Discussion

This is a discussion forum for Week 3. You are to make at least three significant posts that help develop the discussion around these topics. You should also thread your posts to related information. You must read what others post and connect your thoughts to those already on the board. Working on different topics is strongly suggested, but not required. Staying with the discussion throughout the week is strongly encouraged.

There are 4 topics and you may participate in discussion on any or all of the topics. While you should incorporate the content of readings into your posts, I discourage exclusive quoting or paraphrasing of the material. Instead, I ask you to present your own understanding of the information by sharing your knowledge and incorporating the information you learned by providing your own examples.

From Sunday-Sunday, you should make at least three posts to the board. All posts should be 200-250 words and must be connected to the ongoing discussion (which is why you must read and keep up with the discussions) and should be connected literally by threading to the existing discussion. You do this by clicking "reply" at the bottom of the post you want to connect to NOT "reply" under the topic. Exception: If you are the first to post on a topic, you are starting the discussion by clicking reply under the topic.

Describe a real-life scenario in which the speaker's visual aids might detract from the desired audience response. Be specific in explaining what went wrong with the visual aids and suggest alternative visual aids to remedy the situation. Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of the visual aids you might use in an upcoming speech.

Remember that your discussion response must include the following:

A reflection on the concept we are discussing. Give us a summary of things you learned about this concept from your assigned chapter readings.

A thorough example/discussion to support your reflection.

A final statement that tells us what you take away from this week's lesson.

Properly formatted in-text citations and references.

Strong grammar, spelling, and mechanics.

In total your discussion should be at least 250 words.

It is always preferable to add visual aids to the presentations to make them appealing to the audiences. Sometimes it becomes difficult to convince the audiences regarding any persuasive speech and in such cases visual representations help a lot to sway the minds of the audiences in favour of the speaker. There are obviously exceptional situations where things have gone wrong creating unavoidable complications. Such a case happened for one of my friend. I was attending the seminar where he was supposed to deliver a presentation on "Spirits and Supernaturalism." From the topic only it is clear that this presentation will raise many debatable topics and I was very much interested about it.

My friend had done some experiments about spirits and researches so that convincing becomes easier. Initially audiences were not very sure about the existence of spirits that my friend was trying to say but visuals helped to make them belief in spirits easily. There are pictures captured in different places during various situations where it is seen that evidences of spirits are there. Such visuals made my friend's argument strong and those who were unsure about their existence were silenced for the time being. They felt as if the visuals were morphed which made my friend ponder about newer visuals to prove their beliefs wrong. He could have used visuals photos approved by the American Paranormal Research Association.

Visual aids are always positive but in some situations it creates negative impacts on the audiences. It is wise to use proper credible sources to get the photos and pictures that will be used for presentation so that the audiences do not get the chance to question the reliability of the visual evidences presented by the speaker. I am going to do the same for my presentation as well.

I cannot say I have attended any presentation of paranormal, but I have attended a few presentations. I do understand where you are coming from with the visual aids you were shown and how hey can change the opinion in each persons mind. I do agree with you Madeline about seeing the visual aids while hearing the speech.

For example, when I attended a preparation college presentation as they spoke about how to apply, how to apply for loans, scholarships, making lists of schools, and even more information. they used visual aids for each step they discussed with us. Which if you have ever gone to an informative speech to learn something it is a lot easier with visual aids than just listening and taking your own notes. The visual aids helped me keep notes and they also gave me a folder of even more to take home. This was a great way o use visual aids. I think too much visual aids is when every point you make has a visual aid to go with it.

It's a lot better to give a visual aid to each main point or to what someone would not know what your talking about at all. I would watch out for too many pictures and information within the visual aids. The right mix would be a little visual of each important aspect you try to explain. Within my persuasive speech I plan to use visual aids of pictures of cheerleading. I only plan to show pictures of stunts and tumbling just because they have crazy names and people may have no idea what they are. As the book says "Visual aids should be simple, clear, and to the point." (Lucas, S. 2015. Pg 272.)
WC: 294

Lucas, Stephen | 2015 | The Art of Public Speaking | Mc-Graw Hill Education | New York, NY |

I don't recall attending a presentation where the visuals detracted from the speaker's message. I can recall a time when I attended a safety meeting and the visual aid that was used really brought the point home. They rolled a coffin into the room and let us know this is where you end up when you don't follow the rules! However, I understand that using the wrong visual aids can bring confusion to the audience.

For example, when speaker's use visuals that aren't printed clearly, if the visuals are too small/large, or they contain too much information it does more harm than good. Another thing to consider is not just showing the visual, but explaining it. As stated in our textbook, "Unfortunately, speakers often rush over their visual aids without explaining them clearly and concisely. Remember, a visual aid is only as useful as the explanation that goes with it" (Lucas, 2015, p. 278).

I am a visual learner and would prefer you showing me something or how to do it as opposed to just speaking the information. Visual aids help to drive your point home with the audience; especially if there are those in your audience who aren't familiar with your subject matter. Taking the time to find the most effective visual aids will enhance your speech rather than taking away from it.

When thinking about visual aids, an adage comes to mind; a picture is worth a thousand words. This doesn't mean you just show a visual and think it will talk for itself, you still must deliver your message! Again, visual aids are only to complement the message, not to take its place.

Lucas, S.E., (2015), The art of public speaking. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Word count: 275

Stenio Hillan

Hello Monica, you did a really good on your post. I just want to add something. Visual aids are enhancements to a presentation that can engage the audience, provide additional information, and reinforce key points. Years ago, equipment like overhead projectors and posters provided the common visual aids; however, with the evolution of multimedia, enhancements like PowerPoint slide shows and portable digital projectors for showing animated clips have become common.

Visual aids can help you to reach your objectives by providing emphasis to whatever is being said. Clear pictures multiply the students' level of understanding of the material presented, and they should be used to reinforce your message, clarify points, and create excitement.

Visual aids involve your students and require a change from one activity to another: from hearing to seeing. With pictures, the concepts or ideas that you present are no longer simply words - but words plus images. If students don't clearly grasp the spoken word, a visual may help them to better absorb information. Visuals can help to make complex information more understandable. They provide a change from just listening, and pictures typically stimulate interest more easily than words.

Statistics show that three hours after a presentation only 70 percent of people can remember content presented verbally. The impact of visual aids on the retention of content in a speech is even more impressive after three days. Sixty-percent of listeners can remember visually enhanced content, compared with only 10 percent remembering exclusively verbal presentations.

Reference

Cardon, P. W. (2014). Business communication: developing leaders for a networked world. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.