Speaking: Public Speaking & Presentations B2 - Lesson 4: Designing & Referring to Visual Aids

Speaking: Public Speaking & Presentations B2 - Lesson 4: Designing & Referring to Visual Aids 🖼️📊🗣️

Objective: To learn principles of designing effective visual aids (such as slides) and to practice using appropriate language for clearly and smoothly referring to them during a presentation.

• Understand the purpose and benefits of using visual aids in presentations.
• Learn key principles for designing clear, simple, and impactful visual aids.
• Become familiar with different types of visual aids and their uses.
• Practice phrases for introducing, explaining, and transitioning between visual aids.
• Develop skills in integrating visual aids seamlessly into a spoken presentation.

Visual aids, like slides, charts, or images, can significantly enhance your presentation. They help to clarify complex information, engage your audience, increase retention of key messages, and add a professional touch. However, poorly designed or badly referenced visuals can be distracting or confusing. This lesson will cover how to design effective visual aids and how to talk about them confidently during your presentation.

1. Principles of Designing Effective Visual Aids (e.g., Slides)

• Simplicity & Clarity ("Less is More"): Avoid clutter. Each slide should focus on one main idea or a few related points. Too much information is overwhelming.
• Readability: Use clear, easy-to-read fonts (e.g., Arial, Calibri, Helvetica). Ensure font sizes are large enough to be seen from the back of the room (typically 24pt or larger for main text). Use good color contrast (e.g., dark text on a light background, or vice versa).
• Visual Appeal & Consistency: Use high-quality, relevant images, charts, and graphs that genuinely support your message. Maintain a consistent design throughout your presentation (colors, fonts, layout).
• Minimal Text: Use keywords, short phrases, and bullet points. Avoid long sentences or paragraphs. Your slides are a support for your talk, not your script for the audience to read.
• Relevance: Every visual element should have a clear purpose and directly relate to what you are saying.
• Number of Visuals: Use an appropriate number. Too few might mean missed opportunities; too many can make the presentation feel rushed or fragmented.

2. Types of Visual Aids (Brief Overview)

• Slides (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote, etc.): Most common for presentations. Can include text, images, charts, etc.
• Charts & Graphs: Excellent for presenting data, statistics, and trends visually (e.g., pie charts, bar graphs, line graphs).
• Images & Illustrations: Can evoke emotion, illustrate concepts, or add visual interest. Ensure they are high quality and relevant. (e.g., a photo of a specific location in Cambodia when discussing tourism in Battambang).
• Short Video/Audio Clips: Can be very engaging but use sparingly and ensure they are short and directly relevant. Check technical setup beforehand.
• Physical Objects or Props: Can be effective in some situations to demonstrate something tangible.

3. Language for Referring to Visual Aids During a Presentation

It's important to guide your audience's attention to your visuals and explain their relevance.

A. Introducing a Visual / Drawing Attention:

• "If you look at this slide/chart/graph, you'll see..."
• "This slide shows/illustrates/highlights..."
• "Let me draw your attention to this [image/diagram/figure]..."
• "As you can see here..." / "Here we have..."

B. Explaining Specific Parts of a Visual:

• "On the left-hand side / right-hand side, you can see..."
• "The red line / shaded area / figures in this column represent..."
• "Notice the trend in this graph..." / "What's particularly interesting here is..."
• "The key point this visual makes is..."

C. Transitioning with Visuals:

• "Moving on to the next slide, which covers the solutions we propose..."
• "This leads me to my next point, illustrated here..."
• "If we look at the following image/chart, we can see further evidence of this."

Practice Activities

Activity 1: "Good Slide, Bad Slide" Critique

Consider these descriptions of two different presentation slides about "Deforestation in Cambodia." Which one follows good design principles? Why?

Slide A Description:
Title: DEFORESTATION FACTS.
Text: A very long paragraph in small font (12pt Times New Roman) copied directly from a Wikipedia article, detailing statistics, causes, effects, and solutions for deforestation globally and in Cambodia. No images. Background is dark blue with yellow text.

Slide B Description:
Title: Deforestation in Cambodia: Key Impacts
Text: Three bullet points in large, clear font (28pt Arial):

• Loss of Biodiversity
• Increased Soil Erosion & Flooding
• Impact on Rural Livelihoods

Image: A single, powerful photo showing a deforested area next to a lush forest. Light background with dark text.

Which slide is better and why?

Slide B is much better.
Why Slide A is bad: Cluttered with too much text, small font makes it unreadable, poor color contrast, text is copied (not keywords), tries to cover too much. It would be very distracting for the audience.
Why Slide B is good: Clear title, minimal text with key points, readable font, good use of a relevant image, good contrast. It supports the speaker without overwhelming the audience.

Activity 2: Design a Simple Slide (Conceptually)

Imagine you need to present the following information on one slide: "Key tourist attractions in Battambang province include the Bat Caves at Phnom Sampeau, the Bamboo Train, and the historic colonial architecture in the city center."

1. What would be a good title for this slide?
2. How would you present the information (bullet points, images, etc.)? Describe the layout briefly.
3. What kind of image(s) might you include?

Activity 3: Practicing Referring to (Imaginary) Visuals

Prepare to speak for 1-2 minutes on one of the topics from Activity 2 of the previous lesson ("Outline Your Presentation," e.g., "The impact of social media on youth in Cambodia"). Imagine you have 2-3 slides to support your talk.

During your short talk, practice using phrases from this lesson to:

• Introduce what's on your "first slide."
• Explain a key point from your "second slide" (e.g., referring to a chart or image you describe).
• Transition to your "third slide."

Example starter: "Good morning. Today I'm talking about the impact of social media. If you look at my first slide here, you can see some statistics about social media usage among young people in Cambodia..."

Tips for Using Visual Aids Effectively:

• Face your audience, not the screen: Glance at your slide, then turn back to your audience to explain. Don't talk to your visual aid.
• Make sure visuals are relevant and add value: Don't use them just for decoration.
• Keep it simple: Your audience should be able to understand a slide in a few seconds.
• Practice with your visuals: Rehearse your talk including when you will refer to each slide and what you will say. Check timings.
• Check equipment beforehand: Ensure projectors, computers, and connections are working. Have a backup plan (e.g., PDF on a USB).
• Don't read your slides aloud word-for-word: Your audience can read. Your role is to expand, explain, and engage.

Summary: Well-designed visual aids can significantly enhance the clarity, engagement, and impact of your presentations. By following principles of good design (simplicity, readability, relevance) and using clear language to refer to your visuals, you can guide your audience effectively and make your message more memorable. Remember that visuals should support your spoken words, not replace them.