The Importance of Creating Effective Visual Aids in the Workplace

It's been said that people retain 10 percent of what they read, 20 percent of what they hear, 30 percent of what they see, and 50 percent of what they hear and see. Training professionals often quibble about the exact percentages, but they agree that the proportions are correct.

This is a hugely telling insight for small-business owners, who may regularly take the floor to speak before employees, clients, vendors and community groups. It means that as difficult as it may be to craft the spoken part of a presentation, it is difficult to overstate the importance of visual aids. Even if you appreciate how visual aids can invigorate a presentation, it's important to choose the right ones and use them to their best advantage. Those percentages, after all, need all the help they can get.

Consider the Role of Visual Aids

Now that the thought of preparing a presentation has crossed your mind, it's worth keeping it there. The optimal time to think about visual presentation examples is while you're preparing a presentation, not afterward. The visual aid could run the risk of looking like an add-on – an afterthought – instead of an integrated part of the presentation. Ideas may elude you at first, which is normal. They should start coming to mind when you do as Wise Businessware recommends and ask yourself:

  • What visual aid will capture and retain interest in my presentation?
  • What will keep all eyes on me (as much as possible)?
  • What aid will clarify, simplify or emphasize my major points?
  • What can show examples of what I'm trying to say?
  • What visual aid will improve my credibility as the presenter?
  • What will help make my presentation memorable?

If you're still stuck, turn to the part of your presentation that contains a lot of facts and figures – information that is dull to enumerate out loud but which naturally lends itself to charts and graphs. You could also turn to the other end of the spectrum, along the lines of humor or drama. For example, if you're planning a speech on the most common safety hazard in your workplace, a video clip of the infraction could speak volumes. It could even make an outstanding opening piece.

Consider Visual Aid Speech Examples

Mulling your options early on helps ensure that your visual aids resonate with your audience because they are:

  • Relevant
  • Appropriate
  • Helpful
  • Attractive

This is hardly a guarantee; it's more like a reminder as you consider some of the more common selections available to you:

  • Charts, graphs and diagrams
  • Paper handouts
  • Blackboard or whiteboard
  • Poster board
  • Flip chart
  • Photographs
  • Illustrations
  • Videos
  • Artifacts and props
  • Models
  • Maps
  • PowerPoint

You may well consider some of these ideas rote, and they may be, though you have to balance this quality against their presumed effectiveness. You can improve your odds of success by ensuring your visual aids are:

  • Clear, succinct and of the highest quality
  • Limited to one key message each
  • Paced so that your audience is not trying to listen to you and read a visual aid at the same time

Run With a Prop

If you're looking for out-of-the-box ideas, props may be more suitable. Unlike visual aids, props aren't intended to help you tell your story. They're mostly aimed at generating attention, but props, too, should achieve that No. 1 objective: Relevance. Otherwise, you run the risk of confusing your audience and obscuring your message. While these ideas from Businessballs may not be relevant to your particular presentation, they could inspire you to come up with one of your own:

  • A loaf of bread and a stick of margarine demonstrate how your small business should stick to the basics in making your clients happy.
  • A beach ball "carries" the benefit of longevity; someone holds onto the ball until he supplies the correct answer to a question from the presenter (you). Then he can toss the ball to someone else.
  • Kitchen tools underscore a key point about your business – from "spooning up" new clients to avoiding tendencies that "grate" on their nerves.
  • A toolbox filled with tools of your choice complements your speech. Your tools could be the specific tools of your trade.

Props can infuse a presentation with energy, but to ensure that they're as effective as they can be, consider these sensible pointers from VirtualSpeech:

  • Use props in moderation, meaning less is more. They should complement a presentation, not overtake it.
  • Anticipate glitches so that a malfunctioning prop doesn't derail your presentation. In other words, prepare to proceed without it.
  • Practice your presentation beforehand, using or referring to your props as you go. Ask a trusted colleague for honest feedback.

If those retention percentages are still nagging at you, try to incorporate time at the end of your presentation for people to talk about what they've learned. The Peak Performance Center says that retention rates soar to 70 percent when people discuss what they've learned with others. With you at the helm, that's bound to be a lot.