PRESENTATION AIDS

PRESENTATION AIDS

"A picture is worth a thousand words."	SPEECHES BENEFIT GREATLY FROM USING EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION AIDS. Just as a sentence in capital red letters stands out from all others, a speech with carefully thought out and prepared aids will stand out to the audience.
Generally we consider anything that will assist the audience in their understanding of, and that is in support of your message, an aid. An aid may be visual, auditory, or a combination - such as television and film.
	When planning for presentation aids it is important that you think of those aspects of your speech that may be difficult for the audience to understand from words alone. For example, most people find it difficult to remember numbers, or they may have trouble visualizing items or process from your oral description.
While the requirement may be that you use one aid, we can assure you that the quantity is a minimum, not a maximum. Your audience will gain greater comprehension if you use aids appropriately. You may find that your speech needs two or three aids, all of different types.	One word of caution - you can use too many aids. You can have so many that they actually detract from the message by distracting the audience.
One question you're sure to ask is, "What can I use as an aid to my speech?" Although we can't provide you with a specific answer to your question (since we don't know your topic), we can point you in the right direction and give you some specific guidelines to follow.	We'll discuss the criteria for the use of presentation aids, the various forms of support materials, and easy ways of gathering or making the aids.
CRITERIA FOR AIDS TO THE SPEECH An aid is not something that you throw together at the last minute simply because your instructor requires that you use one in your speech. There are criteria that you must be aware of before you select the aids to your speech.
The best speech aid in the world is of no value, and will actually be a distraction, unless the audience can see it, or hear it, CLEARLY! Have you been in a presentation where the speaker used some visual aid that you couldn't see? Or there was so much information on the visual that you were distracted trying to read it and understand what it meant? Were you annoyed, perhaps to the point where you "tuned out" and thought about anything other than the speech?	VISIBILITY THE AUDIENCE MUST BE ABLE TO CLEARLY SEE AND/OR HEAR YOUR AID.
	Things that you show must be large enough for the people in the very back of the room to see clearly. That does not mean that a photograph or chart in a book cannot be used; it does mean that you have to make it large enough to be seen.
	Think of visibility also in auditory terms. Is the audience able to hear and understand an audio tape or the audio portion of a videotape? There is nothing worse or more distracting to a generation raised in our era of stereophonic digital surround-sound than poor sound quality.
	Finally, visibility refers to duration, or the length of time the aid is used. Using an aid for one or two seconds will probably not give the audience enough time to study and understand its content. Conversely, leaving an aid "on" when you are no longer using it will be distracting. The more complex the aid the longer the audience will need to study and assimilate it into your message.
RELEVANCE THE AID MUST APPLY SPECIFICALLY TO WHAT YOU ARE DISCUSSING AT THE MOMENT. Supporting materials must be relevant to your topic. The one question you do not want your audience to ask is "What does that have to do with what they are saying?" Neither do you want your audience to say to themselves, "Gee, I wish they had shown me that when they were talking about it."
INTEGRATION THE AID MUST BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SPEECH, NOT AN ADJUNCT TO IT. Use supporting materials at specific points during the speech, when they apply to what you are discussing. Otherwise, remove the aid so that the audience's attention is on you, the speaker.	CLARITY THE AID MUST BE UNDERSTOOD BY ITSELF AND REQUIRE A MINIMUM OF EXPLANATION. The aid must be designed and used so that the audience almost immediately understands what it means and how it relates to your topic. It should not be necessary for you to give the audience a great deal of explanation for them to understand your aid, and its relevance to the topic.

PROFESSIONAL THE AID MUST APPEAR TO BE PROFESSIONALLY PREPARED. The presentation aid must seem to the audience that it was prepared by a professional. Visuals that are hand lettered, sloppy and dirty, or that have misspelled words will decrease your credibility, probably to the point where the audience will question if you know what you're talking about.
TYPES OF VISUAL SUPPORTING AIDS Visualization helps the audience understand messages. One reason the majority of Americans watch television news rather than reading the newspaper is the visuals help them understand what is happening, and it's much more "real" to them. There are six categories of aids that help the audience understand your message. Aids can be items that you make yourself, or that you find from other sources.
	REALIA The term realia is based on the word real - objects that are exactly what you are discussing. An informative speech on GETTING STARTED IN SCUBA DIVING will be much more meaningful if you bring a wet suit, fins, mask, tank, regulator, and related equipment to illustrate each of the required items. Using realia is not appropriate in all speeches. An informative speech on CHOICES IN BIRTH CONTROL will probably not benefit from the display of condoms or other devices. They add little that is relevant to the presentation, they may cause some degree of distracting embarrassment among members of the audience (particularly a mixed male/female audience), and they are generally too small be seen by everyone in the audience. A much better choice for a supporting aid could be a graphic showing the relative effectiveness of each method of birth control. Ask two simple questions about realia - will the audience better understand my speech if they can see the actual object(s), and does the realia meet the criteria of visibility, clarity, relevance, and integration? If your answers are yes, using realia is probably appropriate!
MODELS When it is not possible to bring the real object as a support aid, consider the possibility of using a model of the actual object. Models are representations of the real thing. They may be scale models, that is small versions of larger objects or larger versions of small objects, or actual size substitutes. They must meet the criteria of visibility, clarity, relevance, integration, and professionalism. A speech about THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE ROMAN COLISEUM could be aided by a reduced size scale model of the coliseum, while a speech on NUCLEAR ENERGY may benefit from an enlarged model of a uranium atom. An informative speech about THE NATURE OF CHIROPRACTIC MEDICINE would help the audience understand the process of spinal adjustment if you used a life-size model of a skeleton. Models can be easy to obtain. Your biology professor may be able to loan you a full sized skeleton, or know where you can find one. Talk to people who are knowledgeable about your subject. They may have exactly what you need, or know where you can get it. That's one of the nice things about studying in a college or university - there are experts in many fields available right on campus, and most are delighted to help a determined student.
	PICTURES When you can't get the real thing, or a model, a picture may be an important and essential substitute. What would a speech on THE ARTISTRY OF MICHELANGELO be without representations of his paintings? We understand that it is highly unlikely that you will have an original Michelangelo in your private collection, or be able to borrow one. You may be able to get a model of DAVID to show the class, but it would be impossible to bring the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to the speech except by pictures. The criteria of visibility becomes very important when using pictures. Chances are the picture you want to use will be too small for the audience to see clearly. This does not mean that you can't use it! It does mean that you will have to change how you show it. We discuss enlarging pictures a little later. There are numerous sources of pictures. TAKE THEM YOURSELF PHOTO FILES Libraries, academic departments, and newspaper offices have collections of slides and photographs on a wide variety of topics. INTERNET One of the best sources of images on line is Ditto-dot-com BOOKS AND MAGAZINES Periodicals and books related to the general area of your speech will frequently yield appropriate pictures.
Saving images you find on the Internet is easy - if you know how. PC users - when you find the image you want, place your cursor on the image. Right click your mouse. Select Save As. Save the image to your floppy drive [or hard drive].
GRAPHICS Graphics help the audience understand concepts visually through charts, graphs, and diagrams. It is essential that you prepare materials in a way that the content is clear and understandable with minimum explanation. Limit graphics to a single concept or idea. Notice that David Letterman's "TOP TEN" lists are revealed one at a time, and that there are never more than five items (usually fewer) on the screen at any one time. Prepare your graphics so that there are a maximum of 7 lines of information, and that the type style is large enough that each letter is 10% of the height of the total graphic. Remember - the audience will not remember numbers! If you want the audience to understand that the stock market has declined recently. DO NOT read them the Dow Jones closing averages for the past 12 months. DO NOT even make a list of those numbers on a graphic. DO convert the numbers into a line graph. The downward slope will graphically explain the downward trend!	Some possibilities for graphics include: DIAGRAMS explain how a process works. explain how things move from one point to another. illustrate how items interrelate (i.e. a flow chart showing the process of manufacturing a surf board). CHARTS present a list of key words related to your topic. give a definition. GRAPHS visually relate similar concepts. show changes over time. The type of graph you use will depend on the information you need to display. A PIE GRAPH is particularly well suited to show percentages in relation to the whole (100%). For example, your speech on CURBING THE FEDERAL DEFICIT may use a pie graph that displays what percent of the pie goes for defense, what percent for deficit reduction, and so on. The LINE GRAPH is useful to depict relationships that change over time. The audience may understand the growth of the national debt better if you show them a line graph that indicates the increase in the federal debt during each of the past 5 decades. The BAR GRAPH is well suited to show relationships between two or three factors. The audience may better understand the magnitude of the national debt, and recognize their personal involvement, if you compare the increase in the debt with the increase in their income and the cost of living index over the past decade.
Videos, with or without the sound, offer advantages over other forms of visual aid. MOTION Does your topic requires that the audience to see something in motion to be fully understood?" (e.g. THE FUNDAMENTALS OF SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING.) LOCATION When it is not practical for us to move our entire audience to another location, use video to bring the location to the audience. SAFETY Safety is important when there is the possibility of danger to the audience. (e.g. a chemical experiment may be pre-recorded) PRECISION If there's the chance that something will go wrong, pre-recording the event eliminates any risk of failure, unless you not completely familiar with the equipment. TIME Time is important to topics with historical elements or that take place too fast or too slow for us to see. You can use documentary video, time-lapse, or time-condensed video to show events beyond the audience's normal perception. ENLARGEMENT When it is impossible to enlarge an object in any other way you can use a television camera and monitor to make the image a size that the audience can see. Three of the most useful sources of videos include the library, video rental stores, and your home VCR. AUDIO Things you hear are seldom used presentation aids because most speaker's don't think of them as "visual aids." They can be very useful in specific situations when it is important that the audience hear something to fully understand your message, but that seeing what is creating that sound is either distracting or inappropriate. A speech on the SYMPHONIES OF TCHAIKOVSKY may benefit from a short passage from The Nutcracker Suite, but the audience may become distracted from your main point if you include the video of the ballet.	Video and Audio The use of audio and video information as support for speeches can be very effective when used properly. They can also be difficult to prepare and integrate effectively into the speech. Videos should occupy a fairly small amount of time during the speech (10% maximum.) The audience is there to see and hear YOU, not a television program. Videos are often difficult for the audience to see because they are played on a small screen with most members of the audience sitting too far away. A good rule to follow is that you should have no more than one person watching for each inch of screen, and that they are seated in no more than a 45^o angle from the center of the screen. If you have a 25" (measured on the diagonal) television set available the maximum audience size is 25 people. Even that may be too many, because audience members towards the back may not be able see small details. Make sure that both audio and video aids are cued to their exact starting point well before you start the speech. If you are using different portions of the same tape, or segments from several tapes, it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you edit them onto a separate tape in sequence to save the time of skipping to another section or changing tapes. Any audio must be loud enough to be heard but not so loud as to cause discomfort or distortion. Using video and audio in speeches always seem to prove Murphy's Law: What ever can go wrong, will, and at the worst possible moment.
PREPARING AND USING SUPPORTING MATERIALS When planning your presentation aid there are some simple things to remember. Make sure that the aid is large enough to be seen clearly! Make sure that you know how to operate both the aid and the equipment required to use it! Make sure that the equipment will be there when you need it! Rehearse with the aid several times! Assume that whatever can go wrong, will! The more complicated the equipment required to display your aid, the more likely something will go wrong with the presentation. It is best to have an alternative plan in case something goes wrong. Even if something goes wrong and your aid doesn't work, you can still give an effective speech! You may have to change your plans, such as drawing a diagram on the chalk board when the projector doesn't work. Aids are NOT huge cue cards or crutches - they are things to help the audience understand!
ENLARGING IMAGES Pictures and photographs are generally too small to be used as a visual aid. A photograph may illustrate exactly your main point but it will probably be visible only to those people in the front row. Holding up a book that has a picture to illustrate your point is unprofessional and unacceptable. The image is too small, and you have the added distraction of fumbling with the book. There are effective and easy ways of using pictures and illustrations - enlarging the image by using a projector. There are three types of projectors available for different situations - the opaque projector, the overhead projector, and the slide projector. As with any visual aid, integrate the material into the presentation. Do not simply have it "on" and not refer to it. Turn off the projector when you are not using it as part of your immediate presentation, and always turn it off when you are changing images. [Most slide projectors have a shutter that blocks the light when the slide is being changed.] It is essential that you "check-out" the projector before you begin your speech (preferably before the class) to make sure that you know how to operate it, that the bulb works, and that it is properly focused. Although it may not be your fault that the equipment doesn't work, it will still reflect negatively on you (loss of credibility and you will seem to be unprepared) if it's not perfect.
OPAQUE PROJECTORS
The opaque projector is used to project and enlarge flat materials that light cannot pass through. A page from a stamp album for an informative speech on POSTAGE STAMPS OF AFRICA can be enlarged so that the audience is able to see what you're talking about.	ADVANTAGES The item can be used in its original form. Little advance preparation is required. DISADVANTAGES The entire page or pages will be projected. Any material that is adjacent to the picture or illustration will be seen by the audience. Cutting a mask that covers the area you do not want seen is important to eliminate distractions. Opaque projectors do not provide a very bright image on the screen. It may be necessary to turn off some or all of the lights, at least those in the area of the screen, to make sure that the image is clear and understandable. Opaque projectors are the dinosaurs of the media world and are not always available.
SLIDES
Slides were almost always preferred when time, money, and facilities permitted. A slide will produce a large and brilliant image on the screen, but they can be problematic! It helps to have a "helper" stationed at the projector in case it malfunctions. With the introduction of digital technology and better video projectors, slides have become somewhat outdated except in a few cases.	ADVANTAGES You can copy illustrations and pictures from a book or other source - providing you do not violate copyright laws. The image is clearer, brighter, and sharper. Although it's generally advisable to dim the lights around the screen, it is not usually necessary to darken the entire room when using slides. Most full-service graphic and copy stores will make the slide for you at a reasonable cost if you do not have the equipment to make the slide yourself. DISADVANTAGES Changing the slide can be a problem. Slides may require 3 to 5 days for processing.
OVERHEAD PROJECTORS
The overhead projector is one of the most versatile and useful tools at the speaker's disposal. Overhead projectors use a transparent acetate film onto which an image is copied. Blank acetate film is widely available for photocopiers and printers. Be sure to read the "how to" section that follows.	ADVANTAGES Overhead projector's are readily available. They are easy to use. They project a large, bright, and clear image without dimming the lights. DISADVANTAGES The motors on some projectors may be noisy. You may have to speak a bit louder than normal, or pull the plug when you're not using it. Some may find the overhead somewhat awkward, particularly when using several transparencies. Practice helps overcome this problem.
HOW TO TIP: MAKING YOUR OWN TRANSPARENCIES Making presentations that include graphs, charts, and other illustrations has become a simple and efficient process. Transparencies can be made on your computer and printer, or you can use one of the computer based presentation systems if your speaking space is equipped with the appropriate equipment. Word processing programs, such as Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, are ideal for making simple yet effective lists of key terms or definitions you want the audience to remember, or inserting graphics. Limit your page to a maximum of 7 lines of information [heading + 6 lines] Use simple, bold fonts and do not change on a slide! Times New Roman works well. Arial is another good choice. Use at least a 36 point size! If you use colors, use a maximum of 2 per transparency, perhaps one for the heading and a second for the remaining text. Remember, your information with be black or color on a clear [white] background. You should make your lettering bold and colors must be vivid. Make sure that you include the source of your information at the bottom of the page just as you would cite it in your bibliography. Use 12 point type for this. Once you're satisfied that the item is exactly the way you want it, there are a number of different ways of getting the image onto acetate [the clear film], each dependent on the type of printer you have available. A word of caution: There are four different types of transparency film [acetate] available - one each for the ink jet and laser printer, one for photocopiers, and one for very old and poor quality thermal processors. Make sure that you get the type for your specific application. They are not interchangeable! A word of caution: For ink jet printers, make sure you follow the directions on the package. If you print on the wrong side of the transparency film, it will not dry and the ink will run. The laser printer offers very sharp images that are dry when they come from the printer and are relatively permanent. Most photocopiers have the ability to make a transparency. On many copiers you can enlarge the original as you make the transparency. Generally the transparency will be black and white, unless you have access to a rather expensive and sophisticated color copier. If you do not have a printer,or don't want to spend the money on the transparency film - no problem. Print out a paper copy of exactly what you want - color or black and white - and take it to a copy shop such as Kinkos, Office Depot, Staples, or similar. Their cost for a full color transparency from your original is modest, and is well worth the impression it will make. Make sure that you allow plenty of time for it to be made - 24 hours is reasonable. While many will do it while you wait, you may hit them at a time when they are very busy.


POSTERS AND FLIP-CHARTS Two classic means of displaying original visual aids that do not require projectors are the poster and the flip-chart. All of our earlier requirements for preparing graphics must be taken into consideration. Posters are visual aids that are presented on a poster board. A sheet of standard size poster board measures 22" by 28" and comes in a variety of thickness and colors. Poster board is ALWAYS used full size - it is never cut to a smaller size! Unless you are a graphic artist you will need to use rub-on letters, or a template. Getting letters and words spaced properly and with even lines, can be difficult. There is always the temptation to give up and do the job "free hand." Unfortunately, the result is usually a very amateurish aid that distracts your audience and detracts from both your credibility and the message. There is also the "creative" speaker who believes that filling the poster board with a collage of pictures about their topic will be a sufficient visual aid. Unfortunately, most of the audience will not be able to see the individual pictures, there is seldom a point to the supported, and it will raise more questions than it will answer. Neither does pasting a single photograph in the middle of a poster board raise the image on the visibility scale. The picture will still be small, it still can't be seen in the back of the room, and you've wasted good money for the poster board on a bad idea. Posters are used in conjunction with an easel that will raise the poster to a height that is comfortable for you to work with, and that all members of the audience can see with minimum effort. Place the easel next to you and to the side opposite the hand you write with (if you're right handed, place it to your left). The easel should be slightly forward of your position, and you should use the hand closest to the easel to point. NEVER reach across your body to point to something. There is a tremendous temptation to buy poster board that is light weight (thin), and to roll it up with a rubber-band around it as you carry it to the speech. You will soon discover that neither light-weight nor rolled poster board will stand on the easel. The slightest movement of air will cause them to fall from the easel, usually at the most inopportune and distracting moment. MURPHY'S LAW STRIKES AGAIN! The flip-chart consists of a pad of fairly large paper pages (usually newsprint). The tablet is hung on an easel from the top (bound) edge either by a clamp or rings. As each page is used it is either "flipped over" the top of the easel, or is torn off the tablet. While we don't recommend it, the primary value of the flip chart is that you can make some last minute illustrations (if you have to) or you can quickly sketch visual support and illustrations in response to audience questions or feedback.
Click here to see the PowerPoint tutorial produced by Stephen Lucas, author of The Art of Public Speaking!	COMPUTER BASED MULTIMEDIA PROJECTION SYSTEMS During recent years, a new system of developing and projecting presentation aids has come into prominence. These are computer based multimedia systems that allow the speaker to integrate a wealth of still and motion images, charts and graphs, and sound. Some presentations are so sophisticated that the speaker becomes secondary to the multimedia presentation, something we must avoid. Perhaps the most effective program available for visual aids is part of the Microsoft Office package - PowerPoint! This tool allows you develop individual frames in full color with motion if necessary. You can incorporate photographs, charts, text, or about anything else that you can think of. The individual frames can be linked together with smooth and snappy transitions, or can be set to run as an uninterrupted sequence. These presentation aids require additional sophisticated, and expensive equipment. At minimum you need a PC, preferably a "lap top," and a projector, either one that sits on top of an overhead projector or one that projects a direct image. As poster boards have given way to transparencies, acetate will in time give way to the multimedia system for student speeches. However, remember that it is the speaker and not the aid that is still front and center!
CITATIONS Where your information came from is an important part of speaker credibility. Remember to include [print] a full bibliographic citation on any visual aid, and to orally cite it in the speech.
A FINAL WORD Using supporting materials in your speech is both sensible and easy so long as you prepare well in advance. Although you may not have the expertise to make all of the aids outlined above, you can usually find assistance on or close to campus. Your campus media center is your best source for equipment, and the staff will usually know where you can get assistance with the preparation of graphics, poster, transparencies, and the like. The Art Department may be able to help you find design and photography students who would like to earn some extra money preparing the visual aid. The computer center can be of assistance by providing computers, software, printers, and even students to help prepare graphics. Full service copy centers such as Kinko's offer a wide range of transparency, photocopy, and photographic services - but do not expect to walk in and have your job done in 5 minutes. Plan at least a day for them to do your job - and be pleasantly surprised if they do it sooner!

Use at least a 36 point size!