Visual Presentation Tutorial

©2011, Bedford/St. Martin’s

Presentation Aids Help Listeners:

• see relationships among concepts.

• store and remember material.• critically examine key ideas.

Seeing (and Hearing) Is Believing

• Aids can enhance understanding and retention.

• Facts & concepts are more memorable if accompanied by visual cues.

• Aids should be relevant to the speech topic.

Presentation Aids Include:• Speaker• Assistant• Prop• Model• Picture• Diagram• Map

• Poster• Graph• Chart• Table• Audio Clip• Video• Multimedi

a

Types of Visual Aids

• The speaker can be a visual aid when an explanation requires modeling.

• An assistant can also be a visual aid.

Types of Visual Aids

• Prop: live or inanimate object that captures attention and emphasizes key points.

• Model: three-dimensional scale-size representation of an object.

Types of Visual Aids

• Picture: two-dimensional representation.

• Diagram: visual explanation of how something works or is constructed.

• Map: a visual representation of geography.

• Poster: A large, bold, two-dimensional design with words, shapes, and (sometimes) color.

Types of Visual Aids

Types of Visual Aids• Graph: represents numerical data

in visual form.– Line graph: lines plotted on a pair of

axes that show relationships between elements.

– Bar graph: parallel bars of varying lengths that compare quantities or magnitudes.

• Graph: (continued)– Pie graph: depicts the division of a

whole; used to clarify how proportions and percentages relate to one another.

Types of Visual Aids

Types of Visual Aids• Chart: graphic representation that

summarizes information or ideas.– Flowchart: shows progression

through a procedure, relationship, or process.

– Organizational Chart: illustrates the structure or chain of command in an organization.

Types of Visual Aids

• Table: a systematic grouping of data or numerical information in columns.– Note: unless they include images,

tables are not truly considered graphics.

Types of Audio Aids

• Audio Clip: a brief recording of sounds, music, or speech. – Audio can add interest, illustrate

ideas, and provide humor.

Types of Audiovisaul Aids

• Video: Includes TV, cable, DVD, online, and other formats.– Can combine, sight, sound, and

movement to illustrate concepts.

Types of Audiovisual Aids

• Multimedia combines several media (stills, sound, video, text, and data) into a single presentation. – The more senses evoked, the more

memorable the aid may be.

Options for Display

• Overhead transparency (overhead acetate): an image on a transparent background, projected with transmitted light onto a flat surface.

Options for Display

• Overhead transparency: (continued)– Material can be added to or

changed in mid-flow. – It is thus useful for presentations

that require multiple visual aids.

Options for Display

• Computer-Generated Slideware: Digital presentations made via PowerPoint, KeyNote, or other programs. – Speakers can project these

presentations directly from a computer or transfer to overhead transparencies.

Options for Display

• LCD: stands for liquid crystal diode.

• LCD panel: a thin box that adapts an overhead projector for use with computer slideware.

Options for Display

• LCD projector: a digital projector with a light source, eliminating the need for visual aids on transparencies.

• Video/digital projector: connects to a computer and projects am image as large as twenty-five feet wide.

Options for Display

• Flip chart: a large pad of paper on which a speaker can draw visual aids. – Speaker can simply flip through the

pad to show visual aids. – An inexpensive option.

Options for Display• Chalkboard: A black (or blue or

green) board used for writing with chalk – Chalkless boards/whiteboards use dry

erase markers instead of chalk. – Useful for impromptu explanations.

Options for Display• Handouts: page-sized

printouts/copies that convey information. – Used when impractical to convey

information in another manner– Or when information is meant to be

kept after the speech.

Options for Display

• Handouts: (continued)– To avoid distractions, distribute

handouts after the presentation (unless you want listeners to read along as you speak).

Design: Simplicity• Aids that communicate too much will

overwhelm the audience. • Visual aids should reinforce or

summarize, not repeat your words verbatim.

Design: Continuity• Apply the same design

decisions you make for one aid to all of the aids you display in a speech.

Design: Continuity (continued)

• To maintain continuity, carry key design elements throughout visual aids.– Key design elements include:

color, font, case, style, repeated graphics

Design: Typefaces/Fonts

• Typeface/font: specific styles of lettering, such as Arial, Times Roman, or Courier.

• Serif typefaces: include small strokes, at the tops and bottoms of each letter.

• Sans Serif typefaces: block like and linear; designed without these small strokes.

Design: Font Size

• Size of a typeface (font size) is measured in points:– Titles or major headings should be 36

points or larger.– Main text should be minimum of 18

points or larger.

Design: Tips for Using Type• Ensure that letters stand out from the

background.• Use a typeface that is easy to read and

undistracting. • Don’t overuse boldface, underlining or

italics. • Use upper-and lowercase type.

Design: Color• Use bold, bright colors to

emphasize key points. • Use softer colors to de-emphasize

less important concepts. • Keep the background color

consistent.• Avoid dark backgrounds.

Design: Color (continued)

• For type and graphics, use colors that contrast rather than clash with the background.

• Use no more than four colors in each graphic; two or three are even better.

A How-To Guide for Using Microsoft PowerPoint as a Presentation Aid

How-To Guide to PowerPoint

• This guide offers straightforward advice that will help you use Microsoft PowerPoint to create effective and enjoyable presentations.

You don’t want your slides to look like this:

Title too small

Font is small and hard to read

Texts overlap and have strange formatting

Clip art is too large; only one piece is necessary

Colors on the slide are distracting

Let’s Begin!

• PowerPoint is a Microsoft application.• If you are proficient in programs such

as Word and Excel, you are already familiar with over 100 common commands used by Microsoft Office software.

Let’s Begin!

• NOTE: All of the icons, example buttons, and toolbars shown in this slide show are taken from the PC version of PowerPoint. The Macintosh version is similar, yet slightly different.

To Use PowerPoint• Become familiar with the toolbars• Select your presentation option• Learn how to create a slide• Learn how to organize design elements• Learn how to balance design elements

Learning the Toolbars

View buttons

Common tasks toolbar

Format-ting toolbar

Menu bar

Standard toolbar

Drawing toolbar

Learning the Toolbars• The Menu bar• The Standard toolbar• The View toolbar• The Drawing toolbar• The Formatting toolbar• The Common Tasks toolbar

Learning the Toolbars• The Menu bar contains the commands for

which shortcuts exist on the toolbars.• For instance, under File you can find the option to

Save your presentation, which is also available on the Standard toolbar.

• In the Formatting menu, you can click on Alignment and change the flow of text on your screen. You can also click one of the alignment icons on the Formatting toolbar to perform the same task.

Learning the Toolbars• The Standard toolbar contains a

number of useful shortcuts:•New presentation•Open a new or existing presentation

•Save•Print•Spelling

Learning the Toolbars• The Standard toolbar also includes a

number of other shortcut features:• Insert a Microsoft Word Table• Insert a Microsoft Excel Table• Insert a Chart• Insert Clip Art• The Office Wizard. When you click this

and type a question, it will search the Help index for possible answer.

Learning the Toolbars• The View toolbar gives different

options for viewing slides:• Slide View: shows slides one by one• Outline View: shows an outline of all slide text• Slide Sorter View: places all the slides on one

screen in slide format• Note Pages View: allows you to add and read

notes below each slide• Slide Show: allows you to see the

presentation

Learning the Toolbars• The Drawing toolbar gives shortcuts to:

• AutoShapes: draw lines, arrows, rectangles, and ovals; access the AutoShapes menu

• Text boxes: draw these where you wish to add text on a blank slide or add text to an existing slide

• Line color, font color, and fill color options, with menus

• Dash style and 3-D options• The Draw button presents a menu of other ways to

manipulate your text and clip art, including rotation, alignment, and alterations to AutoShapes.

Learning the Toolbars• The Formatting toolbar allows you to:

• Change font• Change font size

• Add boldface, italics, underlining, and shading to text

• Create animation effects

• Change paragraph alignment

Learning the Toolbars• The New Slide button inserts a new

slide directly following the slide currently being viewed.

• The Slide Layout button gives choices of layouts for different pre-designed text box and clip art formations.

• The Apply Design button gives pre-designed slide aesthetic options.

Learning the Toolbars• Finally, on the View menu you can

choose which toolbars are available at any give time:

•Click View•Scroll down to Toolbars•Select or deselect your preferences

Select Presentation Option

• When PowerPoint launches you will see the screen above.

• Here you select how you would like to create your presentation.

Select Presentation Option• The AutoContent

Wizard is useful for those who are unfamiliar with PowerPoint or who need extra help.

• It sets up an index of slides with preloaded titles, points, subpoints, and designs.

Select Presentation Option• The Template

option provides moderate flexibility in designing presentations.

• You choose from 28 templates to organize your points, subpoints, and design.

Select Presentation Option• The Blank

Presentation option offers the most flexibility.

• Users customize every aspect of the design for each individual slide. • The following slides will

teach you how to work from Blank Presentation.

How to Create a Slide• Click New Slide to select a layout for

the title slide.• To change the color of the slide either

right-click it and select Slide Color Scheme or select Format and then Slide Color Scheme from the Menu bar.

How to Create a Slide• You choose the color scheme and

format of the slide, and if you wish you can also apply these choices to all of the following slides.

• You can change the color scheme of one or all of your slides at any time.

How to Create a Slide• To change the order of the slides, first

select Slide Sorter View ( ) from the View toolbar. You can move slides by cutting and pasting or dragging and dropping

• To delete a slide, either click on it while in Slide Sorter View or go to it in Slide View ( ), then select Edit from the Menu bar and click on Delete Slide.

Organizing Design Elements

• Text• Clip art and pictures• Animation effects• Balancing the

elements

Organizing Text

As you can see

from this slide, text

boxes can be

put anywher

e.

Click on the icon on the Drawing

toolbar.With the cursor, draw the approximate size you need for your text.

Organizing Text• You can expand the box to include more text or make it

smaller to make room for other design elements on the slide.

• The pre-designed selections from the Slide Layout screen offer the most logical and often-used layouts.

Organizing Text• Use a readable font and font size

for each different aspect of the page (a good size range is between 20-60 points).

• Be consistent from slide to slide with fonts and font sizes.

• Choose colors that will ensure that your text is readable and your slides do not appear distracting.

Organizing Text• Don’t use too many different

fonts.• DON’T USE ALL CAPS.• Avoid fonts that are distracting:

– Braggadocio– OzHandicraft BT– Shelley Volante BT

Organizing Text• Don’t include your entire speech on the

slides. Instead highlight important points.• To determine what information is best to

include in your presentation, you should:•Review your speech outline.•Identify points that can be illustrated,

such as key terms and their definitions, statistics, or charts and graphs.

Organizing Clip Art and Pictures

• To insert clip art onto your slide you can:•Select a slide layout that has a set space

for clip art. When working on that slide, simply double-click on the clip art space and it will take you to the Microsoft Clip Gallery.

•Use the Insert menu, click Picture, and then select Clip Art.

•Click on the shortcut icon:

Organizing Clip Art and Pictures• To insert your own photos or

graphics rather than ones from the gallery, click Insert, scroll to Picture, and select From File.

• Here you can browse your computer and choose art from your own files.

Organizing Clip Art and Pictures• If you cannot find what you need in

the gallery or your own resources, you have another option. Downloads of more images are available free from Microsoft via the Internet.

• In the gallery, click on the icon in the bottom right corner.

• Search by key word to find what you need.

Organizing Clip Art and Pictures• PowerPoint can incorporate graphs and charts

as well.• On the Standard toolbar, there are shortcuts

for inserting Microsoft Word tables and Microsoft Excel worksheets and graphs .

• Change the numbers and labels on the graphs or charts to fit your information.

Organizing Clip Art and Pictures

• Remember: use clip art, pictures, charts, and graphs only to illustrate points, not as fillers.

Organizing Animation Effects• PowerPoint has a variety of different ways

that text and art can be animated. • For example:

Blinds Vertica

l

Fly from Bottom-Left

Box Out

Spiral

Checkerboard Across

Crawl from Right

DissolvePeek from

Bottom

Stretch from Top

Appear

Wipe Right

Zoom In

Organizing Animation Effects• These effects can be interesting

additions to your presentation, but they can also be distracting. Use them sparingly to add emphasis.

• To animate, right-click on the text or image and select Custom Animation from the menu.

• Select the effect you want to use, determine the order of the animations on the slide, and make sure to preview.

Organizing Animation Effects• Take time while in this screen to determine

how your animation effects will appear.• Clicking on the Timing menu gives you

options so that your textboxes, clip art, and other animation elements can be presented on a mouse click, automatically, or automatically after a preset length of time.

Balancing the Elements• Even if you follow all the suggestions

for setting up your slide and its elements, you still may find that your presentation is hard to follow.

• It is important to go back through your completed presentation and make sure that the overall experience of watching it is pleasant as well as educational.

Balancing the Elements• Defining a balanced slide may seem

like a matter of opinion, but there are concrete criteria, including:

• Clip art and text must fit together well. No element -- title, points, graphics -- should overpower the others.

• Headings should be consistent in size and placement. They should be large and clear.

• The audience should be able to understand each slide quickly and easily.

The clip art illustrates the slide and is well placed on the layout.

Example of a Balanced SlideThe title is large and clear.

Good use of contrasting colors on slide and in font.

Text is easy to read and well sized.

Example of an Unbalanced SlideTitle and color scheme are still fine.

Text is too small.

Clip art is too large.

This slide is hard to read and places unnecessary emphasis on the artwork.

Balancing the Elements

• If you are unsure whether your slide is well balanced, ask a friend or your instructor if they find your presentation easy to follow, and easy on the eye.

Giving Your Presentation• Make sure you have practiced giving

your speech while using your PowerPoint presentation.

• It may be helpful to make notes on your cue cards or outline indicating when to move from one slide to the next.

• Time yourself giving your speech with the presentation. Make sure that you are within your assigned time limit.

Giving Your Presentation• In case of technical problems, be

prepared to give your speech without your PowerPoint presentation.

• Consider making printouts of your presentation to give your classmates in case of technical problems.

Giving Your Presentation• To keep your audience from becoming

distracted, you should also use blank slides when you are done with one slide and not yet ready for the next one.

• Consider this as you practice your speech with the presentation. Insert blank slides where you are speaking about something that departs from the contents on the slide.

The End