Audio Visual Equipment & Presentations
When making a presentation it's important to make your message visual and that you design visuals that support your presentation rather than distract from it.
In today's visual society of TV, computers and films, visuals are essential if you wish to make an impact. Mohamed Ali once said: 'One in the eye is worth two in the ear.' While he was referring to boxing, this also applies to making presentations: 'A picture is worth a thousand words.'
Why use Visual Aids?
The average person will remember about 70% of a verbal presentation three hours later and as little as 10% three days later. However, with a visual presentation 85% is remembered three hours later and up to 20% after three days. Most people's preferred learning style is visual. They need to visualise what you are saying. Make it easy for them by using visuals. Visual support can often make the difference between the audience staying with you or shrugging their shoulders and losing interest.
Designing Visuals
Good design aids your credibility and helps with understanding. If you do not have the time or the skills to create your own audio-visual aids, get somebody to do it for you. Use the communications department, a colleague or a design agency. Keep all visual aids simple and uncluttered. Always take along a series of low complexity aids (such as handouts) as a backup. Equipment can fail, so you might want to be prepared to go without audio-visual aids at all.
Techniques & Tips for using Visual Aids
Whenever you show a visual, your audience will stop looking at you and focus on the visual. Be quiet and let your audience look to absorb the information. This is the moment to let the visual do the talking, so don't compete with it.
Be organised. If you are using transparencies, keep them neatly stacked and in the order you are going to use them. Number them discretely, then if you do drop them it will be easy to put them in the order required.
Keep it simple:
- Avoid ‘bunching' things together.
- Leave plenty of unused ‘white' space.
- Make it big, bold and brilliant.
Keep it organised:
- Create a path the eye can follow.
- Use arrows and borders.
- Justify, centre, etc.
Make something dominant:
- The most important element should be immediately obvious.
- Highlight the most important element – make use of colour, size, etc .
- Use strong, bold colours for lettering.
Text:
- Use the landscape position.
- Leave a margin on all four sides.
- Use punchy phrases rather than sentences.
- Five lines maximum.
- Five words to a line.
- Use pictures to make the point.
- Use a uniform typeface.
As a rule show only one piece at a time – only as much as you can explain. Go for small self-contained bites. Then add the next piece and comment on it and so on. Don't reveal great chunks of information and then talk. As your commentary unfolds let the visual unfold.
Types of Visual Aid
Whiteboards and Flipcharts
Flipcharts are excellent to use when you need to record lists of ideas or need to record comments from the audience. Pages can be torn from the flipchart and stuck around the room to create an expanding display.
The main drawback of using a whiteboard is the lack of any permanent record of what has been written, unless you are using the electronic whiteboard.
Overhead Projectors (OHPs)
The OHP was once widely used in business presentations but has gradually been replaced by computer-based displays. The main advantage of using an OHP is its ease of use. It requires no warm-up time, there is little or no noise and the only 'searching' is when the presenter looks for the slide he or she wants.
Using Computer-based Displays
Laptop presentations with data projectors are the norm these days. Although the equipment is more complex than an OHP and hence there is more to go wrong, they look professional and modern. They allow a smooth and imaginative transition between slides. The visuals can be sophisticated and incorporate the use of sound and video footage. The presenter can also check the visuals by looking at the laptop and not over his or her shoulder to the screen.Making your Messages Visual
In today's visual society of TV, computers and films, visuals are essential if you wish to make an impact. Mohamed Ali once said: 'One in the eye is worth two in the ear.' While he was referring to boxing, this also applies to making presentations: 'A picture is worth a thousand words.'
Designing Visuals
Good design aids your credibility and helps with understanding. If you do not have the time or the skills to create your own audio-visual aids, get somebody to do it for you. Use the communications department, a colleague or a design agency. Keep all visual aids simple and uncluttered. Always take along a series of low complexity aids (such as handouts) as a backup. Equipment can fail, so you might want to be prepared to go without audio-visual aids at all.
Whiteboards and Flipcharts
Flipcharts are excellent to use when you need to record lists of ideas or need to record comments from the audience. Pages can be torn from the flipchart and stuck around the room to create an expanding display.
The main drawback of using a whiteboard is the lack of any permanent record of what has been written, unless you are using the electronic whiteboard.
Overhead Projectors (OHPs)
The OHP was once widely used in business presentations but has gradually been replaced by computer-based displays. The main advantage of using an OHP is its ease of use. It requires no warm-up time, there is little or no noise and the only 'searching' is when the presenter looks for the slide he or she wants.
Using Computer-based Displays
Laptop presentations with data projectors are the norm these days. Although the equipment is more complex than an OHP and hence there is more to go wrong, they look professional and modern. They allow a smooth and imaginative transition between slides. The visuals can be sophisticated and incorporate the use of sound and video footage. The presenter can also check the visuals by looking at the laptop and not over his or her shoulder to the screen.
