Motivating and Inspiring Conference Audiences (Article Three)

A single picture is worth a thousand words. A talk or presentation given without some kind of visual support makes it hard for the audience to keep awake! That is why I use Top Tip picture boxes in my books and talks. If you want your presentation to be motivational and inspirational you need some tips on creating and using visual aids.

Firstly make sure that everyone in your audience can clearly see your visual aids.

Here is a list of the main types of visual aid media normally available:

Flip-chart
Whiteboard
Chalkboard (blackboard)
Overhead projector
35mm slide projector
Digital computerised projection
Audio-visual - video, live television link, CCTV
Physical objects - scale models, product, packaging, etc.
On-stage assistant

Using visual aids greatly increases understanding. People take in as much, if not more information through their eyes as they do with their ears. Visual aids help to convey messages clearly. Information that is presented visually is received and processed faster than words alone and all his helps to enhance retention. Visual aids also promote attentiveness. It is a fact that people can think faster than you can speak. Giving them something to look at helps keep them focused on your message.

And using visual aids gives you something to do! Moving around helps you dissipate nervous energy.

During the initial briefing from the client you should ask which display medium will be used during the conference. It may be that basic equipment will be provided, but it is equally possible that you may be required to supply your own. If you know in advance what visual aids media are available at the venue, then this will greatly assist your planning.

Knowing, for example, how many graphical slides you need for a presentation may well depend to some extent on both your client and your audience. Some conference organisers prefer their speakers not to use visual aids at all!

Some speakers also consider that visual aids are unnecessary and distracting. They argue that their oratory skills create pictures in the minds of delegates, without the need of props. I will discuss platform presentation in a later article, but for now I would suggest that unless you are a very talented and experienced presenter you should add some visual stimulation to your delivery.

The length of your presentation will determine how much visual aid should be used. Work on the basis of one illustration per four minutes of your talk. Do not leave a picture displaying for a moment longer than is necessary as it can begin to distract, especially if you have moved on to another point.

Include graphical illustrations in your material as often as possible. (For simplicity’s sake I call them ‘slides’, but a graphical illustration can be any visual aid, however produced). People enjoy looking at pictures and a good picture can really add clarity and dimension to your words. I much prefer to use photographs, rather than clip art or cartoons. Clip art is a leftover from the 1980s, and lacks professionalism. Cartoons are acceptable in small numbers. Never let your talk become something more suitable for children’s television!

With the price of digital cameras falling daily, why not take your own pictures? A shot or two of something relevant to your talk can easily be included within your presentation, and saves the cost of an expensive professional photographer. Digital cameras are great, because you can take a number of shots with slight variations, and later select the best.

If you need to include graphs or charts in your presentation, be extremely selective. I have lost count of how many presenters I have seen making the mistake of thinking lots of graphs will motivate and inspire the audience. The opposite is true!

One graph or chart after another will quickly turn off your audience. They will look at and study the first slide, whilst listening to your commentary. They will glance at your second slide and listen to some of what you say, but experience has shown that by your third graph or chart you have lost your delegates’ attention.

In article four in this series I will provide more great tips on the creation and use of visual aids to produce motivational and inspirational speeches.