What should be the determining factors in the use of visuals

If audi-ence is large, presentation should be more formal whereas informal presentation can work in small audience. Much of the audience notices the physical things surrounding the speaker, the stage, lighting arrangement, background, etc.

Proper arrangement of these things can enhance the impact of the presentation. If there is noise in the surrounding environment, it detracts the audience from listening and consequently leaves unhealthy messages.

Well dressed up person can deliver good presentation. Therefore, the speaker should wear neat and clean clothes and take time to check his appearance just before starting presentation. Different research studies demonstrate that presenters using latest visual techniques are perceived as better prepared, more persuasive, more credible and more interesting than speakers who do not use visuals.

But visuals work only if the technology on which they depend works well. Therefore, presenter should check the equipment in advance before presenting. Those presenters who can open the presentation with interesting remarks which are likely to create more interest and enthusiasm for listening the presentation.

On the other hand, presenters with poor opening are likely to leave the audience bored. Similarly, the ending of the presentation has profound impact on the audience. Endings, with vivid and positive pictures are more likely to have profound impact on the audience. Organizing the information in a proper manner can make the message more understandable, keep the audience happy and boost the image of the speaker.

Proper organization of presentation enhances the effectiveness of the presentation. They should illustrate important points that are otherwise hard to understand. 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.

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. Done well, graphs can convey data. Privacy Policy.

Skip to main content. Module 7: Visual Aids. Search for:. Palmer, E. For many, understanding of the world is being accomplished, not through words, but by reading images" - Lester, 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:.

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. Fast-track your career with award-winning courses and realistic practice. 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? 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.

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. 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. 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.

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. 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.