USING PRESENTATION AIDS

The first principle of learning is that people learn better and retain information longer when you involve as many senses as possible!

For this reason, most public speakers use PRESENTATION AIDS to involve the senses:
• Sight
• Smell
• Hear
• Taste
• Feel


Advantages of using presentation aids:

• It provides clarity of your message
• It generates interest towards your topic
• It prolongs audience’s attention
• It promotes longer memory retention
• It helps combat stage fright
• It shifts the attention away from the speaker
• It enhances almost every aspect of a speech



Disadvantages of using presentation aids:

• It can distract the audience.
• It can also distract the speaker.
• It can inhibit eye contact between the speaker and the audience.
• Bad presentation aids can damage your credibility.
• It takes time to prepare.
• It can put you at the mercy of the available equipment.


Types of Visual Aids

• The speaker him/herself
• Objects
• Models
• Photographs
• Drawings/Pictures
• Graphics
• Charts/Graphs
• Slides
• CDs/VCDs/DVDs
• Transparencies
• Multimedia presentations
• Handouts
• Posters


Guidelines for Preparing Visual Aids

• Prepare them in advance
• Keep them simple
• Make sure the visual aids are large enough
• Use fonts that are easy to read
• Use a limited number of fonts
• Use colour effectively


Tips for Presenting Visual Aids

• Avoid using the whiteboard for visual aids
• Display visual aids where the audience can see them clearly
• Avoid passing visual aids among the audience
• Display visual aids only while discussing them
• Talk to your audience, not your visual aid
• Explain visual aids clearly
• Practice with your visual aids