The document outlines the importance of visual aids in business communication, highlighting their role in generating audience interest, improving recall, clarifying information, and enhancing credibility. It discusses various types of visual aids such as overhead transparencies, flip charts, handouts, and computer presentations, along with guidelines for their effective use. The text emphasizes the need to choose appropriate visual aids based on the audience, budget, and goals, while providing tips for maximizing their impact.

1. Business Communication
Using Visual Aids

2. The purpose of visual aids
1. Generating & holding audience
interest
2. Increasing audience recall
3. Clarifying & emphasizing information
4. Adding credibility & persuasiveness

3. Generating & maintaining audience
interest

4. Increasing audience recall
 The more senses involved in a
communication transaction the more likely
the receiver is to understand the sender’s
message and remember it.

5. Clarifying Information

6. Adding credibility & persuasiveness
 Oral presentation with visual support is more
persuasive and more effecitve from the
audience’s viewpoint than are those without
visual support. The audience is more likely to
approve the ideas of the person’s using
visual aids.

8. Why use visual aids?

9. Many possible types of visual aids
 Overhead Transparencies (OHT, Acetate)
 Slides
 Flip Charts and Posters
 Objects and Models
 Handouts
 Whiteboards and Chalkboards
 Computer Assisted Audiovisuals (PPT)
 Audio or Video (tapes, CDs, DVDs…)

10. Flip Charts
 For briefing small
groups
 Can be used to record
audience comments
and questions
 Not suitable for a use in
large audience settings

11.  Useful in extended presentations where
ideas are changed through interaction with
the audience
 Vital in group brainstorming sessions where
ideas must be recorded, narrowed, and
solidified in front of the group
 Make sure the information is large enough for
the entire audience to see
Flip Charts

12. Posters
 Smaller audience sizes
(except for marketing)
 Posters are permanent
and removable
 Eloberate posters
require extensive
preparation and may be
costly

13. Posters and Flipcharts
Advantages
 Can be placed close to audiences
 They can provide interactive communication
 They can stand alone without explanation
 They can remain displayed to remind
listeners of key concepts

14. Overhead Transparencies
 For audience of 20 to
50 people
 Necessity when
giving a presentation
in a room not
equipped with a
computer projection
system
 Old fashioned in
some industries

15. Transparencies
 Advantages of transparencies
– Projection equipment is simple and
dependable
– Speakers need not turn their backs to the
audience
– They work in well-lit rooms
– Easily stored and carried
– Easily produced
– Can be eliminated during the speech

16. Transparencies
 Guidelines
 Number transparencies
 Maintain eye contact with the audience
 Point on the projector, not screen
 Keep relevant information hidden until
needed
 Turn projector light off when not in use

17. Handouts
 Their use allows speakers to go into depth on
some points while skimming over others
 They can be especially useful for complex
presentations
 They provide something for audience
members to take with them for future reference
 Handouts give a sense of security and
ownership to speakers

18. Handouts
 Guidelines
 Be sure about the quality
 Include helpful lists, maps, tables etc
 Be sure thay are up to date
 Decide how to deal with them during the
presentation

19. Computer presentations (ppt)
 Many types of audiences
 Inexpensive and customizable
 Needs to be well-prepared

20. Tips for using slides
 Use bullet statements when possible (no
more than 7 per slide)
 Avoid too much verbiage and clutter
 Keep it simple (less is more)
 Keep sound effects to a minimum

21. Tips for using slides
Only use long quotes and/or sentences if
necessary (in which case, bring in each
sentence one at a time)
Avoid turning back to audience and reading
too much

22. Tips for using slides
Give handouts of PowerPoint slides
before speech for audience note-taking
(optional)
Use slides as your notes or use
PowerPoint handouts for additional
notes

23. Tips for using slides
Use graphs for important statistics
(particularly when referring to dramatic
gains or losses)
Reduce walking in front of projector

24. Tips for using slides
Build suspense for topic by leaving first
slide blank
Avoid being tied to the mouse
Use pictures as metaphors or similes

25. Tips for using slides
Use slides as punch lines for humor
Use pictures and/or clipart on slides to
enhance the mood

26. Tips for using slides
Avoid putting too much verbiage
around pictures (Keep it simple)
Apply transitions and animations for
effect (Don’t overdo. Decide what to
emphasize.)

27. Tips for using slides
 Maintain consistency (For example, use
design templates)
 Be prepared for technical difficulties (Always
have a plan B)

28. Which visual aid to choose?
It depends on
– Your goal
– Your audience
– Your budget
– Available technology

29. Tips for effective use of visual aids
 Give handouts before or after speech only
if not a distraction
 Explain the handout’s relevancy to topic
 Keep visual aids clear and simple
 Avoid lulls while you demonstrate

30. Tips for effective use of visual aids
 Practice using visual aids
 Make visual aids easy for audience to see
 Set up before and discuss after the
showing of video clips

31. Tips for effective use of visual aids
 Use pictures or other visual aids to spark
a story (there are stories in objects)
 Avoid using animals and/or children if
distracting
 Demonstrate a task by using how-to-
objects

32. Visual Aid Categories
Figures (charts)
Tables
Pictures and diagrams

33. Charts
In a bar chart, the height or length of
each bar represents the frequency of
occurence..

34. Bar Graphs
 Include no more than six bars
 Label the bars themselves
 Label the horizontal and vertical axes
0
20
40
60
80
100
1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4 th Qtr
East
West
North

35. Bar Chart

36. Bar Chart (data reordered)

37. Charts
The most frequently used diagram to
emphasise the proportion or share of
occurences is the pie chart. A pie
chart is divided into proportional
segments according to the share each
has of the total value.

38. Pie Charts
 Avoid slicing the pie into more than seven slices
 Label the pie pieces at or near the slice
1st Qt r
2 n d Qt r
3 rd Qt r
4 t h Qt r

39. Ice Rink Expenses
Staff 34%
Refrigeration 27%
Gas 8%
Snack bar 6%
Maintenance 4%
Water 3%
Sewer 2%
Office supplies
2%
Too many
slices

40. Too Much Emphasis on Service, Too
Little on R & D
Production
Marketing
Sales
Service Research & Development
PR

41. Pie Chart

42. Graphs
Most suitable diagram for exploring the
trend is a line graph in which your
data values for each time period are
joined with a line to represent the trend.

43. U.S. Slowdown Produces Downturns in
Other Countries
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
U.S.
England
Germany
Ireland
Thailand
Japan
Korea
4th 2006 1st 2007 2nd 2007 3rd 2007
% GDP
Growth
How would you
fix this graph?

44. U.S. Slowdown Produces Downturns in
Other Countries
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
4th 2006 1st 2007 2nd 2007 3rd 2007
U.S.
Europe
Asia
% GDP
Growth
Europe = England, Ireland, and Germany
Asia = Thailand, Japan, and Korea

45. Line Graph

47. EXAMPLES
Example of a
bad presentation
Stand-up
Example of a bad
presentation 1