Suggested Activities for Chapter 14

  1. Ask students to thumb through the text and identify what they think is the most effective or valuable illustration. Each student should then give a short presentation on what the illustration shows and why they think it is important. You may blow up the illustration and require the speaker to use it properly as a visual aid.
  2. Show a short clip of the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, with Al Gore. The bit where he needs to get on a crane to reach the top of his carbon graph is a clip that is well suited to this activity (and it can be found on YouTube). Have students reflect on the effectiveness of the visual aid, especially for a speaker like Gore, who was often considered to be wooden before this film.
  3. Have students read Edward Tufte’s short “PowerPoint Is Evil” article on the Internet (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html). Ask the class to write reflections or organize small-group discussions about their reactions to the piece.
  4. Place students in three groups and assign each an audience consideration: forum, demographics, or prior exposure. Have each group work on the topic “Emergency CPR.” Ask each group to give specific examples of how their consideration would affect their choice of presentation aids, then bring the groups together and have students discuss the benefits of applying all three considerations to their speeches.
  5. Allow class time for a presentation aid workshop day. Tell students that on the assigned day they must bring in the completed audiovisual aids they plan to use during their speeches. Students will practice a minute or so of their speeches using their aids. You and other students will critique whether the speaker followed the eight preparation rules: that aids must support the speaker’s points, consider audience analysis, have audible audio, have visible visuals, be clear and understandable, follow the rules of contrast, keep the message simple, and be prepared in advance. Be sure to provide constructive advice, so students can really improve their aids before delivering their speeches.