audio visual aids in meetings

Common Audio-Visual Aids
There are a variety of audio-visual aids that you can use to support you when making a presentation to a meeting group. Audio-visual aids are particularly useful for:

Reinforcing stated facts
Aiding the understanding of ideas
Clarifying relationships or physical layouts
Introducing a new topic area
Advantages of Different Visual Aids
You should be aware of the main advantages and potential pitfalls of the various forms of visual aid available.

Handouts
Advantages - Simple, very easy to use, no audibility/visibility problems, can depict lots of information, lasting reference, inexpensive.
Disadvantages - Can be a distraction, low impact, don't enhance actual presentation.

Flipcharts & Whiteboards
Advantages - Simple, easy to use, can be pre-prepared, can be annotated via discussion, inexpensive.
Disadvantages - Visibility can be a problem, low impact, takes time to annotate, easily damaged.

Slide Shows
Advantages - Professional, good at getting attention, retains interest, can have high impact.
Disadvantages - Requires power supply, expensive to produce, requires set-up and practice, can be noisy, requires low ambient light, prone to technical failures."

Overhead Projectors
Advantages - Very common equipment, easy to use, easy to point at items, can be prepared quickly, transparencies can be stored.
Disadvantages - Requires power supply, can be noisy, can absorb the presenter, light can distract, can look low-tech.

Computer Graphics
Advantages - Potentially high impact, graphics can be animated.
Disadvantages - Requires specialist software and monitors, equipment expensive, can be time consuming.

Audio Tapes
Advantages - Very effective in specialist role, inexpensive broadcast equipment.
Disadvantages - May need specialist recording skills, can be time consuming, only short duration use.

Videos
Advantages - Very high impact, common broadcast equipment.
Disadvantages - May need specialist production skills, very time consuming, very expensive, may compete with presenter.

Multimedia
Advantages - Very high impact, presenter can control precisely, can be updated as required.
Disadvantages - Requires software engineering skills, very time consuming, very expensive, broadcasting needs specialist equipment.

Physical Models
Advantages - Very high impact, good attention getter, makes a concept tangible.
Disadvantages - Expensive to produce and transport, may distract audience.

The Overhead Projector
The overhead projector has become the most commonly used visual aid. It enables effective interaction with the audience. Switch on the projector and all eyes will move to the projected image. Turn it off when you have covered that point and all eyes will return to you. A common mistake is to leave the projector on throughout a presentation. If you do this you will be displaying either irrelevant information or a blank white panel, both of which are very distracting. Avoid putting too much information onto transparencies, simply because you have the medium available. There are many software packages available today that enable the creation of high quality graphics, and their inclusion into a transparency. These software templates often have default settings for font and image sizes, as well as the spacing of textual information.

Using Slides & Flipcharts
Slides are professional, easy to use and colorful. However they do take a significant amount of planning and creation. The guidelines outlined for using the overhead projector apply equally to the use of slides. Because of the lead-in time for creating effective slides they tend to be used best in support of formal meetings to large groups - where there is adequate time to prepare.

Slides have the advantage of keeping the area between the presenter and attendees clear of equipment. Operation via remote control also adds to the professionalism - when compared to changing overhead transparencies. When using slides, try to position yourself so that you can easily check that the slide being shown is the one you had planned.

The main advantage of flipcharts is their use as a tool in informal and last minute meetings - particularly where interaction with the audience is important. Therefore they are commonly used in the context of design review meetings, quality control and so on. When using a flipchart, always check with those furthest away that they can actually read it.

Multimedia & Multiple Media
The use of more than one audio-visual aid to support a meeting is increasingly common - as messages and the way they are presented becomes ever more sophisticated. Traditionally multiple media presentations are assembled with reference to the support props and resources available. You may, for example, have access to overhead projectors, flipcharts and slide projectors but not video, audio or computer based multimedia. The advantage of using multiple media is that it can greatly increase the impact of your presentation. However, you should be aware that it can also lead to a confused presentation - if not planned very carefully.
If you are including multiple media then allow a greater time - both for preparation and rehearsal; and be ready to adapt your presentation should any of the equipment let you down on the day.

Using a TelePrompTer
The TelePrompTer enables a scripted presentation to be delivered to large audience with some degree of naturalness. These devices are increasingly used at large scale meetings, such as AGM’s, and other corporate gatherings. The use of a TelePrompTer will require considerable effort in the preparation phase. For a start, you will need a full rehearsal, preferably with the TelePrompTer operator who will support you during the actual meeting. You should ensure that they are scrolling the text to match your pace, that they can quickly recognize occasions where you ad-lib, and pause the TelePrompTer accordingly. Using a TelePrompTer can result in a delivery that is dull and fails to engage the audience. It can be difficult to remember that you are there to communicate a message and not just read a script. There are several techniques that can help reduce this artificiality.

Here are some effective techniques for adding life to a TelePrompTer presentation: Interaction is important, and even if you cant see your audience, due to subdued lighting, look at where their eyes should be. This will convince several people in that vicinity that you are actually making eye contact with them. Head movement adds to the energy of a presentation, so make sure that you keep your head moving as you read the script. Exaggerated movement may be necessary to destroy the impression that you are actually reading. When sharing examples or anecdotal stories break away from the script and rely on your own visualization to support you when you ad-lib. Stay animated, use gestures and movement to show that you are not just a voice box attached to the TelePrompTer.

TOP <PREVIOUS NEXT>