Page 292 - Essentials of Human Communication

Presentation Aids 271

usInG presentatIOn aIds
Your presentation aids will be more effective if you follow a few simple guidelines.
Watch the Video
● Know your presentation aids intimately. Be sure you know in what order your aids are to “Informative Speech: Transcranial
be presented and how you plan to introduce them. Magnetic Stimulation” at
MyCommunicationLab
● Pretest the presentation aids. Verify that your aids can be seen easily from all parts of the
room.
● Rehearse your speech with the presentation aids. Do all your rehearsals with your presen-
tation aids so that you’ll be able to use them smoothly and effectively.
● integrate presentation aids into your speech seamlessly. Just as a verbal example should
flow naturally into the text so should a presentation aid. The aid should appear to be an
essential part of the speech.
● avoid talking to your aids. Know your aids so well that you can point to what you want
without breaking eye contact with your audience.
● Use your aids only when they’re relevant. Present each aid when you want the audience to
concentrate on it; then remove it. If you don’t, the audience’s attention may remain
focused on the visual when you want them to focus on your next assertion.

COMputer-assIsted presentatIOns
Before reading about computer assisted presentations, take the self-test included here to see
what you already know about PowerPoint and similar presentation packages.

tESt yourSElf

using Presentation Software
Indicate whether you think each of the following statements is t (true) or f (false).

_____ ➊ A good size font to use is about 16 or 18 points with about 8 or 9 lines per slide.
_____ ➋ Use italics for emphasis.
_____ ➌ Read your slides word for word.
_____ ➍ Use lots of color and sound effects; these will keep the audience awake.

_____ ➎ Blue and green or red and green are almost always appropriate colors for slides.
_____ ➏ As in a preparation outline, use full sentences for the slides.
_____ ➐ Your slides should be your main attraction.
_____ ➑ When you have few words on a slide, add a photo or graphic.

_____ ➒ A 10-minute informative speech can easily have 30 or 40 slides.
_____ ➓ Liven up your slides by including images from websites.

hOw dId yOu dO? This test was designed to point out some of the misconceptions people have about
computer-assisted presentations; all are false. Briefly, here’s why:
1. Sixteen or 18 is too small; use at least 24 point font, although 30 point font would be even better. Four lines
is best though six is generally fine. Any more than this will work against you.
2. Italics are difficult to read and don’t give real emphasis.
3. Never do this.