Using visuals to improve your presentation skills

Five steps to better presentations:

1. Organize
2. Make It Interesting
3. Simplify
4. Use Graphics
5. Use Color

ORGANIZE: Start with the goals of your presentation. What do you want your attendees to learn or what actions do you want them to take after your presentation?

Next compile a list of the topics and questions you'll need to cover to
achieve your goals. Organize them in a logical order and add sketches of illustrations or charts that will re-enforce each point you want to make. This will provide you with an illustrated outline and help you structure the flow of your presentation.

Add brief notes to include your thoughts about how and what to present for each item on your outline.

MAKE IT INTERESTING: As you start to flesh out your presentation, use techniques in your visuals that will help maintain everyone's attention. You probably already know many ways to do this. (Please tell us about them).

One technique is to build questions into your visuals. As you show each
new visual everyone's attention will go to that visual. Design your visuals
to present information in two steps. The first might show something that creates the question, "How can this be?" The second visual answers the question.

Other techniques include using a variety of approaches and throwing a surprise or two into your presentation.

SIMPLIFY: Create sketches for each of your visuals and simplify them. You can't include everything on your visuals. Don't fill the page to the edges with text and graphics. Don't use more than two or three fonts on a visual. And be sure they can be read by everyone in the classroom.

Make just one point on a visual. Keep it simple. Use the visual to support what you are saying not to present everything you are going to say.

USE GRAPHICS: We've all heard that a "picture is worth a 1,000 words." It's true. You can focus attention and make your point quicker, and in a way that will be retained better, by including pictures on your visuals.

Where can you get good images? (Using Clip Art)

USE COLOR: Color emphasises the points you want to make. It makes your visuals more dynamic and helps increase comprehension.

You can color your visuals with markers or colored pencils. Or use a label printer to add color lettering. Use different color paper for different parts of your presentation. Paste on pictures from magazines. But, don't over do it. Don't overwhelm with color. Use it to highlight and draw attention to the points you want to make.

INFORMATION ON THE WEB:
Use any search engine to search for "presentation skills". You'll find web sites selling seminars and courses, but you'll also find lots of free information such as: