Embedded Files
The Ice Age equivalent of a big fish story? We'll never know. (Source)
Humans have always been visual people.
And we're not just talking about the fact that as preschoolers, we covered just about anything we could with drawings and images of our own creation. (We chalked up the driveway. We crayoned the walls. We even finger-painted the dog.)
No, we're talking about something way older than that—something a whopping 20,000 years older than that. For proof that people have always been excited about visual representations of the outside world, look no further than the Caves of Lascaux.
This French cave contains something amazing: murals from the time of the last Ice Age. These murals show animals—mainly bison, bulls, and elk. In fact, art historians think that this series of cave painting was meant to document a successful hunt.
In other words, our Ice Age ancestors weren't just thinking "Ooh, nice elk. Gonna paint that." Nope: they were using art as a means of conveying stories.
And that's exactly what this lesson's all about: communicating using visuals. Because frankly, images spice up communication…especially in the professional world. (They're not called "visual aids" for nothing.)
We're going to show you how to create some fantastic slideshows and employ visual aids in a way that'll make any speech or presentation over-the-top fantastic.
We'll touch on a little bit of everything. Presentation visuals don't just come in one flavor, so we'll be covering everything from data displays to diagrams. And we'll discuss ideas on how to make your visuals more memorable and how to integrate the visual into what you're saying so that it gets the biggest bang for your buck.
Because, even though we're living in the Information Age rather than the Stone Age, even though we've traded in furs for pants suits and sitting around a campfire for lounging and watching Netflix, and even though our modern day equivalent of "documenting a successful hunt" is Instagramming our brunch (#breakfastclub)—we still have something in common with our ancient French ancestors.
We know that communicating with visuals is something for the ages.
Summary
Summary
Visual aids aren't just there to look pretty; they've gotta have some sort of function to be invited to the party.
Thinking outside the box (or the slide) can lead you to some memorable visual aid ideas.
Your audience isn't just there for the final product; they affect the entire process of creating your slideshow.
Brainstorming leads to a mess, at first, but you can clean it up with a little elbow grease and analysis.
Diagrams are like the Swiss army knives of presentations; there's just so many ways to use them.
Data is like a high-maintenance dog; it needs a little extra love and attention.
Tic-Tac-Toe and element placement have a lot in common; you've got to put your slides and slide elements in just the right place to have a winner.
If you mix your color, text, images, and animations ingredients together just right, you'll have one wickedly delicious slideshow.
Objectives
Objectives
identify the purpose and function of visual aids within a presentation.
recognize how the audience affects the planning process of a presentation.
identify the process of brainstorming.
distinguish between an effective and an ineffective diagram.
consider strategies for effectively placing elements onto a slide.
recognize ways in which color, text, images, and movement can be used in a slideshow.
Study Questions
Study Questions
What are the six functions of visual aids?
What are five guidelines a person might use when determining where to place visual aids within a presentation?
Which questions should a person ask themselves when evaluating their audience?
What process might a person follow once they've finished brainstorming?
What are the six types of diagrams, and what's included in the structure and function of each?
What are some strategies for ordering slides, and how do you create "flow" between them?
How do the strategies for including text compare with the rules for including images in a slideshow presentation?
Google Sites
Report abuse