. Avoid using typed lists, use drawings or other artwork where appropriate. The cardinal rule for visual aids also applies to handouts: They must have a clear purpose and contribute something you could not convey verbally.

Pictures That Tell Your Story

The best visual aids are a kind of shorthand. Charts and illustrations are the visual aids used most commonly and effectively by the creators of slides, transparencies, and flip charts.

Charts are inherently flexible and can show graphs (bar, pie, or line), organizational relationships, cause and effect, and how one event relates to another (flow chart). It's up to your imagination. Whether a diagram, cartoon, map, or original artwork, illustrations make visual aids visual and keep them from looking like typed restatements of your speech.

Not Just for Public Speakers

Visual aids - especially flip charts - are helpful for staff meetings and client discussions. They help reinforce your points and make you appear more polished and better prepared. You will make an impact because not many people use visual aids in these situations. Just watch everyone perk up the first time you use visual aids at a staff meeting.

A Final Caveat From Murphy

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, stood up on stage before a worldwide audience to introduce his newest version of the computer operating system Windows. He and a colleague were demonstrating how easy it was to add peripheries onto the program. The colleague plugged in a scanner and waited for a message saying, "your new device has been loaded" to pop up on the giant screen behind him. Instead, the screen went blue and the dreaded "fatal error" message flashed behind them. There was some sort of glitch, and his powerful computer-aided graphics programs were not working. If the richest man in the world, the man who invented much of the way we use computers today, had problems with his presentations, chances are that, at some point, you will encounter an embarrassing problem or two.

Nowhere does Murphy's Law apply so well as with visual aids: If anything can go wrong, it will. To help you counter this law, a checklist is included that follows below. Use it and you'll always be prepared.

Just as Boy Scouts have their motto - "Always be prepared" - a speaker using visual aids must also have a motto - "Always have an alternative plan." And often that alternative plan rests with you. Visual aids can be wonderful devices, but you should never feel you can't deliver a good speech without them; you can. And at all times, just in case, you should be able to.

Vivid, instantaneous, exciting, and colorful are adjectives that can apply to your speech if you use good visual aids. Of course, a master of words can get praise like this for prose alone. But powerful speakers use visual aids to get themselves that much closer to presentation excellence. The next chapter , on stage managing, will show you how to ensure excellence and a smooth show by controlling environmental factors that affect your speech in general and your visual aids in particular.

Discuss the visual aids you would use for a humorous and informative presentation on the pitfalls of visual aids. Try to sketch them out, and show how you would make each point.

You've been asked to give a three-minute orientation speech to new employees. Describe the visual aids you will use and why you have chosen them.

Make a commitment to yourself that during the next six months you will try to use each type of visual aid. This will build your confidence and flexibility. Try to use multimedia (at least two different types of visual aids) for your next presentation.

Audiovisual Checklist

Here is a list of questions that you can use before every presentation to make sure that your visual aids are relevant, effective, and help make your message clear.

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Even more impactfully, you can generate greater understanding in your audience. For example, if you’re discussing a company’s finances, having a set of graphs and charts can convey a greater grasp of the figures.

Visual Aids Examples

Visual aids are more than just PowerPoint presentations. To help spark some ideas, here are ten visual aids examples to try out.

What is a visual aid?

A visual aid is anything you use in a presentation to visually drive home your point. Using visual aids can improve attention and engagement with your presentation. They’re also quite fun!

If a picture tells a thousand words, a video tells a thousand pictures. You could pause your talk at the start to show a video demonstrating an idea or concept. It can help ground your presentation and provide context for what you’re going to say next.

In one particularly spectacular example, Hans Rosling’s TED talk,   The Best Stats You Have Ever Seen ,   uses video continuously throughout the presentation. The result: a deeper understanding of a complex topic.

Don’t just describe your product: show it! Having a tactile prop you can hand around or demonstrate isn’t just informative; it’s one of the most engaging visual aid examples around. It draws the eye and captivates your audience.

For example, if you’re giving a talk on African History, showing a traditional artifact (even a replica) can go a long way towards conveying your ideas.

Just don’t overdo it. Too many props can distract your audience from the main thrust of your presentation.

3. Handouts

Are you discussing a complex topic? If so, a handout can help break down the more complex aspects of your talk. It can contain pictures and diagrams for you to refer to in your presentation. It’s also something your audience can take away at the end. And what better way to drive home your message than a lasting reminder.

That’s not to say every presentation could benefit from a handout. But when used prudently, this visual aid example can help make your presentation that bit more memorable.

4. Demonstrations

This visual aid example blurs into props a little bit. Where it differs is in its dynamic character. Think back to your school days – aren’t the lessons you remember best, the ones with a bang?

Demonstrations can serve as the hook to draw your audience into a complicated concept. You could show off how your product works in practice. Or set up a small scientific experiment to get across the core concept of your talk.

And it’s a great way to end a presentation – no other visual aid example is as memorable.

Everyone might use slides – but that’s for a reason. Slides are a simple but effective way to convey your ideas visually throughout a presentation. They can give key statistics or contain charts, graphs, or pictures.

Nor do you need to settle solely for PowerPoint. If you fancy trying something different, check out Prezi. It lets you create an interactive and fluid presentation at the click of a button.

6. Whiteboards

There’s a reason why classrooms have whiteboards. To explain a new idea or spark a discussion, there’s no better visual aid example than a whiteboard.

How about having a pause midway through your presentation to have a brainstorm? Or start off the discussion by jotting down people’s initial impression of an idea. Then, at the end, you can revisit what you wrote down and see if people’s perspective has changed.

Even better, with virtual meetings now the go-to way to conduct a presentation, many video conferencing software contains virtual whiteboards.

7. Posters and boards

If you go to a scientific conference, posters are the primary way to present. When big and visually engaging, they can help introduce an idea. Alternatively, like a lawyer in a courtroom, you can use pre-made boards throughout your presentation. It’s a little more dramatic than a PowerPoint, creating a more memorable experience.

8. Roleplay

Before you roll your eyes – stay with me. Roleplays, when done right, can be the most memorable part of a presentation (for the right reasons). It’s a chance to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Think about how a roleplay can show a social situation. It could be a person trying to buy a product. By walking through the customer’s shoes, you could demonstrate to a prospective client just why your product or service is essential.

9. Blackboards

If you don’t have a whiteboard, blackboards are the next best thing. Though they function pretty similarly, the blackboard has an older aesthetic many remember from their schooldays. Draw diagrams, symbols, charts, and drawings with the classic chalk.

In fact, one of the benefits blackboards have over whiteboards is the ease with which you can draw. Plus, it’s always a great tool for interactive learning.

10. Flipcharts

If a room doesn’t have a blackboard or whiteboard, try a flipchart – it’s the next best thing. Unlike the other two, you can prepare some of the pages beforehand. For example, you can draw a table of pros and cons, ready for your audience to shout out their ideas.

For many, it’s just a refreshing change from the tired slide presentations.

Need more visual aids examples?

About the Author

For over 20 years Elizabeth Peterson , has enjoyed supporting individuals and companies with their communication and voice needs. Speech and Voice Enterprises, her private practice, has been in operation for over 15 years in Denver, Colorado. Ms. Peterson is heavily involved in her field and has numerous published books, therapy programs and articles in the areas of accent reduction, public speaking, leadership and communication, traumatic brain injury, stroke recovery and pediatric therapy programs.

At Speech and Voice Enterprises, we offer custom-tailored business communication classes with several training options available... Get started now with

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Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > 5 reasons to use visual aids for speeches and presentations

5 reasons to use visual aids for speeches and presentations

A whopping 65 percent of humans are visual learners . This makes sense, considering the brain processes visual information about 60,000 times faster than text.

It also explains why it’s so important for speakers to incorporate compelling visual aids into their presentations . Impactful visuals help us communicate our ideas and messaging more effectively—no matter what type of audience we are trying to reach.

Here are 5 facts that drill home the importance of visual aids when it comes to delivering a memorable presentation or speech.

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1. Presentation visuals grab an audience’s attention—and keep it

Human beings are naturally curious creatures but we have a short attention span—and it’s gotten worse in our current era of information overload and non-stop scrolling. When listening to a speech or presentation, audience interest peaks around the 10-minute mark and then drops precipitously depending on the content and communication style of the speaker. (A Ben Stein soundalike drolling on about duality quantum algorithms? Godspeed.) That’s why so many experts insist on capping lectures at 15 to 20 minutes or mixing up the format with 20-minute blocks. Interesting visual aids can help you do that.

They spark interest when the brain is feeling fatigued, making it easier to receive and process complex information. Think of each new visual or animation as little shots of adrenaline—capturing the waning attention of an audience and re-energizing the room. This can be especially effective when embedding picture polls, or visuals that require audience members to pull out their phones and interact with the content you’ve presented.

2. Presentation visuals make complex ideas easier to understand

Not everyone computes information at the same speed. Infographics make data-heavy presentations more digestible—breaking statistics and other figures or timelines into bite-sized chunks. They’re also more persuasive. According to a study conducted at the Wharton School of Business, 67 percent of audience members were more convinced by the content of a verbal presentation with accompanying visuals versus 50 percent with a verbal-only presentation.

3. Presentation visuals build emotional bridges with the audience

They say a picture is worth a thousand words—it’s cliché but true. Images make viewers feel things that words cannot and give presenters a way to connect with their audience on a more visceral level. (Yes, even if your audience is a bunch of humorless academics.) Instead of listing off dull facts about global warming, pop in a few slides depicting recent floods or forest fires to drive home your point. Powerful imagery, including 3D effects and visually appealing templates , resonate with audiences and makes them care more deeply about what you’re saying.

4. Presentation visuals help audiences retain information

Researchers have found that people who are asked to recall information after a three-day period retained just 10 percent of what they heard during an oral presentation, 35 percent from a visual presentation, and 65 percent from an oral presentation with visuals. You’ve worked too hard preparing your address to have the audience walk away remembering only a tiny fraction of what you said. Embracing visuals will improve the odds by six times.

5. Presentation visuals keep your speech on track

Peppering your presentation with visual aids will help you organize your talking points, avoid off-topic rambling, and even jog your memory if you get hit with a bout of stage fright.

But remember: While thoughtful visuals will make a speech or presentation much stronger, they won’t save you if you show up unprepared. The purpose of a visual aid is to engage the audience, boost their understanding of your content, ignite an emotional response, and help you convey important messaging—but it is never a substitute for preparation .

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9 Presentation Aids to Use to Make Your Presentation Stand Out

Written by: Caleb Bruski

Looking for a way to make your presentation stand out from the crowd?

When it comes to presentations, your ultimate goal is to communicate clearly and effectively with your audience.

By adding visual aids to your presentations, your audience will more easily understand and connect with your ideas.

Throughout this article, we’re going to cover what presentation aids are, why you should consider using them plus nine different types of presentation aids to test.

Here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit presentation templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

Table of Contents

What are presentation aids, why use presentation aids, 9 types of presentation aids.

Presentation aids, or sensory aids, are any additional resources used to enhance your speech. 

On a very basic level, a presentation is a bunch of words used to convey ideas to an audience. Presentation aids are additional devices, techniques, resources or materials used to enhance the presentation. 

For example, this four-step process model can be a great presentation aid to showcase a step-by-step guide to your audience.

Rather than just talking about the process, a diagram like this actually details it out, making it easier for your audience to understand.

Visual aids help clarify and contextualize your points for your audience.

Whether you deliver your presentation in person or over the web, the goal is to clearly communicate with your audience. Presentation aids help achieve this goal.

Visual aids also help a presenter stay on a predefined train of thought while presenting. 

The entire experience of presenting can be rather nerve-wracking. Studies show that one of the greatest phobias throughout the world  is public speaking. 

When our words fail us, a clear presentation aid can help fill in the gaps and help us be understood. 

Take this slide example. It can be a great way to walk an audience through features. Each bullet can be clicked to take viewers to a video that provides even more information.

Presentation aids help the presenter stay within an allotted set of time. 

For those of us who have a hard time sticking to the main points, visual presentation aids help us progress forward in our thought process and give a good presentation .

Here, we have a second illustration of a presentation aid — this time in the form of a timeline. Mapping out your content like this helps make it even more digestible and can help your audience learn and remember it.

A sense of authority and trust can also be established when using visual aids.

By delivering hard facts and data in a simple way, trust is established with the audience. The authority and expertise of the presenter is also established. 

Visual aids should help your audience understand the data in your presentation.

When used correctly, presentation aids increase the chance of receiving a positive response when making a call to action. 

In summary, presentation aids are useful for the presenter, the audience and all other parties involved. Best of all, using them is easy and effective.

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Ready to wow your audience with your next presentation? We’re here to help. In this list, you’ll find nine different types of presentation aids that you might consider using to help demonstrate your main points.

1. Charts and Graphs

Charts and graphs are a form of presentation aid used to visually compare statistics and figures. These are some of the most used forms of visual aids in the business world.

Listening to long strings of numbers can be a challenging task. Comparing long strings of numbers without reference can be near impossible. Overwhelmed with this type of data, most audience members will mentally check out.

Comparing simple shapes or lines is an easier task for most people. 

Consider adding a chart like the one below as a presentation aid for your audience.

A simple chart or graph will drastically help your audience comprehend numbers in a way that is easier to understand.

It’s important to select a chart or graph that helps exemplify your point. Not all charts can communicate with clarity the same information. Learn more in our guide on how to create a chart .

2. Handouts

Handouts are physical objects given to the audience that contain information related to the presentation. 

The greatest advantage of using a handout is the physical interaction your audience has with your presentation.

Your audience has the freedom to interact with these handouts during the presentation — they can touch, smell, read, etc., giving them an edge in actually retaining the information.

The more senses your audience uses during a presentation, the better. 

A handout also lets your audience revisit parts of your presentation that were not clear. This helps everyone stay on the same page.

A bonus to using handouts is that these objects don’t just magically disappear. Long after the presentation is over, the handout will still be around. Your audience will remember your presentation every time they see your handout.

3. Demonstration

Demonstrations are actions performed to exhibit or illustrate a point. The goal of a demonstration is to take an abstract point and anchor it in reality, as well as to ensure your audience comprehends a speaking point.

Demonstrations aren’t limited to just physical demonstrations. Demonstrations may also include allegorical stories or proofs used to prove a point. Sharing personal stories or case studies could be categorized as a demonstration. 

Here’s an example of a presentation slide with a demo video embedded. If you don’t have the resources to perform a live demonstration, using a tactic like this can be a great alternative.

To understand the full potential of demonstrations, think back to your old science teacher. A science teacher's job was to teach to a room filled with easily distracted children. 

Science is one of the most complex subjects to teach and the audience is a tough crowd. How did they do it?

With demonstrations! Or more specifically, with science experiments.

Physical demonstrations are some of the most memorable moments of an entire school year. 

The reason demonstrations are more memorable than a simple speech is because demonstrations invite more of your audience’s senses to take part in the demonstration. 

Not only do you hear the lesson, but you can see, touch, smell and sometimes even taste it as well. 

The audience is also involved when the demonstration is a personal story. When the audience hears the story, they imagine it. By recreating the scenario using their own imagination, the memory lasts longer.

Demonstrations are also powerful communication tools. They have the potential to make your presentation go from mediocre to  memorable. 

While powerful, demonstrations can work for or against you. Adding too many, too large or unrelated demonstrations can distract your audience from the actual topic. Ensure that your demonstrations are connected to and accentuate your main points.

4. Diagrams

A diagram is a visual graphic or sketch focused on presenting the inner workings or relations of a subject. A diagram is different from a basic sketch. While a sketch aims to accurately depict an object's shape, a diagram aims to explain and define its functions and relations. 

Diagrams give you the freedom to list, describe, explain and map out your subject matter in a way that is not limited to its physical form. 

While mixing a diagram and physical sketch together can be cool, it’s not necessary. Diagrams ought to be chosen based on their effectiveness in explaining the subject's construction and relation to other objects.

Diagrams help explain complex relations between objects without the need for physical properties. Diagrams are great to use when sketches, photographs and videos can not capture all the attributes of an object. 

Before settling on which diagram to use, it’s best to experiment with different types of diagrams. Your decision should rely upon which diagram will aid your audience the most.

Diagrams are also great for describing and defining things that do not have form. Instead of giving a long and complex definition that no one will remember, consider using a diagram. 

Diagrams can show how this new thing relates to something familiar to your audience. This will help your audience understand and remember complex portions of your presentation.

5. Video or Audio

Audio and video clips are presentation aids used to expand the dynamic range of input in your speech.

Your audience will find it easier to engage with your presentation when you diversify your method of delivery. 

An easy way to increase audiences’ sensory input is by transitioning from a simple speech into a video or audio clip.

Videos allow you to convey information in a fast and rehearsed manner. Professional camera work captures prearranged images, audio and speech. This means video is capable of conveying emotion and information more effectively than speech. 

For this reason, a short video clip may do a better job at summarizing the main points of a presentation than a speech alone. 

While the benefits of  video are high, there are also some potential problems. The most common issue with video usage in presentations being technical compatibility issues.

A smooth transition between speech and video is necessary for your presentation. 

Rough or elongated transitions can be a major distraction for your audience. If this happens, your audience may find it difficult to reinvest in your presentation.

To ensure smooth transitions, your presentation software must be capable of integrating videos clips directly into your presentation. 

It is important to have dependable presentation software .  By doing so, you’ll be able to transition between video clips and other presentation aids.

The transitioning issue is most noticeable at the end of a presentation. Especially when a speaker attempts to transition from a slide-show into a video clip. 

Consequently, many presentations do not have a strong and official close. Lacking a strong close leaves your audience without a clear understanding of what to do next. Check out this article to ensure you know how to end your presentation on a strong and impressionable note.

Quotations are a type of presentation aid that appeal to outside authority and expertise. Quoting others helps establish a positive rapport with your audience.

Many people fear quoting others makes them appear unoriginal.

The opposite is actually true. Quoting outside sources tends to drastically improve the overall appeal of your presentation.

Quoting others shows that you have listened to others on this subject. This makes the presenter appear as a well thought out and considerate listener. 

It’s recommended that you quote those who both agree and disagree with your conclusion. By doing so, you establish a sense of trust and expertise with your audience.

Quoting those who disagree with your conclusion shows that you have taken the time and effort to engage their thought process. 

Quoting those who agree with you shows your conclusion to be a recurring conclusion.

However, always give credit where credit is due. Not only is plagiarism immoral and possibly illegal, it also damages your personal reputation. This may destroy any trust you established with your audience. Check out this guide about plagiarism to learn more.

Maps are visual representations, generally two-dimensional diagrams, that show the relative position and orientation of something. 

Maps are powerful presentation aids capable of showing valuable information beyond basic geography. 

Because maps are a form of diagram, they can deliver valuable relational information. This is especially true when used in combination with animations or graphical overlays.

Proper presentation software will allow you to update your dataset for your map. The changes should immediately update the output of your map without having to manually manipulate the image.

Visme automatically generates these scalable maps and makes the process of customizing your map easy. With just a few clicks, you can generate and customize maps with your own datasets.

8. Photographs

Photographs are still images captured on a film or digital medium and are a powerful visual aid. When used correctly, photographs can add color and shape to the speech in your presentation.

The saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" is a true statement. A picture is priceless when it’s able to capture and accentuate a point relevant to your presentation.

Photographs are unique presentations aids that give you the power to make a window for your audience to look through. This allows your audience to see and experience particular aspects of your presentation.

While the color red can be described with many words, there’s an experiential gap. Once seen, you can experience the color red.

When a presentation is given, words can help describe an idea, but not experience the idea. Presentation images give you the possibility to close that visual experiential gap.

Even in a world that sells pocket-sized HD 4k 60fps video cameras, the photograph is still the visual aid of choice for most people.

While videos are powerful in their own right, photos give you the power to capture and highlight one particular moment. 

Photos can be less distracting than videos. Videos may have background noises or other distractions. Photographs let you capture and present one image without any distractions.

When presenting, it’s important for your main speaking points to be aided, not hindered, by the presentation aid. 

While planning out your presentation, consider using photographs more frequently than video. This will help your audience experience your presentations without distractions.

Images are also much cheaper and easier to professionally edit than their video counterparts. Capturing and editing a high-quality video may take hours, days or even months. A professional-looking photo can be captured with ease and edited in a matter of minutes. 

Or, you can take advantage of a free stock photo library like you get with Visme. This way, you can ensure your presentation photos are copyright protected and free to use.

9. Volunteers

Volunteers are people selected from the general population to participate in a demonstration. 

Using volunteers in demonstrations is one of the most effective presentation aids available. Using this tactic efficiently comes with all the advantages of a classic demonstration, and so much more.

Human interaction is hardwired into us. We tend to remember faces, body shapes, expressions and emotions. A demonstration with volunteers lets you instantly change the dynamic of the speech.

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Demonstrations with volunteers encourage audience interaction with your subject matter. 

When the audience sees a volunteer interact with your presentation, the barrier to entry is lowered — plus, it gives your audience the chance to become a volunteer that’s doing the interaction themselves.

This makes your subject more approachable and your call to action more likely to succeed.

Be sure your interactions with the volunteer are somewhere between professional and semi-professional. Most people are already afraid to be on stage. An unprofessional or condescending demeanor will only make things even more uncomfortable.

Ensure that your volunteer’s role has a strong connection to your main point. Like all good demonstrations, make sure it is contributing to your presentation. If a particular portion of the presentation is not related to the main point, your audience's mind may begin to wander. 

At the end of the demonstration, be sure to thank and dismiss your volunteers when they are done contributing. There is nothing more distracting for the audience than having an extra person nervously lurking around on stage. 

If done correctly, your audience will remember the demonstration done with volunteers and recall the driving points of your presentation. The volunteer will likely also remember the event for a longer period of time and may even share parts of your presentation with others.

Try Presentation Aids in Your Next Presentation

Creating and utilizing presentation aids can help your presentation go from acceptable to phenomenal. With proper physical and mental preparation, your presentation is sure to impress.

The best way to mentally prepare yourself for your presentation is to be physically prepared. 

Visme makes presentation preparation easy and takes all the guesswork out of the design process. Visme has thousands of high-quality templates for you to customize and choose from. We are certain that with the right tools, you can make an awe-inspiring presentation.

Create a free account and see why Visme is one of the best and easiest ways to create a stunning and engaging presentation.

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How to do a public speech.

Many of you are very familiar with our 4-H Visual Presentation Program, which offers opportunities to 4-Hers to present information on a topic using visual aids.  However you may not be as familiar with another aspect of our program, public speaking.  This is considerably different as no props or visual aids are used during your speech, which can be challenging to a beginner. Some of us have grown dependant on posters and visuals and now it’s time to fly solo using just your voice and your words.  This can also be a very rewarding and educational experience gaining skills that will increase your confidence and knowledge. We hope that some of our senior 4-Hers will choose public speaking as an alternative to visual presentation. 

Phase I  Decision Making 101 

 There are different types of public speaking including informative, persuasive and motivational or inspirational.  The kind of speech you give will depend on your topic and your reason for choosing that topic. Are you trying to motivate people to do something or get an emotional reaction to something, such as motivating people to donate to a charity or do community service projects? Would you like to inform your audience about a particular subject like a favorite hobby or recreational activity or place you’ve visited? Or are you passionate about a particular subject and would like to try to convince people that your point of view is best, such as not to buy puppies at pet stores or puppy mills.  Before you start, brainstorm some ideas with others and then list out topics that would interest you.  Explore these ideas by researching information on the Internet or at the library.  When you’ve chosen your topic, chose the type of speech your subject best fits into.  Once that is selected you are well on your way.  

Phase II  Mapping Your Speech

Just like a visual presentation there are parts to a speech. Drawing a map is a good visual aid to use. Just as you would map out a trip from here to Alaska, you can map where your speech will be going. Consider your map to be your outline; this will become invaluable to you as you finalize your speech. Think of your subject as going from one place to another and taking the audience with you. Beginning to plan your speech will help you pull together your thoughts and information.  Some questions you’ll need to answer are: Will I have enough time to research this subject?  Is this really the right topic for me?  Will my audience be interested in my topic and will they understand it?  You may be very interested in the African Blue Bellied Fly but is it so specific that not too many others will have any interest unless you’re speaking to a group of entomologists.  Will you have enough time to present your topic? Try not to tackle a topic that you have had no experience with. It’s better to be somewhat familiar with your subject until you’re more experienced. This will help you feel much more confidant. The mapping idea will also help you get back on track if you get lost. 

Once you are ready to commit you’ll need an introduction.  You’ll need a good opener so that the audience is eager to hear the information you are presenting. This could be the time for a wow factor, something that will really catch their attention, or the time to add humor or to show your enthusiasm for your topic.  You may ask a question, state a fact, pose a challenge or tell a story, whichever way you decide to do your opener make sure it fits in with your theme and ties in with the rest of the speech. You’ll also need to introduce yourself and your topic. It’s also time to give them a glimpse of what the rest of your speech will be like but don’t give everything away, keep them guessing so they are interested.  

Phase III Organizing Your Speech 

Your goal will be to lead your audience on a wonderful interesting journey.  Make sure your ideas flow naturally from one thing to the next using some keywords.   You should have three strong points you’d like to cover with your theme. Make sure your enthusiasm and passion for your subject comes through.  Show your confidence. Even if you’re nervous never let the audience see you sweat. There’s plenty of time for that later and by then it’ll be over!  Be upbeat and develop a pace for your speech. Practice when to pause to let a point digest ,or when to add humor or slow down for impact.  Another element of a speech can be to entertain.  Most people want to enjoy their experiences so blending the “show must go on” attitude with facts or opinions will go a long way with your audience. This is the time to develop a relationship with the audience.  Switch places with them and see if you feel as interested from another person’s perspective. Remember you can’t please everyone so be gracious even if your audience isn’t. Never apologize if you make a mistake. Chances are you’re the only one who knows that you did, so keep right on going as if nothing happened.  If something is more noticeable, ask yourself what’s the worst thing that could happen if you did make a mistake?  Things happen, life happens, doors slam, babies cry and thunder cracks across the sky. It’s all part of doing a presentation or speech.  How you react to different situations shows the audience how prepared you are.  After you’re done with this part of your speech, you may want to go back to make changes to your opener. Remember it’s a work in progress.  

Phase IV  The Closer 

It’s time to bring them back from their trip and on the way home what would you like them to remember. Make sure you’ll have enough time for a good closing.  Should you go back to the opener, restate the key points or just summarize it all? Once again tell the audience what you most want them to remember. Maybe it’s creating a picture of this trip that will stay in their memory for a long time. Maybe it’s stating facts over again to help them make a decision on which way they want to go.  It could be a series of memories that will make them want to revisit this journey. One thing for sure, you’ll need to keep smiling and end on a strong note.  Thank your audience and tell them you appreciated their time.  

Tips for Public Speaking 

Try not to use the same words over and over, get out the thesaurus and experiment with a few new words. Good use of vocabulary matters.

Smile and establish eye contact with your audience, engage them and take them along with you through this oral presentation.

Eliminate the “uhms”, “ahhs”, “ers”, “you knows”, “ands”, “buts” and other non-words or phrases you use over and over.

Don’t copy other people’s styles, create your own.

Avoid talking too fast, make sure to breathe and set your pace, it’s not a race.

Remember to use some pizzazz; what’s hot, what’s new, can you quote an article from the latest magazine, book or Internet resource.

Look for bad habits; do you move around, rock from side to side, play with your hair, your jewelry or your belt?  Do you have your hands in your pockets, or are you fidgeting with something?  If so, try to correct these motions or gestures and have natural and appropriate movements.  

Avoid memorizing your speech; instead use your outline to prompt you.  If you are truly familiar with your speech and have rehearsed it many times it will flow more naturally.  

If using humor make sure it is appropriate for all ages and all audiences.  Something funny to you can be offensive to others.  Double and triple check your humor but if it is used well, humor can add so much to your talk.

Videotape your speech and review it carefully.  This is where you’ll pick up on those annoying habits or nervous things you do.  

You will be judged on your posture, pronunciation and presence.  Don’t use words that you have trouble pronouncing, stand up straight, no slouching and dress for success.  

Enjoy this experience; you are among an elite group of young people who are making public speeches.  You are all winners just for trying.  Congratulations! 

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Chapter 5: Visual Aids

Effective visual aids.

“Cake depicting a cheeseburger” by Michael Prudhomme. CC-BY-SA .

Before you just open up PowerPoint and begin creating slides, you should stop for a moment and consider what type of visual aid will best serve your purpose and if you even need an aid at all. Select a visual aid that adds to your presentation in a meaningful way, not merely something pretty to look at or a substitute for thorough preparation. Visuals are not there for you to hide behind when you are in front of your audience. Because of the tendency for novice speakers to use visuals as a crutch in their speeches, it has even been suggested that beginner speakers be forbidden from using visual aids while they are learning to present. [1]

Visual aids serve a unique role in a presentation, and you should consider the specific purpose and desired outcome of your speech when determining if, when, to what extent, and in what format you use visual aids.

Visuals can spark interest, build emotional connections, clarify your words, explain abstract ideas, help draw conclusions, or increase understanding. For instance, a speaker may show a stacks of books to represent the amount of data storage in a speech about the evolution of computers; or demonstrate the proper use of ear plugs by distributing ear plugs, showing how to insert them, and then blasting an air horn in a speech about preventing hearing loss in order to make the value of ear protection more memorable and concrete. Done well—simple, visible, relevant, memorable, and audience-focused— visual aids can have a profound impact on your audience and your overall message.

Visual aids can be an important part of conveying your message effectively since people learn far more by hearing and seeing than through hearing or seeing alone. [2] The brain processes verbal and visual information separately. By helping the audience build visual and verbal memories, they are more likely to be able to remember the information at a later time. [3] If you can find a visual aid to complement what you are saying, you will help your audience understand the information you are presenting and remember your message. For example, a speaker might show the proper and improper ways to bow when being introduced in Japan while at the same time talking about the movements and also displaying a slide with the appropriate angles and postures for bowing. By using multiple modes in concert with each other, the message is strengthened by the pairing of words, images, and movement.

Not just any visual will do, however. Each visual should be relevant to your message, convey an important point, be clearly understandable, and be visible by your entire audience. Visuals should be used to make concepts easier to understand and to reinforce your message. They should illustrate important points that are otherwise hard to understand. [4]

“Diving in the Adriatic” by melschmitz. morgueFile license .

Use visuals for speeches about processes, products, or demonstrations of how to do something, such as a diagram of how email is delivered in a speech about computer security. Use visuals when you need to explain things you cannot see because they are hidden or abstract, like a model of your internal organs in a speech about gastric bypass surgery. Use them when you need to grab your audience’s attention or stir their emotions. A speaker could use a photo of a starving child and a bag of rice that represents the daily calorie intake of a poor child in a speech about food insecurity to create a visceral reaction in the audience. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so use images to tell a story or create a visual metaphor. Visual metaphors are useful when trying to evoke an emotion, such as showing an image of someone running or diving into a pool when you want to evoke action on the part of your audience. The images convey the message to “get going” or “dive in.” When talking about numbers or statistics, use visuals to provide context, comparison, and to help your audience understand the meaning of data. Done well, graphs can convey data. [5] While there are many possible reasons to use visuals in your presentation, your guiding principle should be: does this make the message clearer or more memorable? If you cannot answer with a resounding “YES!” then re-think the plan for your visuals and begin again.

• Palmer, E. (2011). Well spoken: Teaching speaking to all students. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers. ↵
• Vasile, A. J. (2004). Speak with confidence: A practical guide (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. ↵
• Malamed, C. (2009). Visual language for designers: Principles for creating graphics that people understand. Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers. ↵
• Detz, J. (2000). It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Griffen; Palmer, E. (2011). Well spoken: Teaching speaking to all students. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers; Young, K. S., & Travis, H. P. (2008). Oral communication: Skills, choices, and consequences (2nd ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press. ↵
• Malamed, C. (2009). Visual language for designers: Principles for creating graphics that people understand . Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers; Palmer, E. (2011). Well spoken: Teaching speaking to all students . Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers; Tufte, E. R. (2003). The cognitive style of PowerPoint . Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press; Vasile, A. J. (2004). Speak with confidence: A practical guide (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. ↵
• Chapter 13 Effective Visual Aids. Authored by : Sheila Kasperek, MLIS, MSIT. Provided by : Mansfield University, Mansfield, PA. Located at : http://publicspeakingproject.org/psvirtualtext.html . Project : The Public Speaking Project. License : CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
• Cake depicting a cheeseburger. Authored by : Michael Prudhomme. Located at : http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cake_depicting_a_cheeseburger.jpg . License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
• Diving in the Adriatic. Authored by : melschmitz. Provided by : MorgueFile. Located at : http://mrg.bz/SMkUNQ . License : Other . License Terms : You are allowed to copy, distribute, transmit the work and to adapt the work. Attribution is not required. You are prohibited from using this work in a stand alone manner.

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Biden Leaves the Stage

On president biden’s private pain since stepping aside, and his public message at the democratic national convention..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

I’m Sabrina Tavernise, and this is “The Daily.” On the first night of the Democratic National Convention, the stage belonged to the man who chose to give it up. Today, I spoke with my colleagues, Katie Rogers and Peter Baker, about Joe Biden’s private pain since stepping aside and his public message here in Chicago. It’s Tuesday, August 20th.

Is this the line we need to get on?

This is the line. Oh, gosh. I’d say we’re going to be here 45 minutes or so. Woof, my goodness. These nice birds and flowers here —

little butterfly.

Oh, there it is. I can see the United Center now. See, it’s through there.

Yeah, but can you see to the front of the line?

No, line, line, line.

I feel like the season is passing as we’re waiting in it. There’s a cicada coming up.

Yeah, I see some leaves turning, yeah.

Welcome. You got it. Have your credentials ready.

Oh, is this the end?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

OK, so we’re through the line. It was, indeed, 45 minutes, as I predicted. And we are standing outside a giant building with a big blue sign on it that says Democratic National Convention. And it is Kamala Harris’s convention. It is her week. But it is Joe Biden’s night. Tonight, he’s going to take the stage, give a speech to an entire party who forced him out.

And many of us know the broad story of how he decided to step aside. But the question always has been, what was the thing in the end that fundamentally made him drop out? But my colleague, Katie Rogers, has gotten inside the final few days for Biden in making that decision. So we’re going to go talk to her about what ultimately drove Biden to make this decision to leave the race.

OK, big “New York Times” area, may be seeing a lot of other people. I know. Oh, here she is. Katie?

How are you?

Are you ready?

Welcome. We’re so glad to have you. So, Katie, just to start, I wonder if you could reflect for a moment about what this convention was supposed to be up until a month ago.

Right, I mean, this is something that President Biden had been looking forward to. He had been workshopping a big convention speech. This is something that Biden didn’t get in 2020. If you remember, we were in the middle of a pandemic. This was all done virtually for him.

This would have been the very first time in his career that he was the presidential nominee at a huge 50,000-person strong convention. You get the balloons. You get the big banners with your Bidenisms broadcast everywhere. It was a moment this president doesn’t really ever get to have.

I mean, it’s been a moment he’s wanted for decades, right? So many people cheering for him and choosing him in a way in person.

Yeah, it’s the validation. He has wanted the validation of being that choice and will not get that now. Instead of this moment where he gets to lay the groundwork for a second term, he is ending his political career in Chicago on stage.

Katie, you and our colleagues have been reporting on why he decided to give up something he wanted so badly. Tell us about what you found.

So it starts almost exactly a month ago. The president is campaigning and comes down with COVID and is rushed home on Air Force One to his beach home in Rehoboth in Delaware. There, he is joined by his wife, Jill Biden, the First Lady. And there are two other aides who are very close to him. Another key advisor was in Rehoboth at the time sort of on standby named Steve Ricchetti. He’s the keeper of the president’s political relationships. So a lot of the party leaders were funneling their alarm and their worry and their unhappiness through Steve Ricchetti.

So Friday, the president was sick and didn’t really get out of bed much. He read the papers by the pool. The next day, though, he gets on the phone, calls Steve Ricchetti, and says, I need you and Mike at the House. And Mike is Mike Donilon, the president’s most senior strategist, the writer of his speeches, really, the keeper of the Biden flame, if you will.

Biden, Ricchetti, and Donilon go over the polling, go over what people in the party are saying, and essentially say to the president, look, if you want to do this, we can get you there. We have been around, all of us, long enough to know that the polling can be wrong. We can get you there.

It’s sort of a cultural belief in the Biden circle to not discount polls, but to look at them and say, well, we have been here before, but it is going to be a climb, and you are going to do it alone without the support of Democratic party leaders. He will be ripping apart his party if he wants to do this.

Finally, Biden, who is still sick and weakened with COVID, says to them, well, what would we tell the American people?

Meaning if he were to drop out?

Exactly, what would we say? And that’s really the first moment that Biden wants to see something on paper that is an announcement that he would be leaving the race. The president says to them that he wants to sleep on it. And they let him go upstairs. He’s sleeping in a spare bedroom because he has COVID.

So he’s alone.

So he’s alone on one of the most important nights of his life. And people close enough to him to know his thinking in this moment have told me that it was not decided. But everybody sort of knew where he was going. The next morning, he gets up. The letter gets finalized, and it is published on X exactly one minute after he calls into his senior staff meeting and is reading the letter to them, telling them that he is leaving the race.

So it sounds like the calculations for him are not about winning or losing, but really, about the party and party unity and not wanting to, as you say, rip it apart.

What do we know about how he’s been feeling about that decision since then? That was a month ago, as we said.

So in the moment, it’s been described to me as peace, a sense of understanding, that he was not willing to do what would have been required of him politically to keep going. And I think in the weeks since, I think he has experienced a mixture of emotions.

The president, it should be noted, I think, is a pretty proud person. There was a really big day a few weeks ago where three American hostages were released from Russian custody as part of a really complicated seven-nation prisoner swap. That is as Jake Sullivan, the president’s national security advisor, was fighting back tears talking to us that day, saying, this is vintage Joe Biden. This is what he’s best at, complicated foreign policy.

That was a moment for somebody like Biden to say, hey, I’m still the president. And I was on the tarmac at midnight when those hostages came off and was talking about the importance of allies, the importance of diplomatic relationships, essentially saying the importance of my experience is this. And if you know how he approaches politics, you know that he is saying in that moment, I have value. This is what I bring. This is what I am good at. And he wants the chances to be able to say that.

It’s like he’s sending a message to the people who pushed him out.

Totally, yes, yes. And speaking of the people who pushed him out, I think there are people close to the president who have told me as much, saying this party will have to reconcile with what it did to a sitting president who the voters had chosen. And I think that there is definite resentment, frustration, distrust.

Former President Obama was somebody who was making a lot of calls to party leaders, including he was in touch with the vice president in the days before the president decided to drop out. There is definitely a sense of resentment toward Nancy Pelosi, the former House Speaker, for saying things like, well, if he does drop out, I think we should have an open convention basically before he’s even made the decision to say, well, here’s how it could look and what I think.

He just sort of is pushed out, right?

Right. So one of the things he did is saying, I fully support the vice president as the person to carry on my legacy and to win this election and prevent another term for Trump. And it really shut down talk of other people jumping into this race. She locked it up. There’s got to be a land speed record for that.

There were these conversations about we don’t want it to be a coronation. But it was pretty close. And that is because Biden made the strongest case he could for her at a moment where the Democratic Party had leaders saying, well, let’s do this, or I would like this, or maybe this person. And Biden all but said, well, no, we’re going with my person. We’re going with the vice president I picked.

So, again, he doesn’t want to see this party infighting. He endorses her so that there’s not this nasty public battle, right?

Again, unity.

It was a unity play. And it was, again, a fear of his that this would happen should he not really make a strong case for her. And it’s interesting because the reporting we had leading up was also that he privately did not necessarily believe that Harris could win and got to this point by the time he decided to leave the race that he clearly believed that she was the one who could.

Yeah. So in a way, one way of looking at this convention is that it’s not his convention, but he did have a big hand in making it her convention.

I think that’s right. It’s definitely not his big event to headline anymore. He’s coming in as not the change candidate that so many Democrats are seeing in Harris now but as this throwback figure almost that is passing the baton to her. And I think he sees the vice president as somebody who is best positioned to carry forward his legacy. She’s taking the baton from me. I saved democracy. She will preserve it.

And inside the United Center where we are, delegates who are arriving are getting little coffee bean packets that say “Cup of Joe” on them. And the digital banners will say, “spread the faith” and a couple other Bidenisms. And then they go dark when he’s done, and they flip over to Harris walls and the messages associated with her campaign. So there’s a lot of talk of gratitude for him.

The thing is, though, is that Joe Biden has been around long enough to understand that the second beat to thank you so much is thank you so much for dropping a campaign that Democratic voters did not believe in. Thank you so much for getting off the stage. And for somebody like him, that has got to be very bittersweet and a tough moment to get through.

Katie, thank you.

Thank you for having me.

So right now, we’re at the arena, and we are about to go inside to talk to delegates. These are people who will formalize Kamala Harris’s nomination. And we are going to talk to them about Joe Biden. How are people seeing him in this moment?

Oh, my God, hi. Are you a delegate?

I am a delegate.

Where are you from?

The great state of Michigan.

OK, my name is Sabrina, and this is Rob.

Hi, Sabrina. Hi, Bob.

Nice to meet you.

Well, his name is Rob, actually.

I’ll take Bob. That’s fine.

Yeah, whatever.

So question for you, one word to describe Joe Biden. If you had one word, what would it be?

^ Honorable.

Courageous.

Delawarean.

He is an American Patriot. He has been such an incredible leader for our nation for years.

He’s been an amazing public servant.

I’m a little misty. I have such affection for him.

I was sad, very sad to see him make the decision he made. But he made the right decision for the country.

In some ways, does part of you wish he was the nominee still?

No, because the election has turned on a dime. It’s going in the right direction now. It was going in a very bad direction before.

I mean, in less than a month, she’s turned over this campaign. She’s brought people together in just incredible ways. Now, that’s not to take away from Joe Biden or to say — I mean, I love Joe Biden.

How is it going to feel tonight watching him speak?

I don’t know, but I brought Kleenex.

I think we’re all here to give him his flowers, to say thank you. We’re going to be proud for him. It’s a valedictory, and he’s deserved it and earned it.

I think that there’s going to be an incredible outpouring of love, respect, and honor for him. I’m not sad for him. I’m proud of him. I’m just, I’m in awe of him, really. And I think we’re living history right now. I mean, we’re living history tonight. I think the history is going to show, wow, what an incredible gift that Joe Biden has given us.

We’ll be right back.

So we are walking to the arena from the Press Center. I’m walking with my friend and admired colleague, Peter Baker.

I’m an admirer of you. And we are first going to have a conversation. And then, we’re going to go in to watch Biden’s speech together. OK, so we’re going to talk to Peter about what he expects from the speech tonight. What do you expect, Peter?

Well, look, it’s a really fascinating moment because Joe Biden has been coming to conventions like this since 1972. He’s given a lot of speeches. But this is the first one where he has to basically give a speech saying I’m done. And it’s something he’s always resisted. His whole thesis of his political career, his whole life really, is if you’re knocked down, you get back up. Well, now, he’s going to say, OK, this is the end for me after more than 50 years on the public stage. So he’s speaking to a couple of different audiences. One, of course, is the audience here in the Hall and the national audience watching on television. And he’s going to try to frame his accomplishments and pass the torch to Kamala Harris. And then, the second audience he’s talking to really is history. He’s trying to say, who is Joe Biden? What did it matter that he was president for four years? Where does he fit in our national story? And it’s going to be a really fascinating speech to watch.

And what do you make of the fact that it’s happening on Monday, the first day of the convention? But this is the day they’ve chosen for him.

Yeah, Monday is, of course, a demotion. He expected to give his speech on Thursday when he was going to accept the nomination. That’s the big night. That’s the night you want to give a speech. He’s been demoted to Monday, which is usually the night for the formers.

And you can already see in the last few weeks, if you go to the White House every day or you watch him give his public presentations, what few he’s done, you can feel the energy and the power and the attention drifting away from him. And it’s a palpable thing when a president becomes a lame duck. And you really have seen it these last few weeks.

And now tonight, he’ll get up there. He’ll give his speech. And then he’s going to get on a plane later tonight. And he’s going to head off to California. And he won’t be here for the rest of the convention. He’s going to literally cede the stage to Kamala Harris. And it’s the symbolic way the Democratic Party is going to say, we’re moving on. All right, the Joe Biden era is essentially over now. And we’re moving on to the Kamala Harris era. And he will be on vacation. You won’t see him in public really again until Labor Day.

I guess, Peter it is really a fundamentally human moment that we’re witnessing here, right? I mean, this is a man who had all of these years in public service. And the one thing he wanted most in the world was this that he’s now giving up. And that feels really just in the sweep of history pretty remarkable and a very human moment.

Yeah, it really is. In some ways, it’s the most human story. It’s actually all of our story because all of us eventually are going to run out of time. He has been in public life for a half century, more than any other president before him, by the way. He has been running for president since a lot of the people in this arena were children. His first campaign was in 1987. His second one, of course, was in 2008. He didn’t win either time. Finally, he wins in 2020.

And so to say, OK, I’m going to give it up after spending a lifetime of trying to get there, it goes against the grain. It just is completely against everything that he sees in himself. His life has been full of tragedy and setback followed by comeback and resilience. And here is the first time he is not bouncing back.

So he’s done the one thing that he prided himself on never doing. But at some point, you cannot outrace time. You cannot outrace the impact of age. And as much as he wanted to stay on the stage, his time has come. And he’s had to accept that. And it’s not an easy thing to do. But tonight brings that to the fore in a very public way. And he’s, I think, going to use this opportunity to frame that exit.

OK, let’s watch that speech. Let’s watch.

We’re going to go over. So we’re sitting at the very top row in the arena, and you can really see everything from here. It’s pretty amazing — thousands and thousands of Delegates and this huge TV screen.

And now, I would like to introduce my father, your 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden.

So he’s smiling. He’s looking up into the crowd. He’s putting his hand over his eyes.

They’re chanting. Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Joe.

Look, his eyes are tearing up. He’s always been an emotional politician, not afraid to show emotion in public. This has got to be one of the most emotional moments of his political career.

My fellow Americans, nearly four years ago, in winter on the steps of the Capitol on a cold January day, I raised my right hand, and I swore an oath to you and to God to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and to faithfully. execute the Office of the President of the United States.

In front of me — in front of me was a city surrounded by the National Guard. Behind me, a capital that two weeks before had been overrun by a violent mob. But I knew then from the bottom of my heart that I knew now, there is no place in America for political violence, none.

Biden’s presidency has been rooted in that January 6th attack and the aftermath basically for four years. And in a way, Kamala Harris is going to run a different campaign because rather than talk about the past, she’s trying to say that she’s about the future. As important as January 6th is, a lot of Americans want to move on. And the difference between his approach to it and hers is rather striking.

I stand before you now on this August night to report that democracy has prevailed.

“Democracy has prevailed” is the line he used in his inauguration address in January 2021.

And now, democracy must be preserved.

This was the reason he gave to run, right?

This is the reason he gave to run in 2020. It’s the same narrative, and it’s the same evaluation of where we are as a country, in effect. He’s trying to say this is the battle that we have to wage. And even though he’s not going to be the one waging it now going forward, he’s telling these Democrats that they have to continue the fight.

I also ran to rebuild the backbone of America, the middle class.

So here, he is moving on to legacy.

Yeah, yeah, he’s moving on to legacy. He wants to talk about what he has done these last three years on legislation, on foreign policy, presumably, on domestic policy.

We have done that. And many of those jobs in the so-called fabs, the buildings that make the chips that are being constructed now. And guess what? The average salary in those fabs the size of a football field will be over $100,000 a year. And you don’t need a college degree.

That’s been a big thing for him, a big priority in the last four years, talking about jobs for people who don’t have a college degree, trying to move Democrats away from the idea that they’re elites and that they only care about people who are highly educated. And it’s coming at a time when the demographics have changed. The Republicans have become the party of the less educated voters, and the Democrats have been the party of the more educated voters. And he’s trying to recapture that old Democratic appeal to working class Americans.

Make sure they thought —

Those are his roots, in fact.

Those are his roots, right, “Scranton Joe,” as he conceives himself.

Meanwhile, we made the largest investment commonly in public safety ever. Now, the murder rate is —

So he just mentioned Kamala and I. But here we are about half an hour into this speech, and he really hasn’t gotten around to talking about her yet. He’s made a couple passing references to her, but he hasn’t yet given us the torch-passing part of the speech.

Kamala and I are committed to strengthening legal immigration, including protecting Dreamers and more.

Again, in reference to Kamala, but kind of —

But again, in passing.

— sort of subsidiary.

Yeah, the subsidiary, Kamala and I and then moves on. There’s not — we haven’t yet heard him talk about who she is, what she’s done as vice president.

He’s not giving us a pitch.

No, he presumably will before it’s over. But this is not a speech he had about Kamala.

The brave service members who gave their lives of this country, he called them “suckers and losers.” Who in the hell does he think he is? Who does he think he is?

There’s no words for a person. They’re not the words of a person, not worthy of being commander in chief, period. Not then, not now, and not ever. And I mean that. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

He’s talked more about Trump tonight so far than he has about Kamala Harris because I think he expected to give a speech tonight making the case against Trump, that he wanted to make that case himself for his own candidacy. And in that sense, a lot of the speeches, the speech he might have given a month ago, except that one key line, “I accept your nomination.”

Folks, I’ve got five months left in my presidency. I’ve got a lot to do. I intend to get it done.

It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your president. I love the job, but I love my country more.

I love my country more.

And all this talk about how I’m angry with all those people who said I should step down, that’s not true.

[CROWD CHANTING]

I love my country more, and we need to preserve our democracy. In 2024, we need you to vote. We need you to keep the Senate. We need you to win back the House of Representatives.

And above all, we need you to beat Donald Trump.

This was his case, right? This was the case he made for himself.

Elect Kamala and Tim.

Elect Kamala and Tim, he’s endorsing them. He’s supporting them, but he hasn’t really talked about them.

We’ve made incredible progress. But we have more work to do. And Kamala and Tim will continue to take on corporate greed and bring down cost of food.

Peter, is he actually passing the torch?

Well, he has changed the subject of the sentence from “I will” to “they will.” And the rest of it is a lot of what he would have said otherwise.

They will continue my policy.

Exactly, exactly. He’s outlining what he would have done in effect and saying Kamala and Tim will be the ones to carry it out.

Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made when I became our nominee.

All right, we’re talking a little bit about her.

It was the best decision I made my whole career.

He said it was the best decision he ever made in picking Kamala Harris as his vice president. Now, you can say he adds a line, but obviously, he understands right now that in some ways, she’s the most important thing to his legacy because if she wins, he will be remembered for what he accomplished and for sacrificing and stepping aside. And if she loses, people will say he hung on too long through hubris or stubbornness or pride, and he didn’t set the Democrats up for success.

In other words, his legacy is entirely dependent on her and what becomes of her in the next couple of months.

Absolutely right. 10 weeks will decide it.

America, America, I gave my best to you.

So this is the final moment.

The book ends of an extraordinary political career. Whether you support him or not, it’s an American story.

Remember who we are. We’re the United States of America.

This is the line he always uses to finish his speeches.

And there’s nothing we cannot do when we do it together.

God bless you all, and may God protect our troops.

The crowd is roaring.

He turns around, looks behind him.

So about 48 minutes, long speech. It’s now well after midnight in the east. But the crowd here was appreciative, even if some of them began to drift away. Behind him and behind Jill are graphics saying, “thank you, Joe” and “we love Joe.”

Here’s Kamala Harris.

Kamala and her husband, Doug, are joining them. They’re embracing.

I love you so much, he just said. Kamala Harris, you could see her lips. I love you so much, he said, and gave her a hug. And then she just said, I love you, again. This is effectively the torch being passed, in effect, sending the signal, this call to the country and the world that he sees her as his successor. And it’s her party now. And if she can win in November, it’ll be her White House.

So he’s clearing the stage. The next three nights of this convention, all in prime time, will all be Kamala Harris and the people who are promoting Kamala Harris. Joe Biden won’t be here anymore, and it won’t be his convention.

And he’s leaving the stage, Peter.

Now, he’s leaving the stage, literally, and you can argue, politically.

That’s it. He’s gone.

Here’s what else you should know today.

In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal, that he supports it.

Israel accepted an important proposal put forward by international mediators, including the US, who were trying to broker a last ditch plan for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The proposal was described as a bridge toward a larger peace agreement. And Israel’s support prompted American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to call on Hamas to back the proposal as well.

The next important step is for Hamas to say yes, and then, in the coming days, for all of the expert negotiators to get together to work on clear understandings on implementing the agreement.

But it’s unclear whether Hamas will back the bridge proposal. Hamas has repeatedly claimed that the ceasefire negotiations have been slanted toward Israel. And in a sign of its skepticism, the group’s military wing carried out a provocative suicide bombing in Tel Aviv on Sunday night.

Today’s episode was produced by Rob Szypko, Lynsea Garrison, Carlos Prieto, Stella Tan, and Jessica Cheung. It was edited by Rachel Quester and Paige Cowett, contains original music by Marion Lozano, Dan Powell, and Rowan Niemisto, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Sabrina Tavernise. See you tomorrow.

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Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise

Featuring Katie Rogers and Peter Baker

Produced by Rob Szypko Lynsea Garrison Carlos Prieto Stella Tan and Jessica Cheung

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Original music by Marion Lozano Dan Powell Rowan Niemisto and Corey Schreppel

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow ‘The Daily’ Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio

On the first night of the Democratic National Convention, the stage belonged to the man who chose to give it up.

Katie Rogers and Peter Baker, White House correspondents for The Times, discuss President Biden’s private pain since stepping aside, and his public message in Chicago.

On today’s episode

Katie Rogers , a White House correspondent for The New York Times.

Peter Baker , the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading

Biden defended his record and endorsed Kamala Harris : “America, I gave my best to you.”

Analysis: The speech Biden never wanted to give .

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Michael Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam and Nick Pitman.

Katie Rogers is a White House correspondent. For much of the past decade, she has focused on features about the presidency, the first family, and life in Washington, in addition to covering a range of domestic and foreign policy issues. She is the author of a book on first ladies. More about Katie Rogers

Peter Baker is the chief White House correspondent for The Times. He has covered the last five presidents and sometimes writes analytical pieces that place presidents and their administrations in a larger context and historical framework. More about Peter Baker

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Harris wants to give families a big tax break for a new baby

Asma Khalid

Vice President Harris holds the baby of Durham County Board of Commissioners chair Nida Allam upon arrival at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina on Aug. 16, 2024. Allison Joyce/AFP hide caption

Vice President Harris unveiled an economic plan on Friday that focused on the high cost of housing, groceries and raising kids — top-of-mind expenses for voters pinched by years of rising prices.

The plan includes a major expansion in the child tax credit. Low- and middle-income families would get up to $6,000 when they have a new baby. And Harris said she wants to restore the pandemic-era program that gave families up to $3,600 per child.

How Harris’ vision for the economy is a twist on Biden’s

A bigger child tax credit has also been proposed by Republicans. Vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance said on Sunday that he would like to see it expanded to $5,000 per child.

Polls have shown President Biden has struggled to get credit for his efforts to lower prices and many voters say they trust Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump more on the economy — but polls also show that voters are less critical of Harris on economic issues.

" Costs are still too high, and on a deeper level, for too many people, no matter how much they work, it feels so hard to just be able to get ahead," Harris said on Friday in Raleigh, N.C.

Harris' plans would cost a lot. Her campaign hasn't said how much

What you need to know about the child tax credit as both campaigns embrace it

The child tax credit is both popular with voters and effective at cutting child poverty rates. But, expanding the program also would be expensive.

"It would be very costly. The current child tax credit costs something like $100 billion a year. This [proposal] would probably double that cost," said Kevin Corinth, an economist with the American Enterprise Institute, who worked for the White House Council of Economic Advisers during the Trump era.

The Harris campaign so far has not put a price tag on its plans.

Felicia Wong, chief executive of Roosevelt Forward, a progressive advocacy group, said Harris' proposals would require new spending. "The good news is that we certainly have that money in our country," Wong said.

"It is a matter of increasing taxes on the wealthy and corporations and overall changing our tax code, in order to make sure that we can bring in these revenues and then pay for these investments," she said.

A homebuilder advertises in a Petaluma, Calif., development on May 2, 2024. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

Harris will focus on housing prices

Harris announced a proposal for tax breaks that her campaign said would lead to 3 million new housing units in four years, going beyond a Biden White House proposal to ease housing shortages with 2 million new and renovated homes.

As millions struggle with home prices, housing becomes a top issue for voters

Harris' plan would give unspecified tax incentives to homebuilders for houses geared to first-time buyers and for affordable rental housing. She proposed a $40 billion fund to help local governments finance developments, up from a $20 billion proposal from the Biden White House. Like all spending, these proposals would depend on Congress being willing to fund them.

Harris said she would ask Congress to give first-time homeowners up to $25,000 toward their down payments — a plan that her campaign said could help more than 4 million first-time buyers. That is more generous than a plan Biden announced in this year’s State of the Union address that would have given first-time homebuyers a $10,000 tax credit, and help about 400,000 first-generation homebuyers with down-payment assistance.

And she said she would back legislation to restrict tax breaks for corporate investors that buy up homes, as well as a bill that would ban rental property owners from buying algorithmic data that helps them hike rent prices.

Harris would crack down on corporations, her campaign says

Harris and Biden gave campaign-style remarks on Thursday about their efforts to lower prescription drug prices for people on Medicare. Like Biden, Harris is proposing that a $35 cap on the price of insulin be extended for everyone, not just seniors -- as well as a $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs.

Harris argued that corporations are making too much money from consumers — a theme she has foreshadowed on the campaign trail, noting her work on price-fixing when she was California's attorney general.

U.S. home prices have far outpaced paychecks. See what it looks like where you live

"A loaf of bread costs 50% more today than it did before the pandemic. Ground beef is up almost 50%. Many of the big food companies are seeing their highest profits in two decades. And while many grocery chains pass along these savings, others still aren't," Harris said.

Harris called for a federal ban on price gouging in the food sector, and said her administration would more aggressively investigate and prosecute price-fixing in the meat supply chain.

This proposal is similar to an approach taken by the Biden administration, which said in Sept. 2021 that it would crack down on price fixing and enforce antitrust laws in the meat sector, as well as provide funding to smaller players to try to boost competition.

High Meat Prices Are Helping Fuel Inflation, And A Few Big Companies Are Being Blamed

Harris’ plan would give the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general the authority to investigate corporations and impose penalties, her campaign said. Many large retailers have kept grocery prices high instead of passing savings along to consumers, Harris said.

Kevin Hassett, a top economic adviser in the Trump White House, said that some of Harris' proposals would amount to "price controls," and could lead to shortages of supply. He said Trump's approach of cutting taxes, deregulation, and boosting energy production would do more to address inflation.

"There's not a lot of price gouging going on here with Safeways and Giants and 7-Eleven stores — they just have very, very, low margins," Hassett told reporters on a conference call.

NPR's Alejandra Marquez Janse and Jeongyoon Han contributed to this report.

• Kamala Harris
• Donald Trump
• housing shortage
• grocery prices