Chapter 14: Using Visual Aids

You should remember to do which three things when adding images to a presentation slide?

- Avoid extraneous images. - Use high-resolution images. - Make the images large enough.

When deciding whether to use a chart as a visual aid, you should remember what three things?

- Charts should not contain too much information. - Charts should be uncluttered. - Charts help present blocks of information.

When using technology for a presentation, it is important to try to perform what three actions beforehand, if feasible?

- Check the equipment. - Practice with the equipment. - Arrange for a technician to fix any problems.

If you cannot visit the presentation room prior to the day of your speech, what three actions would be good to follow?

- Ensure equipment is working properly in the time you have before the speech. - Ask what type of presentation equipment the room has. - Arrive early the day of your speech.

Adding color to a visual aid can result in which three things?

- It can help a speaker highlight key points. - It can increase impact when done well. - It can make it difficult to see clearly when contrast is low.

When demonstrating a process, sometimes speakers use themselves as a visual aid. What are three benefits of this?

- It can help reduce speaker nervousness. - It can add clarity for an audience. - It helps keep the audience involved.

Which three are examples of commonly used presentation technologies?

- Keynote - PowerPoint - Prezi

What are two guidelines for effective use of text on presentation technology slides?

- Limit text to under 6 lines. - Use key words only.

Noah wanted to illustrate for his audience the change in the number of homeless people living in Chicago between 2000 and 2010. Which two types of visual aids would most effectively display his statistics?

- a bar graph - a line graph

Chris gave a speech to his colleagues on the last quarter's sales numbers. He prepared a pamphlet of information that visually represented the trends he discussed in his speech and had the audience pass it around as he was speaking. However, this approach created a distraction that reduced the effectiveness of his speech. What three options would have been a better approach?

- avoid using a visual aid that is going to distract - display the information using a projection screen or large poster - hand the information out to everyone after the speech is over

Which two steps should a speaker keep in mind when creating a visual aid using presentation technology?

- decide where the visual aid works best - figure out which information needs to be highlighted

When presenting visual aids, speakers should do which three things?

- explain each visual aid as it is displayed - focus on talking to their listeners rather than looking at their visual aids - display visual aids only when talking about them

When speakers use a video for a presentation, they should do which three things?

- have it cued to begin at the correct spot - avoid low-resolution video - edit the video to be no longer than 30 seconds

True or false: Each talking point should be accompanied by a slide or visual example.

False Reason: Putting everything on slides can bog down a speech.

Terrence gave a speech on the Apollo 11 space mission and decided to show a 5-minute video clip of the launch and of moon landing in the middle of the speech to help illustrate his ideas. However, by the end of the clip the class seemed distracted and bored. What mistake did Terrence make?

His video clip should be shorter than 30 seconds.

Howie was preparing a speech to his classmates about his recent trip to China. As he put together his visual aids, he decided to use a colorful photo of a Chinese New Year parade as his background. He then used one decorative font and listed numerous points on each slide. Which guideline for preparing visual aids would have helped Howie?

Keep visual aids simple.

Lizzie is giving a speech on the Great Barrier Reef and has many images to use as visual aids. When she gets to the classroom, she sees that the lectern is directly in front of the projection screen and cannot be moved. What is the best way for Lizzie to handle the situation?

Lizzie should stand to the side of the screen and use a pointer when discussing the images to avoid further obstructing them.

Shawna gave a speech to her history class on the Louisiana Purchase. The day before the speech, she decided to incorporate several maps as visual aids. However, during her speech, Shawna lost track of where she was on her outline when she stopped to discuss the maps. What is the best way to avoid this situation?

Prepare visual aids well in advance

Duncan has several photographs in a slide show, and he has decided that informational slides between these visual aids will be unnecessary. What is the best way for Duncan to present his visual aids?

Show the photos only when they are being discussed and use blank slides before or after each one.

When should an image be included in a presentation?

when it is essential to the speaker's point

What are two recommended guidelines for adding color to a slide?

- Use color consistently. - Use high contrast between font color and background color.

What are three recommended guidelines for constructing slides with text using presentation technology?

- Use fonts consistently. - Do not use more than two fonts per slide. - Choose fonts that are easy to read.

When preparing a presentation using presentation technology, you should do what three things?

- Use fonts that are easily read. - Use limited amounts of text. - Keep the slides fairly simple.

Sean gave a speech to his economics class that included a graph of income distribution over time. When the slide with his visual aid came up, he turned to face the screen, pointed out the major features of the graph, and explained to the audience what the various trend lines meant. What should Sean have done differently?

Maintain eye contact with the audience while discussing visual aids.

Carla used presentation software to prepare visual aids to accompany her speech. She started creating slides several weeks before the speech to give her time to practice her delivery, and included at least a paragraph of text on each slide explaining the images being presented. What should Carla have done differently?

The amount of text used in visual aids should be kept to a minimum

While preparing for a speech to his geology class, Kyle came across a useful illustration of the layers of the Earth in a book he found in the library. Kyle brought the book to class to use during his speech, holding it up as he discussed the topic of stratification. What is wrong with this scenario?

The illustration is too small to be helpful.

What is an ideal final slide for a speech that includes visual aids displayed using presentation technology?

a blank slide

Benita wanted to explain to her audience the various areas of spending in the budget of the American Cancer Society. Which type of visual aids would be the best choice?

a pie graph

A determining factor in deciding whether visual aids are large enough is that a person sitting

at the back

Jessie has brochures she would like to give her audience so that they can take the material home. When would be the correct time to pass out this material?

at the close of her presentation

When discussing a visual aid, a speaker's eyes should be focused on the:

audience

When preparing a visual aid using technology for your speech, it is best to:

avoid making it too fancy or too plain

Ideally, speakers should construct visual aids

before they begin the rehearsal process.

For his speech on diabetes, Benny wanted to show objects that some diabetic people use on a daily basis, including a syringe, a bottle of glucose, and a glucose measuring stick. What would be the most effective way to display these objects?

bringing in large photographs of the small objects

When presenting visual aids, speakers should:

display them in a prominent place only while the visual aid is being discussed.

True or false: It is best to wait until the day of your presentation to prepare visual aids so that you can adapt them to the final version of your speech.

false

True or false: Presentation technologies are rarely used outside of the school setting.

false

What is a tendency that makes visual aids less effective?

including too much information

Which of the following is the most common mistake beginning speakers make when using charts?

including too much information

What are three recommended practices when practicing a speech using presentation technology?

marking cues in the speaking notes to indicate slide changes deciding exactly when to change slides rehearsing with the mouse or keyboard until their use requires only a glance at the equipment

True or false: Using ALL CAPS is more difficult to read than text using normal capitalization rules.

true

A speaker who wants to include a graph in a presentation should do which three things?

- Include a title. - Add the graph only if it is truly needed. - Keep the graph simple.

Bobby wanted to show his audience how to make homemade salsa. Which of the following would be the most effective visual aid?

- mixing salsa with ingredients already chopped

Which three actions can reduce the effectiveness of using presentation technology?

- reading the speech to the audience off the slides - allowing technology to dominate the speech - putting the presentation together quickly

Bryce wanted to use a drawing of a map to highlight important places to visit in Fiji. What two things should he remember when preparing his visual aid?

- to make it large enough that people can see - to keep the drawing simple

Carlos is preparing visual aids for a speech to his United States Government class and has a number of important points to make, resulting in a slide with 14 lines of text. In order to make sure his slides are legible, Carlos should:

spread his points across multiple slides

What three things are true about passing around visual aids during a speech?

- While waiting for the visual aid to come to them, listeners might focus on the person who has it before them instead of focusing on the speaker. - Listeners might explore an object or handout at their own pace rather than focusing on what the speaker is saying about it. - Listeners might be handling the visual aid instead of listening to the speaker.

What are three types of visual aids?

- charts -models - demonstrations

Drawings, photographs, graphs, and videos are examples of:

visual aids