Tips for presentation visuals

Visual aids are there to help you present complex ideas clearly.

Good oral presentations make the most of visual aids, such as slides. Using visuals allows you to:

cover more information in less time
communicate difficult-to-explain concepts (charts, diagrams, drafts etc.)
easily add multimedia information (photographs, plans, maps etc.)
add interest and impact
engage your audience, even with a 'dry' topic.

What is an oral presentation?

An oral presentation is a short talk on a set topic. Depending on your course, an oral presentation task may also involve:

reading background material
leading a group discussion
distrbuting handouts and visual aids
submitting a written assignment based on the presentation topic.

Always check your course outline, study guides and assessment briefs for specific expectations and requirements for your presentations.

Storyboard to create effective visual aids

Once you know what you’re going to say, you can start drafting your slides to save time and ensure that your visuals are effective.

A storyboard is a good way to lay out different 'scenes' from your presentation in rough sketch form and visualise how your content will flow.

How to storyboard

1. Draw up your slides
2. Evaluate & redraft

You may choose to storyboard physically or digitally. If you're doing yours by hand, use a pencil and have an eraser handy. A set of index cards, post-it notes, or even frames cut out from spare paper, will let you rearrange draft slides to try out different presentation sequences. To draw your storyboard:

Decide how many slides you'll need and draw up the appropriate number of frames.
- This depends on the length of your presentation - a good rule of thumb is to use no more than 5-6 slides per 10 minutes.
Follow the structure of your script and consider how your content will fit into consecutive frames.
Think beyond dot points and consider how you could translate text or data into visuals.
Make rough sketches for your slides to help you identify what each one should convey.
- Don’t worry about neatness at this point, just ensure the ideas for your visuals are clear.

Evaluating and redrafting your slides at the storyboarding stage means you can make adjustments early on while revisions are easy to do. Read your written script while looking at the storyboard and ask yourself:

Do my slides clearly display the key ideas from my presentation?
Is the structure of my presentation apparent in my slides?
Do my slides flow into each other smoothly? Are there visual or verbal links to connect each section?
Is the information presented in the most suitable way? (eg. Would a picture be more effective than a description?)
Is each slide as visually effective as I can make it?
Will the audience be able to understand it quickly and easily?

Make sure you're happy with your storyboard before you move on the final draft in your presentation software.

Presentation software recommendations

Microsoft PowerPoint

Google Slides

Canva

Design tips for effective visual communication

Format

Text

Choose an easy-to-read font like Helvetica or Arial. Make it large enough to read from the back of the room.

Readability

Ensure that there is high contrast between text and background. Graphics should be large and clear enough to be read easily.

Consistency

Use a common font, colour scheme and layout style for visual flow across slides (check out your software's preset ‘themes’ for help).

Colour

Highlight or change the text colour of key words for emphasis. Avoid colours that clash or appear harsh when projected.

Content

Density

Avoid overloading your audience with content. Rephrase big chunks of text into dot points and add more slides where needed.

Graphics

Communicate complex information visually with captioned images, charts and other graphics. Aim for at least one per slide.

Effects

Limit animations, like flying text, to avoid distracting your audience. Only include sounds or videos if they're necessary content.

Review

Make sure your slides are in order, check for typos or grammatical mistakes, and make sure all elements are in the right place!

^{Common mistakes to avoid when presenting with visual aids}

Expecting the slides to present for you

Visual aids are intended to support you, not replace you. Whatever you use to support your presentation, the focus should remain on you and your ideas.

Not working enough on your script

Elaborate visuals can’t make up for a poorly written oral presentation. Focus on writing your presentation first, then plan your visuals to support it.

Ignoring the audience

Remember, your presentation is for your audience. Glance at your notes and change slides manually when you need to, but dedicate most of your eye contact to your listeners.

Hiding in the corner

Standing behind a lectern or computer creates a barrier between you and your audience. If the controls for the slides are in the corner of the room, try to vary your position while you speak.

Reading directly from slides

Your script should expand on the text and graphics in your visuals. If you read from your slides, you’ll tempt your audience to read ahead and stop listening to you.

Skipping preparing and rehearsing

Make sure you rehearse with your slideshow. Rehearsal will help you ensure the timing of your presentation is correct, overcome performance anxiety and improve your presentation skills.

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