Types of Presentation Aids

What is the goal? Is the goal to inform, persuade, explain, raise awareness? Having an obvious goal allows the speaker to determine the medium for the visual aid, whether it is an object, video, or infographic.

Attire: YOU are a visual aid! Audience members will immediately assess speaker credibility based on appearance. What you choose to wear, or your attire, should be appropriate for the audience and occasion.

Presentation Software: Technology tools have given public speakers presentation software to create engaging slide shows for their audiences. Examples of online presentation software include Microsoft PowerPoint, Keynote for Apple, Google Slides, Prezi and Adobe Spark.

The slide layout, colors, and fonts should be uniform. Simplicity ensures that the audience focuses on the speaker. The presentation software aids in communicating the message rather than detracting. Word clouds, photos, and icons bring variety and enhance audience engagement.
Be sure to back up the digital elements in multiple formats. Test your presentation to be sure it will load prior to the presentation. A technology check and getting the slide show cued up will allow you to focus on the oral advocacy of the speech. Update permissions if necessary to include public viewing.
Always face the audience. When speakers turn away from the audience, they break the connection with listeners. Interpret the visual aid. What this means is do not just point to the presentation. Instead, explain what each element of the slide show means and how it relates to the presentation topic.

Video: Be sure to have video clips cued before the presentation. Since there are often loading errors from PowerPoint, it is more reliable to have a YouTube clip in a separate window ready to play. A video clip should only be 30 seconds for speeches under seven minutes:

Introduce why the clip will be played.
Play the video file.
Relay the relevance of the video imagery in terms of the overall theme.

Sound Clips: Using audio segments selectively in slide shows can be highly effective. Overuse of audio distracts listeners from the message. Perform a technology check to make sure the sounds will play before beginning the presentation. If possible, trim the sound clips to only the segment needed to support your point. We can select musical inserts. Voice clips from speeches, films, and music provide clarity or tone for our audience. Be sure to introduce why sound clips are being used. Play the audio file. Then, relay the relevance of the audio file in terms of the overall theme.

Diagrams: Diagrams are illustrations that represent 3-dimensional objects. If we wanted to show the anatomy of the human heart, a visual depiction of the heart with labels pointing to each significant component would increase audience awareness and understanding.

Venn Diagrams: The Venn diagram displays overlapping circles. Whatever exists in the overlapping sections have shared characteristics. Items in the outer portions of the circles do not have common traits. Venn diagrams are valuable visual aids used to compare and contrast objects, theories, processes. Figure 11.1 provides an example.

Figure 11.1 Venn Diagram

Handouts: Leaflets, brochures, and postcards highlight key points from the presentation. Hard copy visual aids allow the audience to complete a call to action. For example, furnish hard copy materials with website information if you want the audience to join a mailing list or make a purchase. The handout provides the information necessary to complete the action after the audience leaves the speech. Also, hard copy handouts enable the audience to remember the facts provided during the presentation. Pass handouts out after delivery of the presentation rather than at the beginning of the speech. Listeners may become distracted by the handouts rather than focusing on the presentation if visual aids are presented at the beginning of the speech.

Pictures, Maps, & Poster Boards: Photographic support can demonstrate the severity or improvement of a problem to an audience. Maps work exceptionally well in spatially organized speeches. Photos show information much more simply than describing something. Make sure images are high resolution. Photos should have sufficient lighting and multiple angles. When using images from a website, be sure to provide the source information on the slide for credibility. Insert photos into handouts, presentation software, infographics, or print out full size and present on an easel. Be sure the image is large enough (typically 8x10 at least) so details are clear for the audience.

Flip Charts/Dry Erase Boards/Chalk Boards: Flip charts, dry erase boards, and chalkboards can be very effective while interacting with the audience. Both pre-created and impromptu flip charts, dry erase boards, and chalkboards should be visible to all audience members. Another benefit of these visual aid devices is that they allow the speaker to use nonverbal communication effectively, such as hand gestures. A speaker can focus the audience’s attention, highlighting verbal material. Besides planned, written advocacy, these visual aid tools are very fluid because they elicit information from the audience. Be decisive and have a clear organizational structure for the space. Make certain handwriting is legible. Be sure that you do not turn your back to the audience while speaking.

Statistical Information Graphics: Pie charts, bar graphs, and line charts are beneficial for audience members to visualize statistical information.

Pie charts organize data into "pie slices" to show how individual data clusters relate to each other. Pie charts also visually display overall data collections. Pie charts allow the audience to see how data sets relate, providing an aerial snapshot of the statistical information (See Figure 11.2). Pie charts are particularly useful for viewing data in terms of how all the parts relate to each other and the whole.

Figure 11.2 Pie Chart

Let us suppose various departments in a company are creating presentations on why each requires additional funding. The pie chart would give decision-makers an overall understanding of what each department received in the previous fiscal year's overall budget (Figure 11.3).

Figure 11.3 Department Funding

Bar graphs form vertical or horizontal rectangular bars. The length of bars represents the measure of data for different categories. Bar graphs compare items between different categories. Below are two examples of how the same data can be applied on a vertical (Figure 11.4) and horizontal (Figure 11.5) bar graph.

Figure 11.4 Vertical Bar Graph

Figure 11.5 Horizontal Bar Graph

Line graphs are beneficial for speakers to visually illustrate trends, make forecasts, or compare variables over some particular duration of time. Line graphs have a vertical and horizontal axis. The vertical axis contains the data, and the horizontal axis represents periods. Figure 11. 6 is a line graph reflecting changes over time.

Figure 11. 6 Line Graph

Infographics: Infographics are visual representations of information, data, or knowledge designed to create a graphic story for the audience. Speakers often share infographics on websites, social media, company reports, and executive summaries for research papers. Speakers utilize visually engaging infographics to establish patterns, demonstrate trends, break down complex information into pieces, change over time, compare information, and track data. Infographics should be easy for the audience to understand. Like other visual tools, the imagery should have a consistent color scheme, fonts, and icons or photographs. Be sure to attribute the source information at the bottom of the infographic. There are a variety of infographics that public speakers use in presentations.

Informational infographics introduce technical concepts and new information to your listeners. A statistical infographic highlights data. Statistical infographics provide a visual storytelling format for multiple pieces of data. For example, survey results, percentage breakdowns, and dollar amount analyses. Another example would be statistics on homelessness across five countries, with ten cities featured, and a demographic breakdown. The statistical infographic would break this information into sections highlighting each dataset. An informational infographic would provide lists of data summarized by simple icons. An example of a statistical infographic (Figure 11.7) is provided below.

Figure 11.7 Statistical Infographic

If we have statistical data with pie charts, bar graphs, and line charts and want to provide a summary of the data, then we would create a mixed chart infographic, which simply combines several types of visual data. Here is an example of a mixed chart infographic (Figure 11.8).

If we want to visually organize chronological information, then we would create a timeline or process infographic. Timeline infographics are used to visually display time progression, and are commonly designed to reflect how something has progressed or developed over time (Figure 11.9). A process infographic is used to simplify, summarize, and visually display a process. Figure 11.10 is a process infographic visually explaining how a bill becomes law in the US.

Figure 11.8 Mixed Chart Infographic

Figure 11.10 Process Infographic

Figure 11.9 Timeline Infographic

Other types of infographics are useful for presenting data in a specific way or to show logical connections. If we have data to compare, then visual comparison infographics using color are effective in showing differences and similarities for the audience. Colors and symbols make discerning the differences visually appealing. Location infographics highlight a particular region to compare to other locations. This type of infographic is useful for showing locations where a company sends materials, industry sales throughout the country or world, or attitudes towards a policy in various geographical regions. Hierarchical infographics visually organize information into levels. A pyramid graph is used to show how content is organized and how each level is connected. The classical example of a hierarchical infographic is the food groups pyramid used to represent healthy eating. Finally, flowchart infographics depict an abstract technique or organizational structure. These infographics represent similar information as timeline or process infographics. Arrows and lines symbolize the relationship between different ideas. Flowcharts are a form of mind mapping. Mind mapping demonstrates how information connects visually.

Resources

The Web links below offer online tools and templates for creating unique, personalized infographics.

Free Canva Templates from Canva.com
Infographic Templates & Design from Vennage.com
Icograms.com has templates for Statistical Infographics
Slidesgo.com has Hierarchical Infographics templates for PowerPoint slides.

Visme, an online tool for content creators, offers a list of infographics for inspiration. You can view their list of the Best Infographics using the link below.

101 Best Infographic Examples

Models: Models are three-dimensional objects representing smaller or larger objects. For example, a 3-dimensional model of an aircraft part or piece of technical equipment. While the equipment piece may be too small for the audience to see, the aircraft part would be too large to bring into a meeting room. A desktop model replica of an aircraft or technical part would allow the audience to visualize components of the item. With a model, it is easier for an audience to see three dimensions of the object referenced in the speech versus only viewing a photograph. Be sure the object or model is large enough so that everyone in the audience can view it. Allow extra time to carry the models to the speaking location.

Objects: Directing the audience's attention to a physical object can add variety and clarification to the speech. Suppose you are speaking about the importance of using an electric toothbrush. We might hold up an electric toothbrush that we recommend as an example. Never bring an object that might get damaged. If damage is a concern, then a photograph of the object would be a better option.

Summary

This chapter covered using research to support the speech message with four objectives: define/explain, prove/support, engage/make vivid, and enhance speaker credibility. We examined the ethical use of research by acknowledging criteria to evaluate research: authority, accuracy, recency, objectivity, and quantity. The types of supporting material such as definitions, statistics, testimony, reluctant authority, and narratives were analyzed.

We learned about research synthesis strategies for speech writing from start to finish. These techniques include the brain dump technique, distinguishing between primary and secondary sources, understanding types of periodicals, locating research online, and using books. Then we learned about the effectiveness of utilizing tags to keep track of research. We covered options for research in the speech outline, such as using direct quotes and paraphrases.

Lastly, we discussed mastering the objectives of presentational aids: understanding how audiences process information, adapting to our target audience, understanding the speaking context, and determining the medium for presentational aids. The types of visual aids include: attire, presentation software, video, sound clips, diagrams, Venn diagrams, handouts, pictures and poster boards, flip charts/dry erase boards/chalk boards, maps, statistical information graphics, infographics, models, and objects.

Supporting material adds variety and interest to a presentation. When used effectively, verbal and visual support can also enhance your credibility as a speaker. Careful thought and consideration should be taken to ensure a speech has necessary support that connects with listeners and enhances the overall quality of the presentation.

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