The Keys to Using Visual Aids

Giving presentations can be daunting for many. Using visual aids can help make your presentation more engaging and easier to understand for the audience. However, there are things you want to keep in mind to properly build and integrate your visual into your presentation.

You do not want to include too many words in your visual aid. For example, if you have slides, make sure that they consist primarily of picture. The pictures can have captions, but try to condense the words in the caption. The extra words that you want to put on the slides should be included in what you actually say during your speech rather than on the slides themselves.

You have to be aware of the people sitting in the back. These people may have difficulty seeing the words in your visual aid. This is why it is important to make sure that the words you do include are large in terms of font size.

If you are creating a series of slides, you should try to make sure you give the audience time to view each slide. Each slide should serve a purpose and enhance what you have to say. You also don’t want to clutter your slide with a bunch of different pictures and illustrations. This can confuse the audience. Limiting the number of things on each slide can also make it so that you don’t need to point to each object on the slide to make it clear what you are referring to. Make sure you prepare your speech beforehand so that you know exactly when you need to change slides over the course of your presentation.

Sometimes you may consider using a small video or audio clip to supplement your presentation. In these cases it is important you choose clips that the audience can hear clearly and can understand without much difficulty. If it is a video, make sure the video is high quality and not pixilated.

Your visual aid should do just that – aid you in conveying your information. It shouldn’t try to do too much, but it also shouldn’t be unnecessary. Proper preparation will help you in being able to know when you want to reference your visual aid to enhance your presentation.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in virtual presentations. Here are some good visual aid examples for both in-person and virtual presentations: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/visual-aid-examples-for-both-in-person-and-virtual-presentations/

--BitterSweet Coaching Guest Writer