Visual aids
From Compsci1
Audio/Visual aids:
If you use a handout, keep it brief and give it out at the beginning or end of the presentation, otherwise it will create noise, cause a distraction and take from your presentation. Whether to use a handout or not depends on the type of presentation. If it is an educational presentation it is generally better for participants to have the handout to add their own notes and save them trying to take notes as they speak listen to you. If there is a diagram to be understood again it is better to give out in advance as diagrams can be hard to see on slides.
If you use slides prepare them well in advance. You have only yourself to blame if you leave slides to the last minute and the photocopier is broken or the printer is out of ink. Be careful to use the appropriate overhead for the machine you are using, ordinary plastic melts in a photocopier, ink dries very slowly with an inkjet printer.
Slides:
- Must be relevant
- Should have very few words
- Use a legible font rather than a fancy script that is difficult to read.
- Use at least size 20 font, it must be seen from a distance.
- Number them for your own sake – not to mix them up.
- Use no more than 3 a minute – we will get dizzy looking at them flying on and off the screen.
- Leave them up long enough for people to read.
- Make sure all spellings and grammar are correct.
- Do not leave them up when you are finished with the point being made on the slide.
- Point to the screen not the machine.
- Don’t obscure the screen, stand to the side to allow the audience to see.
- Don’t turn to face the screen and talk, your voice will be lost.
- If you need to use a slide twice print it twice so your slides are in order and you are not rooting through them all to find one.
- Don’t use light colours like yellow or orange, they are too hard to see.
- Line up your slide before you switch on the machine.
- Check all equipment in advance.
