Chapter Six, The Presenter's Fieldbook

Chapter Six, The Presenter’s Fieldbook
To See Is to Retain
This chapter discusses using visuals for better retention and “PowerPoint is a visual medium as well” (Garmston). When visuals are used in a discussion, the rate of the effect was far greater than when not using visuals. Visuals enhance understanding and learning. Also a help are art and music when used in conjunction with visuals.
When using visuals it’s important to keep them simple. Most of us can recognize a simple form and understand the meaning without being told what it is. The book used an example of a clock where it was just a circle and had the two hands pointing to the time – it’s just as effective as a clock with numbers on it. You do need to take heed of where you are though and what may not be such a universal sign or you can find out what the audience is more used to seeing and use some of those signs.
One trick to printing on your chart in a straight line is to draw lightly with pencil beforehand. This way you don’t have to worry about how it will look and you can focus on your message. Mixed case lettering should be used as it is the easiest to read.
There may be some in the audience who are colorblind so using colors to print with is not a good idea. Black lettering on white is the standard and the easiest to read.
You can get free clipart for your use. There is something called ChartArt that is actually clipart that you can put under your pages and trace. It’s a way to look good for sure!
Garmston, Robert J., and Michael Buckley. The Presenter's Fieldbook: a Practical Guide. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon, 2005. Print.