Chapter 13
Using Visual Aids
To Do List:
Discuss Details of Informative Speech
 Review Schedule

– 13/14 Today, Wednesday Workshop,
Friday Speeches Start
– When will we get the exam grades back?
3 Advantages of Visual Aids

Clarity – clarify discussion of an idea by
showing a picture or representation of it
– Again, Perot charts

Interest – visual aids effectively generate
interest
– Picture books, text books?

Retention – visual images often are
remembered longer than verbal ones
– Examples? Total bowls… others?
Different Kinds of Visual Aids

Ultimate visual aid would be the object of the
speech itself
 UConn Fine Arts Building proposals?
 Or you can use:
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Models – built to scale (smaller/larger)
Photographs – only used enlarged
Drawings – diagrams, sketches, or maps
Graphs – for statistical trends (bar, line, pie)
Slides and Videotapes – vivid presentation
Computer-Generated Graphics
Transparencies
Multimedia Presentations – Powerpoint
6 Guidelines for preparing visual
aids

Prepare visual aids in advance
– Time for creativity
– Can then be used during practice

Keep visual aids simple
– Ultimate goal is communication not art
– Limit to manageable amount of information

Make sure visual aids are large enough
– Useless if they can’t be seen
– “I know some of you can’t see this, but…”
Guidelines for preparing visual
aids

Use fonts that are easy to read
– Font – a complete set of type of the same design
– Avoid decorative fonts
– Use Arial, Times New Roman or Courier New

Use a limited number of fonts
– Book says no more than two per slide
– Styles (bold, italic, underlined) can be used, but it
is preferred not to use more than two font faces
Guidelines for preparing visual
aids

Use color effectively
– “When used effectively, it increases
recognition by 78% and comprehension by
73%” (p. 329)
– Color should only be varied for functional
purposes
• Highlighting
• Distinguishing
• Etc.
Tips for Presenting Visual Aids

Avoid using the chalkboard
– Takes time
– Does not look as neat and professional

Display visual aids where listeners can
see them
– Examine classroom prior to speech to
determine best location
– Don’t stand in front of them
Tips for Presenting Visual Aids

Avoid passing visual aids among the
audience
– The IS distracting
– Handouts generally compete with the
speech for audience attention

Display visual aids only while discussing
them
– Stats: Multiple Regression; Orwell
Tips for Presenting Visual Aids

Talk to your audience, not to your visual aid
– Feedback
– Always face your audience when talking

Explain visual aids clearly and concisely
– Most aids should be translated for the audience
– Describe the aid to the audience, not just “as you
can see” example

Practice with your visual aids
Chapter 14
Speaking to Inform
The Informative Speech

A speech designed to convey knowledge and
understanding
 Judgment by peers will result from three
general criteria:
– Is the information communicated accurately?
– Is the information communicated clearly?
– Is the information made meaningful and
interesting to the audience?
4 Types of Informative Speeches

Speeches about Objects
– Anything that is visible, tangible and stable in form
– Specific Purpose example: To inform my audience
about the social functions of comic strips

Speeches about Processes
– A systematic series of actions that leads to a
specific result or product
– Specific Purpose example: To inform my audience
how to create their own Web pages
4 Types of Informative Speeches

Speeches about Events
– Anything that happens or is regarded as
happening
– Specific Purpose example: To inform my audience
about what happened at the Battle of Little Big
Horn

Speeches about Concepts
– A belief, theory, idea, notion, principle, or the like
– Specific Purpose example: To inform my audience
about the doctrine of original intent in
constitutional interpretation
Guidelines for Informative
Speaking

Don’t overestimate what the audience
knows
– How to make a PB & J sandwich

Relate the subject directly to the
audience
– A speech is measured by its impact on a
particular audience
– Bush’s UN speech: Is the UN useful?
Guidelines for Informative
Speaking

Don’t be too technical
– Avoid Jargon
• The specialized or technical language of a trade,
profession, or similar group

Avoid Abstractions
– Three options:
• Description
• Comparison
• Contrast

Personalize your ideas
– To present one’s ideas in human terms that relate
in some fashion to the experience of the audience
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