Types of Presentation Aids

Students often ask, “What type of visual aid should I use for my speech?” The answer to that question is never entirely straightforward because it depends on your topic, the needs of your individual speech, the constraints of your speaking time and location, the demands of an in-person versus an online presentation, and a myriad of additional factors. What we can share, however, is a look at the dominant types of presentation aids and their general purposes for speakers. We begin by considering props and models before moving on to media clips and images, graphs and charts, posters and transparencies, flip charts and marker boards, and presentation slideware.