Printed Page 54

A presentation aid is anything beyond the speech itself that your audience members can see or hear that helps them understand and remember your message. Traditional aids include actual objects or models (for example, a physical model of DNA), video and audio recordings (such as a short clip of several birds and their calls), drawings, photographs, charts, maps, and graphs. PowerPoint presentations or other electronic slide shows are also common aids.

Each presentation aid must support the point that you are developing. For example, if you want your audience to appreciate the differences between bird calls, an audio recording that clearly demonstrates those differences would be entirely relevant. Also take care that audio aids are loud and clear and that visual aids are uncluttered and large enough for your audience to see from all points in the room.