advantages and disadvantages of visual aids

Use Aids Only to Support Your Message
Okay, so what are the advantages of visual aids? You may recall that earlier in this book it was shown that the impression made by the audio-visual aids component of a presentation was identified as representing 15% of the overall impact. This figure may strike you as low - and it is. The main reason for this is that for the majority of the time the audience is looking at you - the presenter. Audio-visual aids can take many forms and whatever type and mix you decide to use, it is important that their role is carefully planned. They are an aid to understanding but should never be used as a substitute for the presenters input. A presentation should consist of a speaker backed by visual aids and not vice-versa. As aids to the presentation it is best practice to incorporate them once the content planning phase is complete. Design your messages first, then review your cue cards and decide where audio-visual aids can be used to add clarity. Remember the word visual; audiences like to see models, diagrams, charts, pictures and so on. However text is not popular, so try to keep the written word off your visual aids.

How to Use Audio-Visual Aids
Audio-visual aids can be used in any of the following ways:

To reinforce stated facts
To aid the understanding of ideas
To clarify relationships or physical layouts
To introduce the audience to a new topic area

Useful guidelines to consider when designing visual aids include:

1. Use graphs to highlight a comparison.
2. Use line charts to highlight a trend.
3. Keep the visual device clear – avoid unnecessary clutter.
4. Use meaningful titles to avoid ambiguity.
5. Use colors carefully – thy must be clear under all lighting conditions

Commonly Used Audio-Visual Aids
The following audio-visual aids are all commonly used to enhance presentations: Handouts, flipcharts, whiteboards, slide shows, overhead projectors, illustrations, computer graphics, audio tapes, videos, multimedia, physical objects, 3D models. Audio-visual aids have varying degrees of complexity and more than one type can be combined to create a sophisticated presentation. However, this may create a distance between the presenter and audience - who may be left with an overriding impression of a very fancy show but who may have missed your message.

Generally speaking the greater the complexity of the audio-visual aid the more time and effort it will take to prepare. Therefore a variety of factors will need to considered - for example how large is the audience, how many times will the presentation be staged, how experienced are you in preparing this form of aid and do you have access to colleagues or external agencies to help you with the preparatory work? Study your cue card presentation plan, devise a wish list of the optimum audio-visual aids you would like to incorporate and then by considering the practicalities decide what aids you will include.

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.

How to use an Overhead Projector
The overhead projector has become the most common visual aid to support presentations. They enable 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 slide and all eyes will return to you. The sequence of actions that you should adopt when using an overhead projector consists of: turning off the light, recovering the slide, placing the next slide on the table, turning on the light.

A common mistake is to leave the projector on throughout the presentation. If you do this you will be displaying either irrelevant information or a blank white panel; both of which are very distracting. Also avoid falling into the overuse trap - of putting far more information onto far more transparencies simply because you have the medium available. If you do this it will have a negative effect on your presentation.

There are many software packages available today that enable the creation of excellent graphics and their inclusion into a transparency template. These templates often have default settings for font and image sizes, as well as the spacing of textual information. This makes the generation of these images simple and they are easily printed onto A4 transparencies. One final and crucial point is to make sure that the information you put on your transparencies will be legible by all of your audience - make sure that you allow for the back row.

Using Slides and Flipcharts Effectively
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 presentations, to large groups - where there is adequate time to prepare.

Slides have the advantage of keeping the area between the presenter and audience 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 always the one you had planned.

Flipcharts are sometimes considered to be slightly unprofessional, because they are usually hand-written with marker pens. However, modern technology enables the easy conversion of any PC generated graphic into an A1 size chart - enabling flipcharts to provide sophisticated visual support.

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 writing on flipcharts in real-time; check with the furthest away members of the audience that they find it legible. Modern electronic flipcharts allow print-outs of the information written on the chart - which can then be circulated to all relevant personnel.

Multimedia or Multiple Media?
The use of more than one aid to support a presentation is increasingly common - as messages and the way they are presented becomes ever more sophisticated. These multiple media presentations lend themselves to creation and presentation via one device - the multimedia PC. However, the opportunity for creating technology based multimedia presentations is restricted to those organizations that have the appropriate resources.

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. When you are designing a multiple media presentation you should be aware that it will multiply the potential dangers of errors, bad timing and equipment failures. The best advice is to use multiple media only if you need to in order to deliver the message, but avoid it if you are able to deliver the message effectively without it. 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. A simple but effective presentation style involves the use of a flipchart - on which the presentation agenda is clearly marked. This provides a permanent reminder to the audience who are then able to track the progress of the presenter as they work through the titles which are on display throughout.

Tips for TelePrompTer Presentations
The TelePrompTer enables a scripted presentation to be delivered, usually to large audience, with some degree of naturalness. Even though the presenter doesn’t really maintain eye contact with members of the audience the impression of this can be given and this combined with relatively free head movement can facilitate a much more professional delivery than simply reading from a hard copy script. However, beware, the TelePrompTer is not a simple device to master and when used badly the delivery can be embarrassingly bad.

The use of a TelePrompTer will require considerable effort in the preparation phase of your presentation. For a start you will need a full rehearsal, preferably with the TelePrompTer operator who will support you in the actual presentation. 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. Make sure that any points in your script that you want to use as cues are marked - as a visual aide-memoir. If the rehearsal highlights any words that you find difficult to read, change them.

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 - particularly when you are presenting to a large audience that may be in the dark. There are several techniques that can help reduce this artificiality. Here are some tried and tested techniques for adding life to a TelePrompTer presentation: Interaction is important in any presentation and even if you cannot see your audience; 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.

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