Maximizing Engagement: Interacting with Visual Aids in Your Presentation
As a presenter, visual aids can be invaluable for conveying your message and engaging your audience. However, simply displaying the visuals is not enough; you must also interact with them to maximize their impact. In this blog post, we will explore various techniques to interact with your visual aids.
Touch-Turn-Talk
The Touch-Turn-Talk method is an effective and engaging way for presenters to interact with visual aids during their presentations. By touching (or gesturing to) the visual aid, turning to face the audience, and then talking about it, a presenter can ensure that they remain connected to the audience while discussing the visual.
This connection is created by maintaining eye contact with their audience while still utilizing the visual to illustrate their point. This ensures that the audience remains engaged instead of simply looking at the visuals without listening to what is being said. Furthermore, the Touch-Turn-Talk method helps to allow the presenter to have a more natural and conversational style when discussing the visual aid.
This method can also help to keep the presenter focused on their presentation. By touching the visual aid, turning to face the audience, and then talking about it, the presenter can ensure that they are talking about the visuals and not just talking to or reading from the visuals.
“Load Aim Fire”
The “Load, Aim, Fire” concept is a powerful tool used to effectively communicate information to an audience.
It is a process that can be used with any type of reference material, such as a book or article, to help ensure that the information is delivered effectively and accurately.
The process is simple, yet highly effective and can be used in any setting, such as the classroom, boardroom, or even in a public speaking setting.
The first step in the “Load, Aim, Fire” process is to “load” the information into your brain from the reference material. You do this by looking at the material and refreshing your memory. This should be a glance as you should be familiar with the information.
Once you have loaded the information into your brain, the next step is to “aim” your focus on one person in the audience using your eye contact.
Finally, the third and final step is to “fire” or deliver the information to that person. This may be for 2 or 3 seconds before you move onto the next person. When you have completed that thought you look back down and repeat the process.
Moving from One Side of the Screen to the Other
When using visual aids, it’s useful to move from one side of the screen to the other to direct the audience’s attention to specific areas of the visual. When doing this we do it in silence so we don’t lose connection with the audience.
Vocalizing Where You Are on the Slide
Another useful technique is vocalizing where you are on the slide to bring the audience’s attention to a specific point. For example, you can say, “on the top right of the screen, you will see,” and then talk about the point you want to emphasize. This technique helps the audience follow along with the presentation and ensures that they stay on track.
Using the B Key in PowerPoint
The B key in PowerPoint is a useful tool to send the screen to black when the presenter wants to draw the audience’s attention away from the visuals and back to them. This technique can be an opportunity to summarise what has just become before, to signal a transition, or regain the audience’s attention after a brief diversion. This works by pressing the the letter B key when you are slide show mode.
It’s understandable that some of these techniques might feel a bit robotic at first, but with practice, they will become more natural. Just remember the sole purpose of these techniques is to prevent you from talking to the screen and losing your connection with the audience.
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