STEP THREE

Create Appropriate Visual Aids

Chances are, you’ll use at least one visual aid to support your presentation. Visual aids help to make bland presentations come to life—and as the saying goes, sometimes a picture is worth 1,000 words. Keep in mind that sometimes visual aids can have the opposite effect and turn a presentation into a disaster if they are not used effectively.

You’ve probably attended a presentation at one time during which it was clear that the presenter just learned how to add animation and sound to slides in the presentation—so much so that every time something appeared on the slide, it “flew in” or “checker-boarded across” the screen and emitted a zipping, zapping, or cha-ching noise.

Because most people have an easier time remembering something they have seen, presentations usually benefit from some use of audiovisual support. All visuals and materials should be carefully prepared ahead of time to reflect the professionalism of the speaker, and the presenting organization, and to convey respect for the audience. Therefore, it is important to plan and prepare visual aids carefully to support the presentation and not distract from it.

Benefits of Visual Aids

If you’re not quite convinced about the power that visual aids can add, consider this fact. In one study, a presentation that delivered information only verbally achieved a 7 percent comprehension rate; the addition of visuals raised comprehension to 87 percent.

In addition to helping your audience understand and remember your message, visual aids also

• Help you to control the flow and structure of the information to maintain and peak the audience’s attention as you reveal the key points
• Help you to communicate your message quicker and more efficiently
• Enable the audience to see what something looks like, clarify relationships among numerical data, show the organizational structure of information, and so on
• Provide more clarity when they are organized and thoughtfully integrated
• Add interest, variety, and excitement to what might otherwise be a boring presentation.

So which visual aid should you use based on the type of presentation you need to deliver?

Determining Which Visual Aid(s) Meets Your Needs

There are many types of visual aids to choose from when planning your presentation. You can use whiteboards, posters, flipcharts, transparencies and overhead projectors, slides, presentation software, and so on. There are advantages and disadvantage to each type of visual aid and some of them lend themselves to specific circumstances more than others. Which type of visual aid you choose will depend on the presentation goals, the makeup of your audience, and your budget. The following questions will help you to select the appropriate visual aid.

• What is the audience’s learning profile? Consider their current level of expertise, motivation for attending the presentation (that is, is it required or optional), and their expectation. You need to ensure that your presentation is informative but that it does not go over their heads.
• Will sound, motion, color, or other effects be required to present the message effectively? If you only need to highlight specific points, a transparency or text slides might be sufficient.
• Under what conditions is the presentation taking place? What will be the room size, audience size, and availability of equipment?
• Do you have the resources—time, money, expertise, and support—to develop a presentation that uses the appropriate visual aids to their best advantage?

So with these initial questions in mind, let’s look at a few myths and truths to remember when integrating visual aids into any presentation.

Visual Aid Myths, Facts, and Guidelines

No matter what type of visual aid you plan to use, you can pro-actively avoid some pitfalls by keeping the following myths, facts, and guidelines in mind when adding visuals to a presentation.

Myths and Facts

Let’s dispel some common myths:

• Myth 1: The more visual aids used, the better.
  Fact: The use of visual aids should support your presentation but not be your presentation. Avoid overdoing the visuals at the expense of the message. Content is key— and too many visuals that are not relevant to the content will only confuse and frustrate the audience.
• Myth 2: Any visual aid is better than none.
  Fact: A visual aid that is too complex to understand is best left out of the presentation. Visuals should reinforce and support the message and be of high-enough quality to clearly reproduce on the presentation materials and handouts.
• Myth 3: Visual aids are complex and add one more element to worry about in the presentation.
  Fact: Not true. Most problems occurring in presentations are caused by a lack of preparation. While you will want to check the equipment and run through the visual aids in advance of the presentation, visuals often help the audience to readily grasp key concepts and follow the flow of the presentation.

Guidelines for Using Visual Aids

Use these guidelines to ensure that your visuals support and clarify presentation content.

• Illustrate only one point per visual—effective visuals help the audience to get the point about five seconds after they appear. As a best practice, show the visual, pause a moment to let the audience scan the visual and begin to process the information, and then discuss the presentation content.
• Use the appropriate number of visuals—as a guideline, use only three visuals every five or six minutes to highlight the key points since too many visuals can cause confusion and overload the audience.
• Avoid redundant information—do not read the exact same text aloud that appears on a visual. Visual aids should complement your message.
• Keep the design of visuals consistent throughout the presentation—when preparing your visual aids, use the same color scheme to project a unified method and to avoid confusing the audience with arbitrary changes.
• Maintain orientation of the visuals—try to keep all visuals positioned in a horizontal format since the bottom of the screen is often difficult to see for some audience members.
• Position text in the same location—on each visual keep the focus in the same place, for example, one-fifth of the way from the top.
• Repeat key information at the beginning and the end—the beginning and end of the presentation should be an identical summary of the presentation’s key points. This not only orients the audience to what is to come, but also helps to close the loop and ensure that you haven’t missed any information when reviewing the key points at the end of the presentation.
• Prepare visuals early—allow enough time to plan and develop visuals that effectively support the presentation. Practice with the visuals until you are comfortable. Avoid making any last-minute changes to visuals since this often increases a presenter’s stress level and leaves room for misspellings or other errors to creep into the presentation.
• Talk to the audience, not the visual—be sure that everyone can see the visual. Talk about the visual aid only while you are showing it and don’t leave the visual in view after you have finished talking about it.

Steps for Adding Visual Aids

So what is a good approach to use to get started in planning and developing the presentation visuals? First, visual aids should never happen haphazardly or appear just for decoration. When this happens the visuals tend to distract more than help to convey the message or maintain interest. Use these steps to plan your content.

1. Begin by outlining your presentation, identifying the key and supporting points.
2. Then determine which of these points will need a visual for clarity.
3. Make a thumbnail sketch of each visual.
4. Take a critical look at your outline and the visuals that you have planned. As a general rule, if the visual is not contributing to the clarity or flow of the information, or does not convey the “need to know” information, then throw it out.
5. Experiment with the remaining visuals to add creativity and clarity to support the presentation content.

Mastering Different Types of Visual Aids

Presenters have myriad visual aids available that clearly communicate the presentation’s key points, which will help develop a creative and engaging presentation. For example, flipcharts, whiteboards, and overhead transparencies enable you to draw and write on the fly. Presentation software enables you to create formal, structured, professional-looking presentations. High-tech visual aids such as videotape, digital video disks (DVDs), photographic slides, and digital slides can demonstrate or convey information and add a “wow” factor to your presentation. Despite all of these solutions for enhancing your presentation—you need to keep in mind that not all of these options are appropriate all of the time. Visual aids should be used to enhance and convey the message of your presentation—not dominate the entire show.

Flipcharts

A flipchart is the most basic visual aid, usually consisting of an easel and large pads of paper attached to the stand or a cardboard backing. You can purchase a variety of flipchart paper—including ones with sticky backs that act like large Post-it notes that can be displayed around the room. Other varieties of flipchart paper include blank pages, lined pages, or even grids. Flipcharts are a great resource for smaller group presentations and for capturing key points from brainstormed sessions or illustrating information on the fly to help clarify the presentation message.

Using the Touch, Turn, Talk Method

When presenting using a flipchart, stand to one side. Which side depends on which hand you write with. For example, if you are right-handed, stand on the left side of the flipchart (as the audience faces it). If you are using tabs to help you navigate within the mass of flipchart pages, position the tabs on the left side as well (again, as the audience faces the chart). If you are left-handed, then reverse this stance and placement.

When you present using flipcharts as a visual aid, use the “touch, turn, talk” method. To do this:

1. Lightly touch the flipchart page that you are referring to or write something on the page before you begin speaking.
2. Turn toward the audience.
3. Begin speaking to the audience—not to the flipchart.

If you see audience members craning their necks to see the flip-chart, that is your cue to move or to position the flipchart so that everyone can see it more readily.

Don’t read word for word from the flipchart. The audience can read for themselves. Each page of the flipchart should outline the key and supporting points that you elaborate. The best presenters use visual aids to support the presentation—not be the presentation.

10 Rules When Creating Flipcharts

Consider the following when creating flipcharts:

1. Use a maximum of six lines per page. Use only eight to 10 words per point, and use key words or phrases instead of full sentences. Busy flipcharts obscure your message.
2. Make your letters at least two inches high and verify that the audience can read them from the back of the room.
3. Use headings on each page to orient the audience to the key and supporting points. For example, use bold, capital letters in one color for all headings, and show supporting points as bulleted items in a different color. To make perfect-looking bullets, some presenters use round, colorful stickers.
4. Use three to four different colors to make flipcharts eye-catching and easy to read. Use nontoxic, water-based markers because they smell better, won’t bleed through walls and tables, and won’t ruin your clothes.
5. If you have to tape flipcharts to a wall for additional writing space, leave one or two blank flipchart pages behind the one you plan to write on to ensure that the marker won’t bleed through the paper onto the paint or wallpaper. As a best practice, you can leave a blank sheet of paper between your written flipchart pages so that the audience cannot see what is ahead on subsequent pages.
6. Use colors that are easy for the audience to see—for example, black and blue tend to be the most visible. Use your judgment about adding green or red for emphasis. These are great colors to imply “do” and “don’t” or “positives” and “negatives,” but red can be difficult to see from a distance and some audience members might be colorblind and unable to make the distinction.
7. At the top corner of each page closest to where you will be standing, write a brief heading of what’s on the next page lightly in pencil with an arrow under it. This note will help you move seamlessly to the material on the following page.
8. Number each page of your flipchart, then mark the corresponding number in your notes to help you quickly get back on track if you get distracted or lose your place.
9. Always check the spelling of your flipcharts.
10. Use Post-It notes, sticky tabs, or clear tape to form tabs at the side of each sheet to make it easy to find the specific flipchart page you want to easily navigate to. Be sure to flag all of the flipchart pages.

Advantages of Using Flipcharts

As a guideline, use flipcharts when:

• You want to capture participant ideas and comments— while professional-looking flipcharts can be created by hand (if you have good hand-writing) or printed on large blotters, most presenters can create effective flipcharts with little effort. For example, use flipcharts during project team meetings to list the top project issues and to facilitate a brainstorming session during which you capture the possible solutions on a separate flipchart.
• Audience and room size are appropriate—flipcharts are ideal in rooms with 30 or fewer participants when the chart is positioned so that everyone has a good line of sight. You need the flexibility to display the flipcharts created before the presentation as well as a public place to capture ideas and questions generated during the presentation.
• You have a late-afternoon presentation—flipcharts are especially helpful for presentations conducted immediately after lunch or in the late afternoon since you do not need to dim the lights to see them as you would for a slide presentation.
• You have little or no budget—flipcharts are a perfect choice when a last-minute presentation has made its way onto your calendar and you have little time or budget to prepare a presentation. With flipcharts, you can create the key points, graphs, charts, or other information for your presentation at almost any time or anywhere and if on a limited budget.
• You need a crutch—since flipcharts can be created on the fly, many presenters also use them as a crutch to post an “agenda” of the presentation so that they can glance at the flipchart as a reminder of the next point or topic to discuss. Other presenter tricks include writing in pencil on the corners of blank flipchart pages so that only the presenter can see the key notes he or she wants to discuss—to the audience it appears as if the material comes from the top of his or her head.
• You want to display the visual during the entire presentation—flipcharts are particularly effective when you want to display a visual, graph, or chart during the entire presentation for you or the participants to refer back to from time to time.

When Not to Use Flipcharts

As a guideline, avoid flipcharts when:

• The size of the room or audience is not appropriate— although you’d this think would be an obvious error— you’ve probably seen a presenter writing on a flipchart in a room of 100+ people. The audience will not be able to readily see the flipchart, so choose another visual aid for large group presentations.
• You need to be more formal or professional—think of conducting a sales presentation for a new client on a flipchart. This medium might not be as formal or professional as you want to be in some situations.
• If your handwriting is barely legible—try printing in block letters using flipchart paper with lines or a grid as a guide. If the audience can’t read your writing, then try another visual aid. The bottom line is that if you do not include flipcharts in your presenter toolkit, then you are depriving yourself—and your audience—of a very useful and unique visual aid.
• If you present the same program regularly—unless you are going to have your flipcharts laminated, they may get tattered and ragged after several presentations. Laminating flipcharts can be expensive.

Overhead Transparencies

Another useful visual aid is the overhead transparency. Transparencies are similar to flipcharts in that they are low-tech, easy to use, and can be created in a hurry. Colored pens enable you to highlight key points or important words and you can make these decisions on the fly.

Transparencies, however, do require a projector, a projection screen, and electricity, so they are definitely a step up from flip-charts on the technology scale. Because some overhead projectors can project plain paper on the screen—meaning no transparencies are needed—you’ll need to verify the type of projector that will be available before you show up for your presentation.

Using Overhead Transparencies

If the room is small, consider positioning the screen and overhead projector facing one corner rather than straight forward. You’ll need to arrange for this room setup in advance.

Depending on the placement of the projector cord, you might want to use duct tape to tape it to the floor to prevent a tripping hazard.

Before the presentation, ensure that the projector is focused so that the audience can see the entire image clearly. If you want to check the focus without revealing your images, place a coin with ridges (quarter or dime) on the glass and adjust the focus.

Keep the projector’s surface clean since every bit of dirt and dust is magnified about 100 times when it is projected on the screen.

The whirr of an overhead projector fan is often a bit noisy, so remember to project your voice and verify that everyone in the audience can hear you at the start of your presentation.

Use a flat-sided pointer, like a pencil, to indicate the images you are discussing since it will enable you to cleanly point out certain parts of the image and will not roll off the flat surface of the projector when you lay it down.

Use the “revelation” technique to reveal each point on the transparency one at a time by using a piece of paper under the transparency. (If you put the paper on top of the transparency, it will slip off the moment you take your fingers away from it.)

Talk to the audience—not the projector.

Know how to turn off the projector and do so when changing transparencies (or you will blind the audience) or whenever you are not using a transparency as a visual aid.

To prolong the life of the projector bulb and to prevent it from breaking due to the heat generated, run the fan for a few minutes after turning off the lamp.

Either carry an emergency bulb with you or know how to contact the audiovisual technician at the presentation site in case the projector bulb burns out. A spare bulb is often stored in a compartment inside the projector itself.

Advantages of Using Overhead Transparencies

As a guideline, use overhead transparencies when:

• Your presentation is informal or in a small room— although you can have transparencies professionally made, overhead transparencies are best suited for an informal, small-group presentation. Sometimes transparencies are easier for the audience to see than flipcharts.
• Your budget is small or time is short—transparencies can be made easily and are less expensive than slides.
• You want to project existing materials to a group— some transparencies are compatible with inkjet or laser printers. For example, you can print samples of forms, organizational charts, or graphics from your computer directly onto a transparency. Other transparencies can be loaded right into photocopiers so that you can create transparencies of anything that you can copy (for example, pages out of a book).
• You want to add to your presentation on the fly— grease pencils and transparency markers enable you to write or emphasize a point during the presentation.
• You will give the presentation several times— transparencies are easier to transport and are a little more durable than flipcharts. Some transparencies even come three-hole punched to easily organize and store in a binder to carry with you.

When Not to Use Overhead Transparencies

As a general rule, avoid using overhead transparencies when:

• The presentation site is too small to contain a projector, a screen, and the audience—overhead projectors can be quite bulky and at times interfere with the audience’s line of sight.
• Making a formal presentation—for all of their benefits, overhead transparencies are usually considered a step up in quality from a flipchart, especially if you have them professionally produced. However, for formal presentations, you should use PowerPoint or other presentation software or slides.

10 Rules to Follow When Creating Overhead Transparencies

Consider the following when creating overhead transparencies:

1. More is not always better. Keep the information on each transparency to a maximum of six lines with no more than eight words per line.
2. If making transparencies from a computer printer or a photocopier, remember to make the size of the text large enough for the audience to easily see. Choose a clear and easy-to-ready type face that has a font size of at least 24 points.
3. When choosing colors, apply the same principles as those outlined for flipcharts.
4. Use headings on each page to distinguish among key points and use bulleted lists to denote supporting points.
5. Be consistent with the font, colors, and formatting of headings, key points and supporting points throughout all the transparencies for the presentation.
6. Keep some transparency markers in your toolkit since all markers are not created equal. Test them before you use them for a presentation.
7. Number each transparency on the border as well as on the actual transparency. You’ll be glad you did if you drop them!
8. Write a number on each transparency to correspond with your notes so that you can seamlessly transition from one visual aid to another during your speech.
9. Always check your spelling.
10. If you are going to hand-write the transparencies, make sure that your handwriting is legible. If not, consider making the transparencies by printing them from a computer or using presentation software.

PowerPoint or Other Presentation Software

PowerPoint and other types of software-presentation tools have become so prevalent that they deserve their own discussion in the visual-aid category. Where overhead projectors and transparencies were once a staple of presentations, presentation software now reigns as the premier presentation tool in many organizations.

Presentation software enables you to create digital slides that can be shown to an audience in a number of ways including:

• on a desktop computer or liquid crystal diode (LCD) display on a laptop computer for small groups
• on a digital projector that interfaces directly with a laptop or PDA (special accessory required)

• using a computer projector that projects images directly from your monitor onto a screen or flat surface for larger groups
• using an overhead projector that uses specially made transparencies
• over the Internet or an organization’s intranet
• on hard copies of slides that can be distributed as handouts.

Presentation software offers many advantages over transitional visual aids, for example, its ease of use and the ability to capture “speaker’s notes” on each slide so that you can either print your “script,” which shows the slide image and your speaking notes, or it can display your speaking notes on the slide—which is only visible to you during the presentation.

Advantages of Using Presentation Software

As a guideline, use presentation software when:

• Your presentation is formal—presentation software tools are not only easy to use, but they also enable you to produce high-quality, professional-looking presentations. You can quickly rearrange the order of the slides and add movement, animation, and sound to each slide.
• You conduct the same presentation regularly—because presentations created using presentation software can be saved to a disk, CD-ROM, jump drive, laptop, or even a PDA, your presentation is easily stored, backed up, and transported. This means no bulky slide trays or flimsy transparencies.
• You need flexibility to modify your presentation— presentation software enables you to quickly add or replace slides using your keyboard. This means that you can easily tweak the content for different audiences and rearrange the flow of the presentation or the order of the key and supporting points to continually improve on the presentation and delivery.
• It is appropriate for audiences of all sizes— presentations created using this tool are professional-looking and are just as appropriate for one or two people sitting around a table, as a presentation for C-level executives, or to large groups in a conference center.
• You want to reveal information in a specific manner— when conducting a presentation, presentation software is especially adept at helping you to “reveal” the information that you want—when you want—to help maintain and peak the audience’s interest. Presentation software includes “builds,” which enable you to display all points on a slide, or with the click of your mouse or keyboard, to reveal just the current point that is being discussed. This feature even “dims” the previous talking points on the slide so that all information discussed on that slide is still visible to the audience, but the current point being discussed is highlighted in a different color. This helps to orient the audience not only to where they have been, but the current topic of discussion in case they “take a mental holiday” during the presentation.

When Not to Use Presentation Software

With all of the advantages of presentation software—is there ever a time when you should not use this tool for presentations? As a general rule, do not use presentation software when:

• Your presentation needs flexibility—the presentation and the slides you create with the software are usually designed to deliver a particular message in a structured way. For example, you’ve given your sales presentation to explain your products, services, and the industries you serve. That type of scenario works great for structured presentations using presentation software. However, now it is time to listen to the customer’s business needs and to discover where you might have a solution to meet those needs. A structured presentation does not lend itself to this type of discussion during which you need flexibility to ask probing questions and to take the conversation in different directions to be able to understand the full potential of a sales opportunity and the scope of the project.
• You’re fearful of new technology—if you feel a little “technology challenged,” you might want to avoid using presentation software unless you have adequate time to practice using the tool and rehearsing your presentation. If you are not comfortable using the technology, you might be distracted by concerns over pressing the right button to advance slides or to get special animation to appear on the screen rather than delivering a clear, confident presentation.

10 Rules to Follow When Creating Presentations Using Presentation Software

Here are 10 rules to apply when using presentation software:

1. Keep the design clean.
2. Don’t add too many effects.
3. Keep the background subtle.
4. Use clip art sparingly.
5. Use the right graph style for the data.
6. Limit colors to three per slide.
7. Adhere to the six-by-six format: No more than six words per line and no more than six lines per slide.
8. Use light colors on dark backgrounds.
9. Keep sound and music clips brief.
10. Always practice the presentation by projecting it to check projection quality.

Slides—Photographic or Digital

Millions of projector and photographic slides used in the presentation world can be projected directly from a laptop using PowerPoint or other presentation software. Whether the slides are photographic or digital—the guidelines are the same.

Advantages of Using Slides

As a guideline, use slides when:

• Your presentation is formal—making slides does not present a technical challenge, especially if you have access to a digital projector and presentation software.
• Your audience is large—large venues can support large-screen presentations.
• You will be repeating the presentation frequently—photographic slides can be safely stored in protective pages in three-ring binders or you can store them right in slide carousels, ready to pop into a projector. Digital slide presentations can also be stored electronically on disks or other electronic media. As a best practice, you might want to do both so that you have a backup.

When Not to Use Slides

Since slides, like other visual aids, are not a one-size-fits-all solution, avoid using slides when:

• Your presentation is informal—why go to the trouble of making slides when a flipchart or quick presentation software solution would be just as effective?
• You want to make changes to the presentation on the fly—flipcharts and overhead transparencies enable you to make quick changes easily. If you are using traditional slides, revisions can be costly in terms of both time and money.

Videotapes and DVDs

Using informational videotapes and DVDs can be an effective part of a presentation as a means of getting across a concept, providing background information, or simply offering some entertainment or a catalyst for discussion.

Using Videotapes and DVDs

When requesting and checking the presentation site setup, make sure that the proper equipment is available, works, and you know how to use it. Few things are as embarrassing as having to apologize for equipment failures or your lack of expertise.

Depending on the size of the room and the audience, make sure that there are enough monitors throughout the room so that the entire audience can see. Usually a minimum of one 25-inch monitor strategically placed will do the trick. Your presentation will not be a hit if 50 people are craning their necks to see a videotape on a table at the front of the room.

Plan to show only short segments of the video—no more than 10 to 15 minutes each—before stopping the video and discussing the content.

When you purchase a training video or DVD, you automatically have permission to use that video in presentations as you see fit. However, commercial videos/DVDs are not included under this umbrella. If you purchase or rent a popular movie and use it in a presentation without written permission from the film producers, you are possibly violating copyright law, depending on the nature of your use and the organization in which the presentation takes place. Check this out before making a commercial movie part of your presentation.

Advantages of Videotapes and DVDs

As a guideline, use videotapes or DVDs when:

• You want to dramatically illustrate a point—or you want to entertain as well as inform the audience. These visual aids are particularly effective for demonstrating desired skills and behavior.

When Not to Use Videotapes and DVDs

As is true for any visual aid, proper use always needs to be considered. Do not use videotapes or DVDs when:

• Your time is limited—videos often stimulate discussion. The content will not be very valuable if you do not have time to discuss it.
• You want to update or change your message—changes to a video are expensive and can be very tricky.

Handouts

Handouts usually consist of either additional information related to your presentation or are the hard copies of what was presented on a visual such as a flipchart or electronic presentation slides. Handouts are important for a number of reasons:

• They reinforce your message as well as all key and supporting points.
• They free the audience to listen to the presentation rather than frantically taking notes.
• They enable you to provide additional information to participants that you might not be able to cover fully due to time constraints.
• They enable your audience to personalize the materials by taking notes, highlighting important information and jotting ideas for key takeaways.

Using Handouts

Just like any other visual aid you use for a presentation, handouts need to look professional. Be careful not to use too many different styles of fonts and proof the pages to ensure that there are no misspellings. Staple or paperclip the handouts if they have multiple pages. This will make it easier for you to distribute them and to ensure the audience has received all the pages. If you know that the audience is receiving a three-ring binder to store all of their presentation materials, they will appreciate it if you have already hole-punched your presentation handouts as well.

The number of copies to make is determined by room capacity. At conferences where attendance at a specific session is not preregistered, presenters should produce a number of handouts that equals room capacity plus 20 percent.

So with copies in hand, when is the best time to distribute the handouts? In general,

• Presentation handouts are usually provided at the start of the presentation.
• Keep in mind, however, that if you distribute handouts before the presentation—to encourage note taking, the audience may pay more attention to the handouts or frantically flip through pages to jump ahead to other topics.
• If you want to “reveal” your presentation as you go and not have the audience know what is ahead, wait to distribute your handouts until the end.
• Ideally, handouts that you plan to provide at the start of the presentation should already be placed on the tables or chairs where your audience will be seated.
• If you have handouts regarding additional resources or supplemental information, those are usually distributed at the close of the session.
• If you do plan to provide handouts at the end of the session, make arrangements for someone to assist you, especially if the audience is large. It’s a little distracting to be speaking to the audience, wrapping up the presentation, and delivering handouts all at the same time.

Props

Presenters often overlook props as a visual aid—and only your imagination limits the type of props that you can use.

For example, Roger VanOech, author of A Whack on the Side of the Head, brings volunteers up on stage to represent the four sides of the creative person. Each volunteer dons headgear to illustrate the characteristic he or she represents. Even years later, an average audience member reports recalling the four characteristics based on the four “hats.”

Another creative presenter took a basketball in one hand and a baseball in the other as he described the differences in weight of two issues he was presenting.

Introducing anything like props into your presentation also takes a little courage. After all, the approach might fly or people might not quite understand the symbolism. Try out your props when doing a run-through of your presentation with friends or colleagues.

Now that we have explored the many options available for enhancing presentations, use Tool 3.1 to check that the visual aids you will be using follow best-practice guidelines.

TOOL 3.1

Visual Aids Assessment

This assessment will help you to determine which visual aids may be most appropriate for your presentation and to verify that the visuals you have planned will enhance, not distract, from your message.

NOTES