The Importance of Visuals
My colleague and I have found that including vivid, interactive videos throughout the meat of the presentation really helps to keep the audience involved. Often times we will include animated visuals that the audience can relate to, that spark curiosity, and/or that convey our point in a humorous way. We then only use our words to supplement the information they gain from the visuals. This helps push the informality of our speaking environments. It also lets our audience know that we are as relaxed as they are, and confident enough about the subject matter that we can play and have fun while getting our point across. I'd love to hear your experiences with visual presentations!
Anna,
this is a great practice & one I do as well. Especially with the younger generation who is very used to YouTube, it can be very effective.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I have found that you can really lose an audience, especially a younger audience, if you do not use visuals.
I completely agree. I normally present the same topic for High School and College Students for my presentation. I've found that using visuals, definitely helps keep the younger crowd more engaged and therefore they keep their focus longer. Just as said in the class, people gain 75% of what they know visually. =)
Jason,
yes, the visuals are a great way to connect & illustrate points, particularly harder to understand concepts.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I have found that the use of visuals seems to keep the audience engaged and attentive. As they say, a picture is worth 1000 words.
George,
yes, a good visual that connects well with our presentation is a powerful way to highlight key ideas & points.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
A lot of our students are hands on learners meaning they learn by seeing and doing. If visual aids are not used they tend to get bored very quickly. It seems that a lot of our young adult population falls into this category.
Wilmer,
I would agree & visual aids are a great idea, as long as they support the content & do not distract.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agreed. Visuals can help explain your points as well as make it easier for your audience to get what you are trying to convey. They can help emphasize your main points as well as change the flow of your presentation.
maritza,
yes, visuals are a wonderful addition to presentations, we just want to make sure the visuals don't overwhelm what we are trying to say.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I work in an industry where we create graphics for presentations, and I'm so happy to say that we're entering an era where presenters understand that the less words you have on a slide the better! The visual should enhance - and not repeat - what you're saying.
