CHAPTER 6

Communication Aid – is anything that helps an individual to communicate more effectively with
those around them.

MAJOR TYPES OF COMMUNICATION AID

a. computer-based media – this communication aid uses Presentation Software Packages.

b. audio-visual media – a communication aid that has both a sound and a visual component.
Audio Aids - Any instructional device that can be heard.
Visual Aids - Aids which use sense of vision are called Visual aids.

Advantages of visual aids

1. clarity
2. speed,
3. retention,
4. media

c. Low-Tech media – very predictable and is best used if it is accompanied with computer-
based or audiovisual media to achieve a more effective communication
Examples: 1. chalk or dry-erase board – used for the interactive components of your
speech, hence, it becomes effective
2. flipchart –useful for briefing small groups. It helps the speaker proceed
through the material by providing the audience with something to
look in addition to the speaker.
3. foam board or poster board – consists of a thin sheet of Styrofoam with
heavy paper bonded to both surfaces and can stand on its own
when placed in an easel without curling under at the bottom edge
4. handouts – it is only appropriate for information that audience
members can take away delivering

III. Functions of Communication Aids

a) to clarify or emphasize a point
b) to enhance retention and recall of your message
c) to aid variety and interest to your speech
d) to enhance your credibility as a speaker.

IV. Guidelines in Preparing Quality Communication Aids

a) they must be easily seen or heard by your audience
b) they should be easily handled..
c) they should be aesthetically pleasing
Aesthetics refer to the appeal, beauty, or good taste of a presentation aid.
d) text type must only be used when needed.
 e) control the size and lines of graphic images
f) computer presentations should be used purposively
g) always have a backup plan

CHARACTERISTICS OF MULTIMEDIA #

A multimedia systems has four basic characteristics:

1.  Multimedia systems must be computer controlled.
2.  Multimedia systems are integrated.
3.  The information they handle must be represented digitally.
4.  The interface to the final presentation of media is usually interactive.
 
ELEMENTS OF MULTIMEDIA

1. Text
- Text is the basic element of multimedia. It involves the use of text types, sizes, colors and
background colors.
- In multimedia, text is mostly use for titles, headlines, menu, paragraph, list etc.
- In a multimedia application, other media or screen can be linked through the use of text.
This is what you call Hypertext.
- The most commonly used software for viewing text files are Microsoft Word, Notepad,
Word pad etc. Mostly the text files are formatted with , DOC, TXT etc extension.

2. Graphics
- It is a digital representation of non-text information, such as a drawing, chart, or
photograph.
- Graphics make the multimedia application attractive. They help to illustrate ideas
through still pictures.
- There are two types of graphics used: bitmaps (paint graphics) and vectors (draw
graphics).
- Bitmaps graphics also called raster graphics. A bitmap represents the images as an array
of dots called pixels. Bitmap graphics are resolution-dependent and generate large file sizes.
- Vectors graphics are images drawn on the computer with software that uses
geometrical formulas to represent images and only require a small amount of memory.

3. Video
- Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing,
transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.
- Photographic images that are played back at speeds of 15 to 30 frames a second and the
provide the appearance of full motion.

The use of video:

- The embedding of video in multimedia applications is a powerful way to convey
information which can incorporate a personal element which other media lack.
- Promoting television shows, films, or other non-computer media that traditionally have
used trailers in their advertising.
- Giving users an impression of a speaker’s personality.
- Showing things that move. For example a clip from a motion picture. Product demos of
physical products are also well suited for video.

4. Audio
- In multimedia audio means related with recording, playing etc.
- Audio is an important components of multimedia because this component increase the
understandability and improves the clarity of the concept.
- Audio includes speech, music or any other sound.

The use of sound:

- Music
§ Background
§ Attention grabber
§ Sound effect
- Speech
§ Narration
§ Instruction

5. Animation
- Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D artwork or model positions
in order to create an illusion of movement.
- It is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can
be created and demonstrated in a number of ways.
- Entertainment multimedia titles in general, and children’s titles specifically, rely heavily
on animation.

The use of animation:

- To attract attention
- To inform about the state of process
- Demonstrations
- Interactive simulations

STEPS FOR DEVELOPING A MUTIMEDIA PRESENTATION.

Determine the Purpose.
Identify the Target Audience.
Storyboard the Content.
Select a Design.
Enter the Content.
Add and Format Graphics,Audio, and Video.
Add Animation and Transitions.
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

1. Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms allow people to create personal pages, post profile images and
updates on their lives, and create a friend list of people who can see your updates.
Twitter is another large social media site used to quickly share short thoughts to people
around the web. Major corporations, public figures and governments use Twitter to quickly
share updates and in-the-moment responses to sensitive issues of public importance.

2. Blogs
Blogs are personal websites where people can publish or ‘log’ information for others
with an internet connection to read – all around the globe.
A blog is usually a personal website where someone shares regular long-form posts
about their lives or hobbies.
Blogs revolutionized mass communication. Before blogs you needed to get a publishing
company to print and market your writing around the world at great expense.
Now, with the click of a button your writing can be seen around the world.

3. Vlogs
Vlogs are “video logs”. They emerged as an extension of blogging after increased
bandwidths enabled regular people to post video online.
The typical vlog style involves the vlogger using a handheld camera or camera on their
computer monitor to record themselves speaking. Some vlogs, however, are high production
with complex graphics and recording teams.

4. Live Video Stream

Live video is an extension of vlogging that has responded to online content consumers’
needs for immediacy and authenticity.
An important element of live video stream is the capacity for video to be played, paused
and rewound in real time. A video is not uploaded as a standalone packet of data that can only
be viewed once it has been completely downloaded on the receiver’s end. Instead, the data is
downloaded, buffered and played in real time.

5. Conferencing And Live Lecture Technology

Sophisticated conferencing technology helps workplaces communicate across long
distances. Today, live conferencing technology tends to use live video alongside complex
speaker systems.

6. Group Wikis
A wiki is a website where anyone can edit and add content. The most famous wiki is, of
course, Wikipedia.

7. Group Forums
 A group forum allows people to post questions and answers for others to respond to.
Many forums are sorted by topics, such as Reddit, which allows people with shared interests to
communicate with one another.
Group forums are also commonly used in education where online schools have students
respond to a stimulus question each week.
Another benefit of forums is that people can reply to each others’ comments to create a
long-form conversation between individuals online. The full conversation is recorded in
comments and replies, leaving a paper trail of conversations which can be great for tracking the
progress of the group’s thinking.

8. Tablet Computers
The sleek, modern tablet computers that we enjoy today emerged around 2008-2010
with the emergence of big players like Android and Apple into the tablet computer market.
The emergence of tablet computers was made possible by technological advances that
saw the requisite technologies both compact and cheap enough for the mass market..

9. Podcasts
Podcasts are packets of audio information that can be uploaded and stored on cloud
technology ready for anyone to download and listen to at-will. A podcast can be automatically
downloaded onto a smartphone through RSS feeds so that fans of a podcast series can get the
latest episodes at-will.

10. Wearable Technology

Wearable technologies help make communication easier than ever. A wearable
technology is any information technology that is carried on the body. Examples include:
Smart Watches
Smart Glasses
Exercise bracelets

11. Smart Speakers

Smart speakers are computerized personal assistants placed around offices and homes
in order to help people complete tasks hands-free. They are usually activated using a hot word,
like ‘Hey Computer’ or ‘OK Google’. Smart speakers can hear people from distances, allowing
people to use the speakers while still going about their business.

12. Web Chat

While web chat has been around since the early days of the internet, it has experienced
a resurgence in recent years for business to consumer (B2C) communication.
Early web chat software included MSN messenger which was embraced by adolescents
and young adults as a way of chatting with friends during the early 2000s. With the rise of
Facebook and Facebook messenger, MSN messenger declined and was disbanded in 2012.
Smartphone apps have made webchat an increasingly popular form of instant
communication between friends.
 However, it has also recently been used by companies as a means of offering “web chat
support” to customers seeking help with their products. Web chat support for business to
consumer interactions is a viable alternative to phone helpline support. It enables customers to
go about their daily lives and get a notification whenever the support team has a new piece of
information, rather than waiting on hold on the phone.

13. Email
While email has been around since at least the 1970s, it makes this list because of its
continuing relevance in the 21st Century.
Email in fact outdates the internet by several decades. Early emails were sent via closed-
circuit LAN networks in government and university databases. The first email using the ‘@’
symbol to direct the message to the correct servers was used in 1971!
Perhaps most emblematic of email’s increased relevance to our lives is the growing rate
of ‘paperless billing’. Whereas once we would have received bills via post, most business to
consumer (B2C) billing and invoicing is done via email today. Email has also rendered
alternatives like Fax almost irrelevant in the 21st Century.