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Audio and Visual Aids

Audio and Visual Aids. Audio and Visual Aids. Visual Aids—include anything the audience can see Photographs Cartoons Color slides Videotapes/DVDs Posters Transparencies Whiteboard drawings, etc. Audio Aids—include anything the audience can hear Music Sound effects

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Audio and Visual Aids

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  1. Audio and Visual Aids

  2. Audio and Visual Aids • Visual Aids—include anything the audience can see • Photographs • Cartoons • Color slides • Videotapes/DVDs • Posters • Transparencies • Whiteboard drawings, etc. • Audio Aids—include anything the audience can hear • Music • Sound effects • Recorded conversations

  3. Audio and Visual AidsWhy Use them? • Can make the difference between a good speech and an exceptional speech • Research shows that speakers who used audio/visual aids were generally more convincing than those who only spoke • Visual aids can help a speaker make a lasting point because vision is our most dominant sense • We pay 25 times as much attention to visual info as we do to audio info • Regardless, visual aids enhance, not replace, a well-constructed speech

  4. Two-Dimensional Visual Aids • Two-dimension aids—illustrations that can be represented on a flat surface • Ex: charts, diagrams, maps, drawings, photographs, etc. • These can be displayed on • classroom whiteboard—either drawn there or held up with tape or magnet • on a flipchart—a large pad of paper mounted on an easel • Projected on a screen • Held up by hand • If the speaker can show the visual without having to hold it, he will be free to use a pointer to describe particular features

  5. Two-Dimensional Visual AidsPhotographs • “A picture is worth a thousand words” • Photos allow you to make people see things that you can’t easily explain • Using photos in a speech • They need to be easy to handle • Mount them on heavy construction paper or art boards • Need to be easy to see • Photos should be at least 8 x 10 inches (preferably larger) • Hide or cover the photos until you are ready to use them • Put them out of sight again when you are done

  6. Two-Dimensional Visual AidsDrawings and Cartoons • Drawings are easy to prepare • If you can use a compass and a straightedge, you can draw well enough for most speeches • If too complicated to draw, find an art student who can help • Cartoons use humor or satire to make a point • The editorial page of a newspaper can be a good place to get ideas for your own cartoons

  7. Two-Dimensional Visual AidsGraphic Representations • Maps • Best way to show a geographical relationship • Ex: showing the route of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine • Diagrams • Useful when you want to explain a process • Ex: showing how an internal combustion engine works • Graphs or Infographics (short for information graphic) • Turns numbers into pictures • Can be as simple as a pizza divided into slices or as complicated as a diagram of the human eye • All graphs communicate a message at a single glance

  8. Two-Dimensional Visual AidsGraphic Representations (continued) • Three main types of graphs • Line chart (aka: fever chart) • Resembles the pattern you might find if you recorded the varying temperatures of someone with a fever by plotting points and connecting the dots • Use to illustrate questions about money or things that have changed over time • Pie chart • Looks like a circle with individual wedges, each representing a different component • Can be made from drawings or photos • Bar graph • Consists of parallel bars whose lengths represent different quantities • Use to make comparisons

  9. #1 Examples of Infographics Line Chart Pie Chart Bar Graph #2 #3

  10. Two-Dimensional Visual AidsGraphic Representations (continued) • No matter what your topic, each graph or infographic must contain the following five items: • Headline—The headline is usually an easy-to-read label • Body—The body consists of the raw data or numbers • Credits—The person or persons who created the graphic should be identified • Explainer—A short sentence should explain what the infographic is about and why it might be important • Source—Where did the information come from • Whatever type of graph you use, be sure to make it interesting

  11. #4 #2 Essential Components of an Infographic Headline Body Credits Explainer Source The Washington Metro Subway Map #3 & 5 #1

  12. Two-Dimensional Visual AidsWhiteboard Aids • Whiteboards (or chalkboards) are one of the easiest visual aids to use • You can put info up as you need it and erase material that is no longer needed • No one expects whiteboard work to be beautiful • Just make sure drawing or writing is large and clear • Of all visual aids, it provides most flexibility and spontaneity • However, there are a few obstacles • How can you use it without turning your back to the audience? • Eye contact with audience is lost • Provides the opportunity for the listener’s mind to wander

  13. Two-Dimensional Visual AidsWhiteboard Aids (continued) • Overcoming the drawbacks • Write out most of what you think you need ahead of time and cover it • Stick to very short messages • If you do write while talking, stand to the side so that the audience will focus its attention on the words as they appear

  14. Two-Dimensional Visual AidsHandouts • Handouts include any flyers, brochures, or information sheets that you prepare ahead of time • Duplicates must be made so each member of the audience can have a copy • Plus side: • They look professional • People can take them home after your speech • Negative side: • They can create distractions • Takes time and trouble to distribute handouts • Audience may study them instead of making eye contact with you • Overcoming obstacles: • Pass out handouts at the end so as not to interrupt the speech itself

  15. Three-Dimensional Visual Aids • Sometimes an actual object—with height, width, and depth—can make a greater impression than a picture or projection • Ex: a speech on porcelain dolls • In some cases, it may be possible to let the audience handle the objects • Make sure the object is not delicate or, if it is, you wouldn’t mind if it is damaged • Be aware, you will lose the attention of each listener while he/she examines the object • There are two types of three-dimensional visual aids • Models • Cutaways

  16. Three-Dimensional Visual AidsModels and Cutaways • Models—use a scale model when an object is too large to bring to a speech • You can purchase one • Ex: a plastic model of the space shuttle Discovery • You can build your own • Ex: a model of a camera using a large box (to represent the body of the camera) and a piece of tinfoil over an opening in the box (to show how the leans and shutter work) • Both allow you to show the features of the object in an informative way • Cutaways—a variation of the model idea, which is essentially a model sliced in two • Ex: the space shuttle model may have a removable side panel that would allow the audience to look inside to examine the flight deck or crew’s quarters • Models and cutaways must be: • Large enough to be seen • Clearly relevant to the speech • Carefully handled so as not to drop or fumble them

  17. Audio Aids • Sound recordings, or audio aids, may be more useful to you than a visual aid • Ex: demonstrate the sounds whales make for a speech on animal communication • Ex: an audiotape of informal conversation might be helpful in a speech on regional dialects • When using an audio aid, be sure • It is clear • It is loud enough for all to hear • To practice using it • It is cued to the correct position before beginning your speech

  18. Visual and Audio AidsMultimedia Presentations • A multimedia presentation uses computer software to combine several kinds of visual and/or audio aids into one presentation. • Advantages: • Combining media allows you to appeal to more than one of your audience’s senses and learning styles. • Can serve as an outline for both you and your audience • Professional appearance (not hand-drawn or handwritten) • Allows for quick insertions of new data (such as tables or charts) • Can be easily updated or changed, unlike permanent media such as flip charts • The audience is more stimulated and therefore more interested in what you have to say • Disadvantage—Takes a great deal of time to learn how to: • use the software • design graphs and charts • edit sounds and video clips • organize and rehearse a presentation

  19. Multimedia PresentationsGuidelines for Preparation • Know what you are presenting • Have a good research base • Knowing the material well can give you confidence • Know your audience • Find out who they are, their level of interest, knowledge, and experience. • Anticipate questions and build their answers into your presentation • Use an outline • Prepare your script in advance. • An outline presented on a slide orients the audience and helps keep you on track

  20. Multimedia PresentationsGuidelines for Preparation (continued) • Develop a format • Typeface, type alignment, size, and graphic elements should all be part of an overall plan. • Make it easy to read • Slides must be sharply focused and have good contrast • Limit each slide to a maximum of seven lines of text. • Do not use paragraphs • Do not write down everything you plan to say • Use large type and set off each point with a bullet or number. • Proofread for typographical errors, punctuation problems, and misspellings

  21. Multimedia PresentationsGuidelines for Preparation (continued) • Avoid distractions • Only use sound effects if they are pertinent to your speech • Avoid setting a timer for your slides, unless you are very well-prepared and rehearsed • Rehearse • Set up the presentation and go through it just as if an audience were there • Do not overuse or depend too much on your slides • Keep eye contact with your audience • Do not read directly from your slide • Do not turn your back to the audience to look at your slide show • Arrive early • On presentation day, arrive early and test everything

  22. Audio and Visual AidsGuidelines for Using Aids • Be sure the aid is large enough to be seen or loud enough to be heard. • Be sure the aid contributes to the idea being presented. If you can get along without it, don’t use it. It takes time away from the rest of your presentation. • Don’t stand in front of the aid. • Talk to your listeners, not to the visual aid. • Keep any visual aid out of sight until you are ready to use it, and then put it away again when you have finished. • Don’t overdo a good thing. A long succession of slides or charts can become boring.

  23. Audio and Visual AidsGuidelines for Using Aids (continued) • Remember Murphy’s Law—if something can go wrong, it will. • Have a backup plan in case your equipment fails. • Be prepared to give your speech even if your audio/visual aid doesn’t work. • Practice, practice, practice. • Finally, visual or audio aids are only a means to an end. • Do not use them if they draw undue attention away from you as the speaker • Don’t forget that you yourself are a visual aid • Consider whether the clothing you plan to wear will contribute or detract from your message

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