Using Visual Aids

Effectively
Wheres the darn flipchart in
this room?
Why Use Visual Aids?
They save time and add interest
They improve listener
understanding
They improve listener retention
They allow for different learning
styles
Verbal and Visual Recall
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
After 3
hrs.
After 3
days
Verbal Only
Visual Only
Verbal and Visual
Types of Visual Aids:
Advantages and Disadvantages
Overhead Transparencies
Slides
Flip Charts and Posters
Objects and Models
Handouts
Whiteboards and Chalkboards
Computer Assisted Audiovisuals
Guidelines for VAs
The VA should never become the REASON
for the speech
The VA should be appropriate for the length
and format of the speech
Know what technology will be available to
you
The higher the tech, the more you need
redundancy and backup--Burnetts rule of
VA
Size Matters
This is a 20 point font
This is a 32 point font
This is a 48 point font
This is a 60 point font
This is a 72 point f
Type Fonts
Serif fonts versus Sans Serif fonts
This is a sans serif font--This
is Arial
This is a font with serifs--This
is Times New Roman
More On Fonts
Please see the overhead
projector for more on fonts
Additional Guidelines for Text
Use only 4-6 lines of text per VA
Use phrases, not full sentences
Use Upper Case and Lower Case for ease of
reading
Leave the same space at the top of a VA
Limit lines to no more than 40 characters
Use Clip Art to Keep Interest
The text can be
placed here on
the left, and the
picture on the
right
How Not to Use PowerPoint
In most situations, PowerPoint should NOT
be used as a running outline as we do here!
Use PowerPoint to generate illustrations of
particular data points or pieces of support
Slides are easily printed to overheads using
specialized inkjet and laser jet overheads
(print on the rough side!)
Kinkos (and others) can do the job!
Technology and Its Impact on
Communication in
Organizations
Ill have my fax call your fax with
my email address.
Some Trends Regarding
Technology
Organizational decentralization, both
geographically and managerially
Increases productivity, decreases in employees
Dramatic increases in information sharing
Dramatic decreases in middle level management
Increased use of contract workers
Theoretical Approaches to
Technology
Neil Postman--Amusing Ourselves to Death
Thesis--The dominant technology of the age has a
profound effect on what passes for truth in a
culture
Applied to business--increasing information
technology will color our judgments about the
credibility of information produced by other
means
Some Email Statistics
1991--8 million had email access
1997--67 million have access
1999--108 million have access
Office workers exchange 25.2 BILLION
message DAILY
20% of US businesses randomly check
employee email
Some Email Litigation
Nightmares
Yes, I know we shipped 100 barrels of
[deleted], but on our end, steps have been
taken to ensure that no record exists.
Therefore, it doesnt exist. If you know
what I mean. Remember, you owe me a
golf game next time Im in town.
Litigation Nightmares, cont.
Did you see what Dr. [deleted] did today?
If that patient survives it will be a miracle
Hi David, please destroy the evidence on
the [litigation] you and I talked about today,
Thx, Laura. Hi Laura. Ack yr. msg. and
taken care of. Aloha, David
Email Overview
Remember, email belongs to the company
[Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 1986]
It is retrievable even after deletion
Monitoring by the company is legal, that is, you
have no expectation of privacy
If you have a private email address that also gets
used for business, expect no privacy here either
Email in Practice
Dont write anything you wouldnt want to
see on the front of the New York Times
Dont ever respond in anger
DONT USE ALL CAPS, IT LOOKS LIKE
YOU ARE SHOUTING!!!
Understand your companys email policy

Steinfield Email Study, 1990
(Xerox)
Do the business advantages of email outweigh the
social costs?
Yes: People learned more rapidly, social
contacts valuable, increased quality of work life,
increased creativity
No: responses often seem overly critical or blunt,
no tempering context
Teleconferencing--Pros and Cons
Advantages: shorter meetings, more task oriented,
more organized, more equal participation
regardless of status, more open exchange of ideas,
less likely to be swayed by group norms, less
threatening
Disadvantages: fewer nonverbal cues to aid
interpretation, tech uncertainty
Videoconferencing
Advantages: almost all of teleconferencing
plus better chance of getting nonverbals
Disadvantages: startup costs ($20-25,000),
tech uncertainty
2

Intranets and Organizational
Communication
Defined--any LAN or WAN capable of supporting
internet applications
Whats on one?--Policy manuals, benefits info, price
lists, product catalog, marketing literature, newsletters and
announcements, online help, reports, customer data
Why do it--access for employees + staff,
transparency, efficiency
Caveats--security, disclosure?