Visual Aids

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MTL: The Professional Development Programme
Visual Aids
VISUAL AIDS
A picture’s worth a thousand words

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Visual Aids
Attribution: All images are from sources where a Creative Commons license exists for commercial use. All icons are on subscription
from thenounproject. All clipart is from free sources. The MTL Professional Development Programme is copyright of Manage Train
Learn.
VisualAids Introduction: A presentation can work perfectly well without any kind of visual aid, but
if chosen carefully and used to enhance, visual aids can add to the impact of a talk. In
this topic, we’ll show you 7 ways to make a success of your visual aids.

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Visual Aids
1. THE
BENEFITS OF
VISUAL AIDS
Visual aids can enhance a presentation by
putting over information in a more interesting
and accessible way than words alone. For
example, if you are trying to show your sponsors
what a finished project will look like, then you
will almost certainly need to show them, maybe
as a 3D model or in a visual animation or
slideshow. Visual aids can also be used to
illustrate your talk, entertain, and add impact.
You are the top visual aid in your presentation!
Flickr attribution: /tedxhunterccs/10329763983/

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Visual Aids
2. RULES ON
USING VISUAL
AIDS
There are some general rules to bear in mind
when using visual aids. Make sure everyone can
see them. Keep them simple. They are there to
make a point not to show your skill as an artist!
Don't overdo them; remember death by
PowerPoint! Rehearse their use until you are
slick. Ensure they serve your presentation and
not the other way round.
Stun your audience with great props and visuals
Flickr attribution: /nasa_goddard/13271464103/

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Visual Aids
3. PROPS
Props are any object you use in a presentation to
illustrate your talk. You may display a prop, hand
it round or in some cases allow people to use it.
Some props, such as product samples, may be
thought of as essential to the presentation.
Other props may be used for their novelty value
or as gimmicks, such as the presenter who
placed a pineapple on the lectern before he
started and left it their throughout his talk. At
the end, he simply took it away with him.
However, he had kept the audience’s attention
throughout the talk.
Hold people’s interest with unusual props
Flickr attribution: /83476006@N07/8528722734/

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Visual Aids
How Bill Gates Galvanised
anAudience with One Prop:
Mosquitoes
Despite being the richest businessman in the world, Bill Gates
was never regarded as an outstanding presenter. Which is why
it was all the more surprising when, in the middle of a TED
talk, entitled, "Mosquitos, Malaria, and Education", Bill Gates
did the unthinkable. He made his audience sit up and pay
attention. And he did it by using a prop: mosquitoes.
This is how Bill Gates introduced his unusual prop in his talk:
"Now, malaria is of course transmitted by mosquitos. I brought
some here, just so you could experience this. We’ll let these
roam around the auditorium a little bit. (Laughter) There’s no
reason only poor people should have the experience.
(Laughter) (Applause) Those mosquitos are not infected."
Andrew Duglan of sixminutes.com says that Bill Gates’ prop
was perfect because it met the 6 requirements of a great prop:
it was totally relevant to his subject, and it was concrete,
unexpected, dramatic, humorous, and entirely memorable.

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Visual Aids
4.
FLIPCHARTS
The flipchart is the most versatile of presentation
aids. It is easy to see and move and can be used
by anyone anywhere. IBM boasts that all its
offices around the world possess a flipchart for
instant presentations. Flipcharts come into their
own when you want to build an idea
progressively with your audience using diagram,
illustration or word. They are also excellent for
producing one-page summaries such as mind
maps.
Flipcharts allow you to develop ideas with your audience
Flickr attribution: /quinnanya/2723496220/

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Visual Aids
5. SCREEN
SLIDES
Screen slides are the standard tool for many
presenters, with PowerPoint now the standard
model for computer-based visual aids. While
computer software can aid your presentation, it
can also ruin it. This will happen if you let your
slideshow take centre stage and take over from
you. Death by PowerPoint is one of the most
dreaded features of modern presentations.
Master your particular software and then make
sure you use it to serve your presentation.
Master PowerPoint as an exciting tool
Flickr attribution: /digikam/6817634958/

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Visual Aids
“Hara hachi bu” or “Eat Until You’re 80% Full”
One of the problems which both presenters and audiences have
with traditional presentations is that they are so open-ended
that they can become aimless, over-long, and hence boring.
To counter this, Brady Forrest of O'Reilly Media in Seattle, came
up with the idea of a style that he called Ignite and defined as
"enlightening, but quick".
In an Ignite presentation, the presenter has 5 minutes to talk and
uses 20 slides that move automatically forward every 15 seconds.
Garr Reynolds says that this style pleases audiences because it
gives them a taste of the information rather than stuffing them
full.
Ignite works because it requires the presenters to prepare. They
have to re-shape their talk to the slide their on or else get lost. It
also means that flim-flam and side-tracking are avoided so that
the audience gets a more concise and focused talk.
The idea of limiting your presentation is often called, "hara hachi bu", aJapanese concept, meaning "eat only 80% of
what's possible". It is a practice of the people of Okinawa who are among the healthiest and longest-lived people on
the planet.

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Visual Aids
6. SETH
GODIN'S TIPS
Writer Seth Godin has 5 rules when using
PowerPoints. They are based on his sitting
through countless presentations that were
ruined by computer slideshows. They are: 1. no
more than 6 words on a slide, EVER; 2. no cheesy
images; 3. no transitions such as spins or
dissolves, NONE; 4. no sound effects; 5. don't
hand out print-outs of the slides.
Follow good slide design for a feast for the eyes
Image attribution of Seth Godin: Wikipedia

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Visual Aids
The Colours in a Presentation
1
Red = urgent, brutal,
dangerous, hot, Stop!
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Dark blue = traditional,
factual, stable,
trustworthy, calm
3
Yellow = light-hearted,
sunny, bright, warm
4
Green = relaxed, future-
oriented, organic, go,
money, new life, healthy
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Orange = active, assertive
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Pink = soft
6
Violet = luxurious, regal,
mysterious
5
Light blue = cool,
refreshing
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Grey = neutral, mature,
integrity
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White = hopeful, pure,
clear
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Brown = earthy
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Black = serious, heavy,
profitable, death
Colours on a visual aid can convey different shades of meaning. Here are the most common.

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Visual Aids
7. HANDOUTS
Handouts can be useful in a presentation to save
people taking notes and to give people
summaries of your presentation and perhaps
further information. If you use them, they have
to be produced to the same high standard as
your presentation itself. Don't hand them out
until the end of the talk or people will read them
instead of listening to you. If you want your
audience to keep their handouts, give them a
reason for doing so such as adding your contact
details.
Make your handouts work for you
Flickr attribution: /quinnanya/14062531159/

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Visual Aids
This has been a Slide Topic from Manage Train Learn
AFinal
Word
Although it is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, most people find it hard to remember
what they see in a presentation unless it has impact, is relevant, and memorable. To succeed with
visual aids, you must choose and select them wisely, produce them with flair, and deliver them
with style.

Visual Aids

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