WEEK 15: CHAPTER 13 TYPES OF PRESENTATIONAL AIDS

PRESENTATIONAL AID o Presentational aids range from those that are

readily available from existing sources to those
“We live in an era when the written, oral, visual, and
that are custom produced for a specific speech.
digital modes of communicating are merging.” –
o As we mentioned earlier, they can come in the
Verdever
form of visual, audio, audiovisual, or other
“Whether it is a TV news program, your professor’s sensory aids.
lecture, or a motivational speech, audiences have come to
VISUAL AIDS
expect messages to be enhanced with presentational aids.”
 Enhance the verbal message by allowing
Presentational aid is any visual, audio, audiovisual,
audiences to see what it is you are describing or
or other sensory material used to enhance a verbal
explaining.
message
 They include actual objects and models,
 Visual aids enhance a speech by allowing photographs, drawings and diagrams,
audience members to see what a speaker is maps, charts, and graphs.
describing or explaining.
o Examples of visual aids include actual ACTUAL OBJECTS
objects, models, photographs, drawings
Actual Objects are inanimate or animate physical
and diagrams, maps, charts, and graphs.
samples of the idea you are communicating.
 Audio aids enhance the speaker’s verbal message
Inanimate objects make good visual aids if they are
through sound.
(1) large enough to be seen by all audience members,
o Some examples include musIcal clips
(2) small enough to transport to the speech site,
from CDs and iTunes, recorded clips
(3) simple enough to understand visually, and
from conversations, interviews, famous
(4) safe.
speeches, and recordings of nature
sounds like bird calls and whale songs. MODEL
 Audiovisual aids enhance the speech using a
o When an actual object is too large or too small for
combination of sight and sound.
the room where you’ll be speaking, too complex
o Examples of audiovisual aids include
to understand visually, or potentially unsafe or
clips from movies and television,
uncontrollable, a model of it can be an effective
YouTube videos, and podcasts, as well as
visual aid.
other events or observations captured on
A model is a three-dimensional scaled-down or
video.
scaled-up version of an actual object that may also be
 Other sensory aids include materials that
simplified to aid understanding.
enhance your ideas by appealing to smell, touch,
or taste. PHOTOGRAPH
o For example, a speaker can enhance the
verbal description of the fragrance of a o If an exact reproduction of material is needed,
particular perfume by allowing audience enlarged photographs can be excellent visual
members to smell it. aids.
o In a speech on smart weapons, enlarged before-
BENEFITS OF PRESENTATIONAL AIDS and-after photos of target sites would be effective
in helping the audience understand the pinpoint
1. They get audience attention by dramatizing your
accuracy of these weapons.
verbal message.
o When choosing photographs, be sure that the
2. They help audiences understand and remember
image is large enough for the audience to see, that
information (Garcia-Retamero & Cokely, 2013).
the object of interest in the photo is clearly
3. They allow you to address the diverse learning
identified, and ideally, that the object is in the
styles of your audience members (Rogers, 2013).
foreground.
4. They increase persuasive appeal (Krauss, 2012).
5. Using presentational aids may help you feel more SIMPLE DRAWING AND DIAGRAMS
competent and confident (Campbell, 2015).
o Today, presentational aids are usually Simple drawings and diagrams (a type of drawing
developed into computerized slide shows that shows how the whole relates to its parts) can be
using presentation software such as effective because you can choose how much detail to
PowerPoint, MediaPro, Adobe Acrobat, include.
or Photodex and projected onto a large o To make sure they look professional, you can
screen via a computer and projector. prepare them using a basic computer software
o Speakers who violate this purpose end up program or find them already prepared in a
with what Scott called “death by book, an article, or on the Internet.
PowerPoint” in the chapter opener.
 o If you do this, however, be sure to credit the
source during your speech to enhance your
credibility and avoid plagiarism.
MAPS
Maps – Simple maps allow you to orient audiences to
landmarks (mountains, rivers, and lakes), states,
cities, land routes, weather systems, and so on.
o As with drawings and diagrams, include only
the details that are relevant to your purpose.
CHARTS
A chart is a graphic representation that distills a lot
of information into an easily interpreted visual
format.
 A flow chart uses symbols and connecting lines
to diagram the progression through a complicated
process.
 An organizational chart shows the structure of
an organization in terms of rank and chain of
command.
 A pie chart shows the relationships among parts
of a single unit. Ideally, pie charts have two to
five “slices,” or wedges—more than eight wedges
clutter a pie chart.
GRAPHS
A graph presents numerical information in visual
form.
 A bar graph uses vertical or horizontal bars to
show relationships between two or more
variables.
 A line graph indicates the changes in one or more
variables over time.
AUDIO AIDS
Audio aids enhance a verbal message through sound.
They are especially useful when it is difficult, if not
impossible, to describe a sound in words.
o Before using an audio aid, make sure you
have enough time to present it (it should take
no more than about 5 percent of your total
allotted speaking time) and that you have
access to a quality sound system.
AUDIOVISUAL AIDS
Audiovisual aids enhance a verbal message using a
combination of sight and sound. You can use short
clips from films and videos that are relatively easy to
access on Internet sites such as YouTube and import
as hyperlinks in your slides.
o As with audio aids, your audiovisual aid
should take no more than 5 percent of your
speaking time.
OTHER SENSORY AIDS
Depending on your topic, other sensory aids that
appeal to smell, touch, or taste may effectively
enhance your speech.
CHOOSING PRESENTATIONAL AIDS
With so many different types of presentational
aids, you have to decide which ones will best illustrate the
content you want to highlight.
a) illustrate the most important ideas to understand
and remember.
b) clarify complex ideas that are difficult to explain
verbally.
c) are appropriate for the size of the audience.
d) make dull information and details more
interesting.
e) you will feel comfortable using and transporting
to the speech site.
f) enhance rather than overwhelm the verbal
message.
g) you have the time and money to prepare
h) demonstrate cultural sensitivity and do not offend
members of your audience.
PREPARING PRESENTATIONAL AIDS
The goal is to prepare professional-looking and
sounding presentational aids that will enhance your ethos
(perceived competence, credibility, and character) in
addition to clarifying your message and making it more
memorable. To do so, follow these guidelines:
1. Limit the reading required of the audience.
o The audience should be listening to you, not
reading the presentational aid. So use key
words and short phrases rather than complete
sentences.
2. Customize presentational aids from other
sources.
o As you conducted research, you probably
found potential supporting material already
represented in visual, audio, or audiovisual
form.
3. Use a photo, print, or type size that can be seen
easily and a volume and sound quality that can
be heard easily by your entire audience.
o Check visuals for size by moving as far away
from the presentational aid as the farthest
person in your audience will be sitting.
4. Use a consistent print style that is easy to read.
o Avoid fancy print styles and stick to one print
style on the aid and throughout the
computerized slide show.
5. Make sure information is laid out in a way that
is aesthetically pleasing.
o Leave sufficient white space around the
whole visual so that it’s easy to identify each
component.
6. Use graphic illustrations in visuals.
o To truly enhance a verbal message, a
presentational aid should consist of
something other than or more than just words
(Booher, 2003).
7. Use color strategically.
o Although black and white can work well for
your visual aids, consider using color
strategically to emphasize points.
Here are some suggestions for doing so: o If you choose this method, be sure to
transfer drawings, charts, photos, and
 Use the same background color and theme for
graphs from original sources onto a sheet
all your presentational aids.
of 8½" 3 11" piece of paper so you can
 Use the same color to show similarities, and use
display them smoothly and
opposite colors (on a color wheel) to show
professionally.
differences between ideas.
6. Computers, CD/DVD Players, and LCD
 Use bright colors, such as red, to highlight
Projectors - Most people today prefer to present
important information. Be sure to avoid using red
audio and audiovisual recordings, as well as
and green together, however, because audience
computerized slide shows using a computer and
members who are color blind may not be able to
an LCD projector.
distinguish between them.
o However, you should always prepare
 Use dark colors for lettering on a white
back-up aids to use if equipment fails.
background and a light color for lettering on black
or deep blue backgrounds. USING PRESENETATIONAL AIDS
 Use no more than two or three colors on any
Many speakers think that once they have chosen
presentational aid that is not a photograph or
and prepared good presentational aids, they will have no
video clip.
trouble using them during the speech. However, effective
 Pretend you are your audience. Sit as far away
speakers also practice using them in advance.
as they will be sitting, and evaluate the colors you
have chosen for their readability and appeal. 1. Plan carefully when to use each presentational
aid and make a note of it on your formal outline
DISPLAYING PRESENTATIONAL AIDS
and in your speaking notes.
As with choosing and preparing aids, your goal is to 2. Position presentational aids and equipment
display them using a method that is professional looking where all audience members can see and/or hear
and sounding to enhance your ethos, as well as your them before beginning your speech.
verbal message. 3. Show and/or play presentational aids only
when talking about them so they do not distract
1. Posters - The easiest method for displaying
audience members from your message.
simple drawings, charts, maps, photos, and
4. Pass objects and handouts around AFTER
graphs is on a poster. Because posters tend to be
rather than during the speech so they do not
fairly small, use them only with smaller
become a distraction.
audiences (30 people or fewer).
5. Talk about the visual aid while showing it, and
o Many professional conference presentations
the audio or audiovisual aid just before and just
use poster boards to explain complex
after playing it.
research studies.
2. Whiteboards or Chalkboards - Because a
whiteboard or chalkboard is a staple in every
college classroom, many novice (and ill-
prepared) speakers rely on this method for
displaying their visual aids.
o Unfortunately, a whiteboard or chalkboard is
easy to misuse and to overuse.
3. A flip chart, - a large pad of paper mounted on
an easel, can be an effective method for
presenting visual aids. Flip charts (and easels) are
available in many sizes.
o For a presentation to four or five people, a
small tabletop version works well; for a larger
audience, use a larger-size pad (30" 3 40").
4. Handouts - At times, it may be useful for each
member of the audience to have a personal copy
of the visual aid.
o In these situations, you can prepare a handout
(material printed on sheets of paper).
o The benefit is that everyone in the audience
can have a copy to refer to and take with them
after the speech.
5. Document Cameras - Another simple way to
project drawings, charts, photos, and graphs is
using a document camera, such as an Elmo.