Using Visual Aids Effectively “Where’s the darn flipchart in this room?”

Why Use Visual Aids? u They save time and add interest u They improve listener understanding u They improve listener retention u They allow for different learning styles

Verbal and Visual Recall

Types of Visual Aids: Advantages and Disadvantages u Overhead Transparencies u Slides u Flip Charts and Posters u Objects and Models u Handouts u Whiteboards and Chalkboards u Computer Assisted Audiovisuals

Guidelines for VAs u The VA should never become the REASON for the speech u The VA should be appropriate for the length and format of the speech u Know what technology will be available to you u The higher the tech, the more you need redundancy and backup--Burnett’s rule of VA

Size Matters u This is a 20 point font u This is a 32 point font u This is a 48 point font u This is a 60 point font u This is a 72 point f

Type Fonts u Serif fonts versus Sans Serif fonts u This is a sans serif font --This is Arial u This is a font with serifs--This is Times New Roman

More On Fonts u Please see the overhead projector for more on fonts

Additional Guidelines for Text u Use only 4-6 lines of text per VA u Use phrases, not full sentences u Use Upper Case and Lower Case for ease of reading u Leave the same space at the top of a VA u Limit lines to no more than 40 characters

Use Clip Art to Keep Interest u The text can be placed here on the left, and the picture on the right

How Not to Use PowerPoint u In most situations, PowerPoint should NOT be used as a running outline as we do here! u Use PowerPoint to generate illustrations of particular data points or pieces of support u Slides are easily printed to overheads using specialized inkjet and laser jet overheads (print on the rough side!) u Kinko’s (and others) can do the job!

Technology and Its Impact on Communication in Organizations “I’ll have my fax call your fax with my address.”

Some Trends Regarding Technology u Organizational decentralization, both geographically and managerially u Increases productivity, decreases in employees u Dramatic increases in information sharing u Dramatic decreases in middle level management u Increased use of contract workers

Theoretical Approaches to Technology u Neil Postman--Amusing Ourselves to Death u Thesis--The dominant technology of the age has a profound effect on what passes for truth in a culture u Applied to business--increasing information technology will color our judgments about the credibility of information produced by other means

Some Statistics u million had access u million have access u million have access u Office workers exchange 25.2 BILLION message DAILY u 20% of US businesses randomly check employee

Some 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 doesn’t exist. If you know what I mean. Remember, you owe me a golf game next time I’m in town.”

Litigation Nightmares, cont. u “Did you see what Dr. [deleted] did today? If that patient survives it will be a miracle” u “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”

Overview u Remember, belongs to the company [Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 1986] u It is retrievable even after deletion u Monitoring by the company is legal, that is, you have no expectation of privacy u If you have a private address that also gets used for business, expect no privacy here either

in Practice u Don’t write anything you wouldn’t want to see on the front of the New York Times u Don’t ever respond in anger u DON’T USE ALL CAPS, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE SHOUTING!!! u Understand your company’s policy

Steinfield Study, 1990 (Xerox) u Do the business advantages of outweigh the social costs? u Yes: People learned more rapidly, social contacts valuable, increased quality of work life, increased creativity u No: responses often seem overly critical or blunt, no tempering context

Teleconferencing--Pros and Cons u 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 u Disadvantages: fewer nonverbal cues to aid interpretation, tech uncertainty

Videoconferencing u Advantages: almost all of teleconferencing plus better chance of getting nonverbals u Disadvantages: startup costs ($20-25,000), tech uncertainty 2

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