How to Use Effective Visual Aids

This article is part three of a four part series on speech making and effective presentations: How to Prepare a Great Presentation, How to Create an Effective Presentation Outline, How to Use Effective Visual Aids and How to Deliver a Great Presentation. This article will focus on the benefits of using visual aids in a speech, the types of visual aids often used in a presentation and how to use visual aids effectively.

Benefits of Using Visual Aids During a Presentation

There are several benefits to using visual aids properly during a presentation such as retaining audience attention and participation, increasing their learning and illustrating a point more effectively. Visual aids can also provide more detailed information to support your presentation key ideas, and give participants a hands-on component that will make the speech more memorable.

Types of Visual Aids Used in a Presentation

There are two main types of visual aids used during a presentation - electronic visual aids and traditional (non-electronic) visual aids.

Traditional Visual Aids

Traditional visual aids include hand-outs, charts, diagrams, model objects, posters, chalk boards, dry erase boards, images or photographs. Charts and graphs are extremely useful for side-by-side comparisons of data while photos "speak a thousand words" as they say. Dry erase boards can be used to give more detailed information, or help the audience follow the outline, however it is a temporary medium and unlike handouts cannot be taken home. Handouts allow for more details and can be taken home and looked over by the audience participant at their leisure, reinforcing the key ideas you presented.

Electronic Visual Aids