Transcript Slide 1

Business Communication
Using Visual Aids
The purpose of visual aids
1. Generating & holding audience
interest
2. Increasing audience recall
3. Clarifying & emphasizing information
4. Adding credibility & persuasiveness
Generating & maintaining audience
interest
Increasing audience recall
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The more senses involved in a
communication transaction the more likely
the receiver is to understand the sender’s
message and remember it.
Clarifying Information
Adding credibility & persuasiveness
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Oral presentation with visual support is more
persuasive and more effecitve from the
audience’s viewpoint than are those without
visual support. The audience is more likely to
approve the ideas of the person’s using
visual aids.
Why use visual aids?
Many possible types of visual aids
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Overhead Transparencies (OHT, Acetate)
Slides
Flip Charts and Posters
Objects and Models
Handouts
Whiteboards and Chalkboards
Computer Assisted Audiovisuals (PPT)
Audio or Video (tapes, CDs, DVDs…)
Flip Charts
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For briefing small
groups
Can be used to record
audience comments
and questions
Not suitable for a use in
large audience settings
Flip Charts
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Useful in extended presentations where
ideas are changed through interaction with
the audience
Vital in group brainstorming sessions where
ideas must be recorded, narrowed, and
solidified in front of the group
Make sure the information is large enough
for the entire audience to see
Posters
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Smaller audience
sizes (except for
marketing)
Posters are
permanent and
removable
Eloberate posters
require extensive
preparation and may
be costly
Posters and Flipcharts
Advantages
 Can be placed close to audiences
 They can provide interactive communication
 They can stand alone without explanation
 They can remain displayed to remind
listeners of key concepts
Overhead Transparencies
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For audience of 20 to
50 people
Necessity when
giving a presentation
in a room not
equipped with a
computer projection
system
Old fashioned in
some industries
Transparencies
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Advantages of transparencies
– Projection equipment is simple and
dependable
– Speakers need not turn their backs to the
audience
– They work in well-lit rooms
– Easily stored and carried
– Easily produced
– Can be eliminated during the speech
Transparencies
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Guidelines
Number transparencies
Maintain eye contact with the audience
Point on the projector, not screen
Keep relevant information hidden until
needed
Turn projector light off when not in use
Handouts
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Their use allows speakers to go into depth
on some points while skimming over others
They can be especially useful for complex
presentations
They provide something for audience
members to take with them for future
reference
Handouts give a sense of security and
ownership to speakers
Handouts
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Guidelines
Be sure about the quality
Include helpful lists, maps, tables etc
Be sure thay are up to date
Decide how to deal with them during the
presentation
Computer presentations (ppt)
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Many types of audiences
Inexpensive and customizable
Needs to be well-prepared
Tips for using slides
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Use bullet statements when possible (no
more than 7 per slide)
Avoid too much verbiage and clutter
Keep it simple (less is more)
Keep sound effects to a minimum
Tips for using slides
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Only use long quotes and/or sentences if
necessary (in which case, bring in each
sentence one at a time)
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Avoid turning back to audience and reading
too much
Tips for using slides
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Give handouts of PowerPoint slides
before speech for audience note-taking
(optional)
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Use slides as your notes or use
PowerPoint handouts for additional
notes
Tips for using slides
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Use graphs for important statistics
(particularly when referring to dramatic
gains or losses)
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Reduce walking in front of projector
Tips for using slides
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Build suspense for topic by leaving first
slide blank
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Avoid being tied to the mouse
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Use pictures as metaphors or similes
Tips for using slides
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Use slides as punch lines for humor
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Use pictures and/or clipart on slides to
enhance the mood
Tips for using slides
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Avoid putting too much verbiage around
pictures (Keep it simple)
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Apply transitions and animations for
effect (Don’t overdo. Decide what to
emphasize.)
Tips for using slides
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Maintain consistency (For example, use
design templates)
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Be prepared for technical difficulties (Always
have a plan B)
Which visual aid to choose?
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It depends on
– Your goal
– Your audience
– Your budget
– Available technology
Tips for effective use of visual aids
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Give handouts before or after speech only
if not a distraction
Explain the handout’s relevancy to topic
Keep visual aids clear and simple
Avoid lulls while you demonstrate
Tips for effective use of visual aids
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Practice using visual aids
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Make visual aids easy for audience to see
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Set up before and discuss after the
showing of video clips
Tips for effective use of visual aids
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Use pictures or other visual aids to spark
a story (there are stories in objects)
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Avoid using animals and/or children if
distracting
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Demonstrate a task by using how-toobjects
Visual Aid Categories
 Figures
(charts)
 Tables
 Pictures
and diagrams
Charts
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In a bar chart, the height or length of
each bar represents the frequency of
occurence..
Bar Graphs
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Include no more than six bars
Label the bars themselves
Label the horizontal and vertical axes
10 0
80
60
E a st
40
We st
No rth
20
0
1st Qtr
2 n d Qtr
3 rd Qtr
4 th Qtr
Bar Chart
Bar Chart (data reordered)
Charts
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The most frequently used diagram to
emphasise the proportion or share of
occurences is the pie chart. A pie
chart is divided into proportional
segments according to the share each
has of the total value.
Pie Charts
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Avoid slicing the pie into more than seven slices
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Label the pie pieces at or near the slice
1s t Q t r
2 nd Qtr
3 rd Q t r
4 th Qtr
Ice Rink Expenses
Too many
slices
Staff 34%
Refrigeration 27%
Gas 8%
Snack bar 6%
Maintenance 4%
Water 3%
Sewer 2%
Office supplies
2%
Too Much Emphasis on Service, Too
Little on R & D
Service
Research & Development
Sales
Production
Marketing
PR
Pie Chart
Graphs
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Most suitable diagram for exploring the
trend is a line graph in which your
data values for each time period are
joined with a line to represent the trend.
U.S. Slowdown Produces Downturns in
Other Countries
How would you
fix this graph?
7
6
5
U.S.
4
England
% GDP
Growth3
Germany
Ireland
2
Thailand
1
Japan
0
Korea
-1
-2
4th 2006
1st 2007
2nd 2007
3rd 2007
U.S. Slowdown Produces Downturns in
Other Countries
6
5
4
% GDP
Growth3
U.S.
Europe
Asia
2
1
0
4th 2006
1st 2007
2nd 2007
Europe = England, Ireland, and Germany
Asia = Thailand, Japan, and Korea
3rd 2007
Line Graph
EXAMPLES
Example of a
bad presentation
Stand-up
Example of a bad
presentation 1