Why is Visual Aids and Props Necessary in Presentation?

Too often, people who speak before groups often neglect the essential aspect of their presentation, which is they fail to inform their audience! Visual aids can help you dramatically achieve this goal. For example, if you are talking about how the price of gasoline has gone up over the last few years, you could put up a graph on the screen that illustrates this statement. Or, if you are explaining the benefits of using an electronic organizer to keep track of all your to-do’s, you could show a slide with a list of items with checkboxes next to each one. Another everyday use for visual aids is to make your points visually better. Suppose you have written a report about something technical and your reader is having trouble understanding your writing. In that case, you could use a chart, diagram, or illustration to help them visualize the concepts you are trying to communicate. One of the best uses of visuals is to dramatize your points.

Choose visual aids and props that…aids.

The most important consideration when using visual aids and props is that they should enforce the points you are trying to make! Remember that your audience consists of people who may not be experts in your subject matter. Therefore, it is your job as a speaker to make sure that they understand your points. Any time you use something unnecessary to convey your point, you waste valuable time and energy. In most cases, the things you use to make your points should aid you in delivering the points to the audience. Remember the adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words”? That’s true, but only if the picture is relevant. For example, if you are talking about how the price of gasoline has gone up over the last few years, you could put up a graph on the screen that illustrates this statement. A speaker who uses an exciting or unusual visual aid is likely to draw attention to that particular visual aid or draw away attention from what the speaker is trying to say. The visual aids used must aid, not be the focus of the presentation.

Use visual aids and props to make your presentations more powerful.

Without a doubt, the best way to make your talks more powerful is to deliver them effectively. However, there are other ways you can use visuals to help your presentation be more powerful. One of the most common ways is to use visuals to dramatize your points! Sometimes, as they say, words aren’t enough.

Here are some examples of how you might use visuals to dramatize a point:

Dramatic Example #1: You have written a report about something that may be considered boring or technical, and your reader is having trouble understanding your writing. You could use a pie chart to illustrate this point.

Dramatic Example #2: You are giving a speech about how important it is for people to vote and how they can do this by going to the polls on election day. You could use an illustration of a person with their hand in a cookie jar to help your audience visualize the concept of casting your ballot.

Dramatic Example #3: You are giving a sales pitch about some piece of equipment that makes a person’s job more manageable, and, therefore, he makes more money. You could show a picture of a man leaning against a pickup truck with the caption, “This piece of equipment makes it possible for John to afford a new Caddy.”. 

Be Careful with Visual Aids

Although visual aids can make your presentations more powerful in a good way, visual aids can also make your presentations more powerful in the wrong way. Using too many visual aids can clutter your presentation. Apart from that, the focus becomes more on the visual aids rather than the message of your presentation. Be sensitive to the number of visual aids used as not to overpower your message. Remember, visual aids…aids.

Conclusion

I believe that there is no better way to learn than to supplement it with visual aids. Remember these tips for using visuals in your next speech or presentation: Use visuals to make your points; don’t use them as decoration. Keep your visuals simple; don’t clutter your presentation with too many details. To help your audience understand your point, use high-contrast visuals. 

Related Readings:

7 Different Types of Visual Aids You Can Use In Your Presentation

Visual aids is a term used in public speaking to refer to all of the various tangible objects a speaker may use in a presentation with the goal of facilitating understanding. Visual aids are typically projected or placed on easels for all presenters and attendees to see.

In this section, we’re going to talk about some common types of visual aids that people use in presentations.

There are two main types of visual aids: physical and digital. Physical visuals are typically papers, charts, posters with text and/or images, handouts, photographs, models, diagrams, videos etc., while Digital visuals include slideshows and videos played from an electronic device or online streaming service such as YouTube or PowerPoint presentations displayed on a computer screen.

Types of Visual Aids

Pictures, Drawings, Photographs: These can be used in many different ways. As the adage goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”?. That is true, but only when they are relevant. You can use them to illustrate what you are saying. For example, suppose you are talking about how a person with a fever is very uncomfortable. In that case, you could show a picture of a person who looks uncomfortable because he has a high fever.

Charts, Graphs, Diagrams, Maps: These are visual aids that are commonly used for data or facts. These are used to help a reader see a trend or a pattern, and they can be an excellent choice to go with a description of a situation. For example, if you show the amount of money spent on groceries for the past 30 days, a chart will show the pattern of when you spend money and the trend of expenditure.

Handouts: Handouts are a great way to present information during a meeting or training session. Handouts can consist of all the information that was delivered or a summary of the presentation. The most common content of handouts is usually the summary of the presentation. Even though you may not use all of the information in the handout simultaneously, they are handy when you are trying to cover a large amount of information in a short amount of time. 

Audio and Video: Audio and video are devices used to help you get your point across during your presentation. It hones in on the visual and auditory of the listeners. With the number of audios and videos resources available online, it is easy to search for audio and videos relevant to your presentation. 

Presentation programs: Some people use only words to make a point, and other people like to use presentation programs such as PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezi, or similar programs to create visual aids. Even overhead transparencies are a commonly used visual aid at one time. In my opinion, using a “presentation program” is akin to a man wearing a necktie. He may feel more comfortable in it, and it does attract people looking at him, but it does not say much about his potential or, in this case, message.

Demonstrations: Demonstrations are a type of visual aid used to emphasize a point you are trying to make. Demonstrations are hands-on, and this triggers learning by doing. These are especially good if you are demonstrating a product that you can use as a prop and a visual aid.

Objects: Objects are the type of visual aid that is the most popular. It is the actual objects of the points you are making. Example: Objects are very effective because they are real. They can be used to represent real things, ideas, data, or abstractions. Objects are very effective because they are real.

Conclusion

These are just some of the common visual aids used. The purpose of visual aids is to enhance a presentation, and it provides a way for the audience to focus on the visual aspect of the presentation. The type of visual aid you use depends on the kind of presentation you are trying to make. Visual aids are a way to enhance a presentation.