Visual aids should help the listener focus on the topic being presented.
Depending on the preparation of the speaker, visual aids can either strengthen or hinder a public speaking presentation. With proper planning, they assist the listener in comprehending otherwise abstract and difficult concepts. On other occasions, they can distract the audience from the central message of the speech if the speaker is unprepared. Before choosing a topic involving visual aids, consider their intended purpose and possible contributions toward making a presentation a success.
Visual Aid Defined
Visual aids are physical objects or images that add meaning and depth to a speaker's presentation. For example, the speaker's body is a visual aid. Facial expressions and body movement help convey and emphasize ideas in the speech. Most students experience their earliest use of external visual aids in "show and tell," presenting personal items like toys or small pets. In high school, college and the workplace, visual aids may include graphs, charts, videos or a variety of other media. These materials give shape and form to the ideas being delivered by the speaker.
Use and Misuse
The visual and verbal aspects of speech presentation should not compete; they should complement one another. When the point in the speech arrives to discuss the visual aid, present it and put it out of view once the reference is completed. Too often, speakers place a visual aid in front of an audience before the speech has started, leaving it there till the end. This weakens its impact through overexposure as well as distracting the audience from the speaker's words. This problem is often illustrated in presentations involving live specimens. The attention span of the audience is challenged by a choice between listening to a person give a speech or giggling at a wide-eyed, furry animal.
Size Matters
Choose and prepare visual aids after examining the space in which they will be presented. Stand at the back of the room. If audience members in that area cannot see the visual aid in detail, they will not be served by its presentation and, consequently, neither will the speaker. Make sure visual aids are large enough for every listener to appreciate. If a visual aid is very small, take a picture of it and present it on a slide or digital projector. Some speakers try to overcome size limitations by passing visual aids around the room during their speech. Rather than enlightening the listener, this practice serves to distract the audience from your overall presentation.
Demonstrating Credibility
The speaker must be as familiar with his visual aids as he is with the speech. Before the presentation, practice using and demonstrating visual aids such as devices or appliances. A speech on 20th-century film cameras is not well served by a speaker who does not know operate the camera he is presenting to his audience. Such oversights weaken the speaker's credibility. If a visual aid is too complicated or complex to utilize in a short presentation, do not use it.
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