Whiteboard or Blackboard Practise using these before the day to check the legibility of your handwriting
and the size of writing needed. Do not write too much – just key phrases or
short bullet points. You can use boards to stick up pictures or posters. Do not
stand between the board and the audience, and do not talk to the board. If
your audience is large, those at the back may not be able to see this visual aid.
Posters These can be very effective but will need to be well designed and planned
beforehand. Do not cram too much into a poster – space between text
and pictures is very important if the poster is to have impact, and if it is to
communicate clearly.
Handouts Keep these short (no more than 2 sides of A4) and use bullet points or other
short sections of text, illustrated where appropriate. Do not write an essay on
a handout: use it to summarise and note key elements of information such as
technical terms, quotations and references.
Quiz sheets or audience
polls
A few questions to facilitate audience participation and to reinforce key points
can be useful as a warm up or concluding activity (if time permits). Make sure
the questions are relevant and interesting. Polling the audience as to their
views on the topic at the beginning and again at the end of your presentation
can also be an effective way of engaging them.
PowerPoint Slides and
Projector
Used correctly, PowerPoint can really enhance a presentation. Avoid filling
slides with text. Just try to use key points, and remember to use a large font so
that everybody can read it.
If you are using a number of slides try to use a clicker so that you can change
slides at your own pace without having to stand by the computer.
Using large images or embedding video clips can also help capture the
audience’s attention and reinforce your points. Do not forget, PowerPoint can
also help you to create excellent handouts to help your audience take notes.
Projectors connected to online computers can also be used to display internet
pages. Integrating sites such as Google Earth and Youtube into presentations
can keep them engaging, but make sure you open the pages and download any
material before the talk.
Objects of interest Using real objects as visual aids can be very effective. Using objects can be
connected with the demonstration of a process.
Digital recorder, musical
instruments etc.
Where appropriate the use of auditory material can be very entertaining.
Make sure that you have checked and practised with any equipment you plan
to use well before you start.
DVD, film, transparency
slides or similar
As above, check all equipment beforehand. Do not overuse pictures or video –
keep them short and strictly relevant to your argument.