20
Speaking with Presentation
Aids
<A> OBJECTIVES
To use presentation aids to increase understanding
and retention.
To consider using props and models.
To consider illustrating key points with pictures.
To use graphs and charts to show trends and demonstrate relationships.
To use audio and video to add interest.
To become familiar with options for displaying aids.
<A> CHAPTER CONTENT OUTLINE
I. Speaking with
presentation aids
A. Presentation aids include objects, models, pictures, graphs, charts, video, audio,
and
multimedia.
B.
Presentation aids help to convey information concisely.
1.
Complex
ideas and abstract concepts can be communicated much more
efficiently with visual aids than by verbal description alone.
C.
Presentation aids help listeners understand and retain
information, because
most
people process and retain information best when it is presented both verbally
and
visually—the multimedia effect.
II.
Selecting an appropriate aid
A.
Props
are live or inanimate things that help demonstrate the speaker’s points. Models
are three-dimensional, scale-size representations of an object.
B. Pictures
are two-dimensional representations, including photographs, line drawings,
diagrams, maps, and posters.
1.
A diagram, or schematic
drawing, is a picture that explains how something
works, is constructed, or
is operated.
2. Maps help audience members visualize geographical areas and illustrate
various relationships between them. They are also excellent for illustrating
the
proportion of one thing in relation to another.
C.
Graphs
represent relationships among two or more things.
1. A line
graph uses points connected by lines to demonstrate how something
changes or fluctuates.
2. A pie graph depicts the division of a whole.
3.
A pictogram
uses picture symbols (icons) to illustrate relationships and trends.
4.
Charts
visually organize complex information into compact form.
a.
A flowchart
is a diagram that shows progression through a process.
b.
An organizational chart illustrates the organizational structure, or chain of
command, in an organization.
c. A tabular chart, or table, is a systematical grouping of data in columnar
form.
D.
Audio clips are short recordings of sound, music, or speech.
1. Many topics can benefit from audio clips to illustrate key points.
2.
Always follow copyright laws when using audiotaped material.
E.
Video—including movies, television, and other recording segments—
combines
sight, sound, and movement to illustrate and clarify
speech concepts. Always follow
copyright laws when using videotaped material.
F. Multimedia
presentation aids combine several forms
of media (stills, sound, voice,
video, text, and data) into a single production. Though popular, multimedia requires
more planning than other aids and is more time-consuming to produce.
III.
Options for displaying the presentation aid
A.
Computer-generated graphics and displays may be projected directly
from a computer
through the use of an LCD or DLP projector to allow speakers to customize their
presentations and to present large, high-resolution, crisp color images using computer
technology.
B.
A chalkboard or
whiteboard is a board on which to write with chalk or a type of
nonpermanent marker.
1. Writing boards are useful for impromptu explanations.
2.
Reserve the chalkboard for simple explanations, processes done in steps, and
for brainstorming sessions.
3.
The downside to these is the speaker is forced to turn his or her back to the
audience, the audience must wait while the speaker writes, and legible
handwriting is required.
C.
A flip chart
is simply
a large (27- to 34-inch) pad of paper on which visual aids are
drawn.
1.
They
are often prepared in advance.
2. A speaker can flip through the pad to the next exhibit, and can also draw on
the pad as necessary to relate a point to the audience.
D. Handouts are used to convey information that is impractical to give the audience in
another format or is intended to be kept by audience members after the presentation.
1. To avoid distractions, wait until you have finished speaking to give the
audience handouts, unless you intend to have the audience view them during
the speech for note-taking or filling in blanks.
E. Posters – large paperboards incorporating text, figures, and images – are used to
illustrate some aspect of the speaker’s topic.
<A> KEY TERMS
presentation aids objects, models, pictures, graphs, charts, video, audio, and multimedia,
used alone or in combination within the context of a speech; such aids help listeners see
relationships among c oncepts and elements, store and remember material, and critically
examine key ideas.
multimedia effect the principle by which people learn better from a combination of
words and pictures than from words alone.
prop a live or inanimate object used by a speaker as a presentation aid.
model a three-dimensional, scale-size representation of an object such as a building.
graph a graphical representation of numerical data. Graphs neatly illustrate relationships
among components or units and demonstrate trends. Four major types of graphs are line
graphs, bar graphs, pie graphs, and pictograms.
pictogram a type of graph that illustrates comparisons in picture form. The pictures
chart a method of visually
organizing complex information into compact form. Several
different types of charts are helpful for speakers: flowcharts, organization charts, and
tabular charts or tables.
represent numerical units and are drawn to relate to the items being compared.
flowchart a diagram that shows step-by-step progression through a procedure,
relationship, or process. Usually the flow of a procedure or process is drawn horizontally
or vertically and describes how key components fit into a whole.
table
a systematic grouping of data or numerical information in column format.
multimedia a single production that combines several types of media (stills, sound,
video, text, and data).
digital storytelling using multimedia to present a multisensory narrative about your topic.
flip chart a large (27- to 34-inch) pad of paper on which a speaker can illustrate speech
points.
handout page-size items that convey information that is either impractical to give to the
audience in another manner or is intended to be kept by
audience members after a
presentation.
CHAPTER STUDY
GUIDE
I. SUMMARY QUESTIONS
What are presentation aids?
What are the functions of presentation aids?
What are some of the ways to present or display a presentation aid to the audience?
II. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
How do your instructors use presentation aids to help reinforce course
material? Are they
effective or ineffective
when
displaying their aids? Why or why not?
For the purposes of this activity, ask students to evaluate an instructor in a different class. Ask
Discuss the best way to use props in presentations for large audiences of one hundred or
more. Make recommendations for small, medium, and large props.
Large
audiences usually require a large
room. Therefore, a large audience
requires props that can
be seen from the back of the room, which can be a great distance. If you have a relatively small
What types of speeches do
not really require presentation aids?
It is arguable that any
type of speech would benefit from the use of presentation aids, in that they
Discuss several ways in
which visual aids can reduce speaker anxiety.
Anxiety
can be
reduced when students have visual aids they are proud to show to an audience. In
In your personal experience, how has using a visual aid
helped or hindered your nonverbal
delivery?
Students are likely to have utilized various types of visual aids in the past, so this question should
III. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
AND ACTIVITIES
QUESTIONS
The following questions may help you illustrate important points in the chapter and facilitate
students’ learning of this material. These questions can be used as:
homework questions
quizzes
in-class work (individually or in groups)
topics to generate discussion
question-and-answer sessions between instructor and students
What are presentation aids? How do you
decide whether to use them?
Presentation aids:
Visual or auditory elements, used alone and in combination, that help listeners
What are some functions of visual aids?
They help listeners process and retain information.
What are the major
types of presentation aids discussed in the chapter?
What are some options the text outlines for displaying presentation aids?
1.
computer-generated aids and displays
Why
rock
and roll is the greatest music
Recipe for Grandma’s homemade apple pie
ACTIVITIES
What Type of Presentation
Aid Should I Use? (also for online courses)
Purpose: To learn which types of aid might be effective for various types of public speeches.
Instructions: Based on the criteria for using presentation aids in your textbook, what types of
aid would be best suited for each of the
following topi
cs? Be specific, indicating both the type of
aid and what should be included with it.
1.
Divorce rates in the United States over the last fifty y
ears
2.
The number of employees represented in each department of an organization
3.
Levels of management in the university
4.
Number of violent crimes by type of weapon (gun, knife, club, poison, etc.)
5. Membership in health clubs by region
6.
Variation in chocolate consumption in the United States during the past ten
years
7.
Alcohol consumption by
the general public
8.
Three ways to lose weight
9. Getting around
your university
10.
The history of cinema
11.
12.
13. Where does your money
go?
14.
Fashion trends in the United States
Bonus: Give one example of the presentation aid that is best suited to that topic.
Impromptu Presentation
Aids
Purpose: To provide students with an opportunity
to simultaneously practice speaking and using
presentation aids.
Instructions: Gather
a variety of items from the office
and home into a large box. As students
come into the room, have each take one item. Instruct students that they will be required to give a
one- to two-minute presentation using the item as a visual aid. As such, students will need to
come up with a topic that incorporates the object. Students will have five to ten minutes to
prepare the speech.
Additional instructions: Another way this activity
can work is by having students make up an
alternative use
for the item (different from the
current use), and then give a one- to two-minute
demonstration or marketing presentation on the new use of the item.
The Dos and Don’ts of
Presentation
Aids
Purpose: To create an awareness of the effective
use of presentation aids.
Instructions: This activity should be used at the beginning of the
chapter (prior to the
instructor’s lecture and discussion of the text).
Students should create a list of the dos and don’ts
of using presentation aids. This can be done individually, in small
groups, or as a class. Ask
students to make a list of the worst presentation aids they have seen, citing
specific mistakes
made.
Discussion: After students have read the chapter and the instructor has discussed it, ask them to
revisit the list and include additional elements from the text.
Recalling Presentation
Aids
Purpose: To ask students to assess the effectiveness of presentation
aids they have seen in
speeches.
Instructions:
Think back to the last presentation you attended. Write a brief description of the
aids used in the presentation, and evaluate the speaker’s choice of aids. Do you think these were
good choices for the topic?
What aids would you use for the same topic?
Try showing videos of speeches given in previous
semesters and have students watch
these speeches in class. Things they need to consider are the type of visual aid (e.g., graph, chart,
multimedia technology) used, its visibility, appropriateness for the audience, and so on. If
students are asked to turn in written evaluations of presentation aids, make
sure their reports
include these elements. In groups, have students consider the topic of the speech they viewed in
class and brainstorm different presentation aids that could have been used for a
given topic. For
example, a speech about a person could incorporate a photograph or a diagram of a timeline that
captures the person’s life.
A speech about a place could
include photographs, graphs, or charts
that portray certain statistical facts about the place.
This activity also works well for an online
course.
What Topics Can Be Illustrated with Presentation Aids?
Choosing Presentation
Aids to Support Claims
Purpose: To encourage students to think about how presentation aids help to support claims; to
choose the types of presentation aids that would work best with certain types of sources.
Instructions:
Suppose
you were
asked to give a twenty-minute presentation on differences in
crime rates among major
cities. Make a
list of the types of material (facts, statistics, examples,
narratives), you would probably use to support your claims, and then list kinds of presentation
aids you would probably use with each type of material. Next to each item, write a few words
explaining why the item is on the list. Would your choice of presentation aids vary in relation to
your audience (i.e., presenting to a national meeting of law-enforcement agencies versus
presenting to your classmates)?
This exercise would work as a group or as an individual assignment. Possible
presentation aids to portray the statistics regarding crime rates of cities would include a pie chart
showing which cities have what percentage of a total crime rate, a bar graph to compare different
cities’ crime rates, or a pictogram that shows the comparisons in picture form (e.g., number of
people affected by crime). For each type of aid, have students indicate the audience for which it
would be most appropriate. Finally, students may want to consider how complex or simple the
aid is in relation to the audience’s educational level, age, or need for visual stimulation.
Purpose: To challenge students to think of topics that can be illustrated with various types of
presentation aid.
Instructions:
What kind of presentation topics are likely to be appropriate
for the following
kinds of aids? Generate a short list of presentation topics that would be likely
to include the use
of each.
This exercise is effective
for helping students generate topics, as well as ideas for presenting
topics they may
already
have.
Props: how balls for various sports are made, ceramics, sneakers
Graphs: AIDS-related deaths, extinction of animals, opinions about capital punishment
Diagrams: hierarchical structure of a university, car engines
Computer-generated aids: designing
Web pages, social media marketing
Models: U.S. military fighter planes, anatomy of the eye, frogs
IV. GROUP
ACTIVITIES
Practice Creating Handouts
Purpose: To challenge
a
group of students to create an effective handout.
Instructions:
In small
groups, create a handout for a possible presentation topic that warrants the
use of this particular
aid. Pay special attention to the guidelines outlined in the chapter
and
discuss how you would go about distributing and displaying the handout during the presentation.
First, students should be mindful to choose a topic that is appropriate for a
handout. After the
topic is chosen, have students work together to create an effective
handout to use for this topic.
Groups can show their finished handout to the class and discuss how it would be best distributed
to an audience.
Critique a Visual Aid
Purpose: To give students an opportunity to critique a visual aid that has been used in a speech.
Instructions: Obtain some examples of actual presentation aids that have been used in past
presentations. Working in groups of three to four people, critique them. If you know the topic for
which they were used, evaluate the appropriateness of each aid for the topic. If you do not know
what the topic was, make a guess based on the clarity of the aid itself.
Critiques of the visual aids should touch on such aspects as vividness, color, font,
graphics, size, and appropriateness for the audience (if this information is available). If the topic
is unknown, students should be able to look at the visual aid and guess the
general topic (though
they may not be able to determine the specific purpose of the main points)—that is, if the visual
aid has the effective components listed previously.