Even more impactfully, you can generate greater understanding in your audience. For example, if you’re discussing a company’s finances, having a set of graphs and charts can convey a greater grasp of the figures.
Visual Aids Examples
Visual aids are more than just PowerPoint presentations. To help spark some ideas, here are ten visual aids examples to try out.
What is a visual aid?
A visual aid is anything you use in a presentation to visually drive home your point. Using visual aids can improve attention and engagement with your presentation. They’re also quite fun!
1. Videos
If a picture tells a thousand words, a video tells a thousand pictures. You could pause your talk at the start to show a video demonstrating an idea or concept. It can help ground your presentation and provide context for what you’re going to say next.
In one particularly spectacular example, Hans Rosling’s TED talk, The Best Stats You Have Ever Seen, uses video continuously throughout the presentation. The result: a deeper understanding of a complex topic.
2. Props
Don’t just describe your product: show it! Having a tactile prop you can hand around or demonstrate isn’t just informative; it’s one of the most engaging visual aid examples around. It draws the eye and captivates your audience.
For example, if you’re giving a talk on African History, showing a traditional artifact (even a replica) can go a long way towards conveying your ideas.
Just don’t overdo it. Too many props can distract your audience from the main thrust of your presentation.
3. Handouts
Are you discussing a complex topic? If so, a handout can help break down the more complex aspects of your talk. It can contain pictures and diagrams for you to refer to in your presentation. It’s also something your audience can take away at the end. And what better way to drive home your message than a lasting reminder.
That’s not to say every presentation could benefit from a handout. But when used prudently, this visual aid example can help make your presentation that bit more memorable.
4. Demonstrations
This visual aid example blurs into props a little bit. Where it differs is in its dynamic character. Think back to your school days – aren’t the lessons you remember best, the ones with a bang?
Demonstrations can serve as the hook to draw your audience into a complicated concept. You could show off how your product works in practice. Or set up a small scientific experiment to get across the core concept of your talk.
And it’s a great way to end a presentation – no other visual aid example is as memorable.
5. Slides
Everyone might use slides – but that’s for a reason. Slides are a simple but effective way to convey your ideas visually throughout a presentation. They can give key statistics or contain charts, graphs, or pictures.
Nor do you need to settle solely for PowerPoint. If you fancy trying something different, check out Prezi. It lets you create an interactive and fluid presentation at the click of a button.
6. Whiteboards
There’s a reason why classrooms have whiteboards. To explain a new idea or spark a discussion, there’s no better visual aid example than a whiteboard.
How about having a pause midway through your presentation to have a brainstorm? Or start off the discussion by jotting down people’s initial impression of an idea. Then, at the end, you can revisit what you wrote down and see if people’s perspective has changed.
Even better, with virtual meetings now the go-to way to conduct a presentation, many video conferencing software contains virtual whiteboards.
7. Posters and boards
If you go to a scientific conference, posters are the primary way to present. When big and visually engaging, they can help introduce an idea. Alternatively, like a lawyer in a courtroom, you can use pre-made boards throughout your presentation. It’s a little more dramatic than a PowerPoint, creating a more memorable experience.
8. Roleplay
Before you roll your eyes – stay with me. Roleplays, when done right, can be the most memorable part of a presentation (for the right reasons). It’s a chance to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Think about how a roleplay can show a social situation. It could be a person trying to buy a product. By walking through the customer’s shoes, you could demonstrate to a prospective client just why your product or service is essential.
9. Blackboards
If you don’t have a whiteboard, blackboards are the next best thing. Though they function pretty similarly, the blackboard has an older aesthetic many remember from their schooldays. Draw diagrams, symbols, charts, and drawings with the classic chalk.
In fact, one of the benefits blackboards have over whiteboards is the ease with which you can draw. Plus, it’s always a great tool for interactive learning.
10. Flipcharts
If a room doesn’t have a blackboard or whiteboard, try a flipchart – it’s the next best thing. Unlike the other two, you can prepare some of the pages beforehand. For example, you can draw a table of pros and cons, ready for your audience to shout out their ideas.
For many, it’s just a refreshing change from the tired slide presentations.
Need more visual aids examples?
Do you need more visual aids examples and help elevating your visual aids and public speaking presentations? Contact Speech and Voice Enterprises today and learn about our online 2-Day Public Speaking Seminars, accent reduction, voice improvement training, and more online public speaking courses today!
