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Explain how visuals enhance oral presentations and list several popular types of visuals.

· Remember that the purpose of visuals is to support your presentation, not replace it.

· In most businesses, electronic presentations are now the presentation technology of choice, although they are certainly not the only option.

· Think through your presentation outline carefully before designing your visuals.

· Accuracy and simplicity are keys to effective visuals.

· Develop the message and text for each slide first and then move on to graphics and special effects.

Explain the difference between structured and free-form slides

Structured slides are usually based on templates that give all the slides in a presentation the same general look; free-form slides typically don’t follow any set design plan.
Free-form slides often have far less content per slide than structured designs, which requires many more slides to cover a presentation of equal length.
Structured slides are usually the best choice for project updates and other routine information presentations, particularly if the slides are intended to be used only once.
Well-designed free-form slides help viewers understand, process, and remember the speaker’s message.
The key disadvantages of free-form slide designs are the time and effort often required to create them.
No matter which design strategy you use, limit the amout of information on each slide to avoid overloading your viewers.
Use your slides as guides to the content, not as the content themselves.
Many graphics that work quitewell in printed form need to be simplified for use in presentations because they are too dense and too complicated to be easily viewed on-screen.
To design effective slides, you need to consider six principles of effective design: consistency, contrast, balance, emphasis, convention, and simplicity.
Color is much more than mere decoration: It provides emphasis, isolation, and contrast; it increases readability and retention; and it can stimulate desired emotional responses.
The background should stay in the background, not compete with the foreground.
Artwork can be either decorative or functional: use decorative artwork sparingly.
Many of the fonts available on your computer are difficult to read when projected, so they are not good choices for presentation slides.

Explain the importance of design consistency in electronic slides and other visuals

Design inconsistencies confuse and annoy audiences; don’t change colors and other design elements randomly throughout your presentation.
With some practice (as both a presenter and an audience member). You will get a feel for how much consistency is too much –when a design goes from being cohesive to being bland and uninteresting.
Although you can animate just about everything in an electronic presentation, resist the temptation to do so --- make sure each animation has a purpose.

Describe the effective use of transitions and builds in electronic presentations.

Using carefully designed builds can be a great way to present information in easy-to-process pieces.
You can increase the flexibility of your presentation slides with hyperlinks that let you jump to different slides, websites, or other software screens with the click of a mouse.
Video clips can add memorable, engaging content to your presentation – as long as they are relevant, interesting, and brief.
Review each slide carefully to make sure it is clear and radable.
Use the slide sorter view to verify and modify the organization of your slides.

Identify three types of noncontent slides you can use to support a presentation.

Navigational slides help your audience keep track of what you have covered already and what you plan to cover next.
Use handout materials to support the points made in your presentation and to offer the audience additional information on your topic.
The more you practice a presentation, the more confidence you will have in yourself and your material.
You will know you are practiced enough when you can present the material at a comfortable pace and in a conversational tone, without the need to read your slides or constantly refer to your notes.
Online presentation give you a way to reach more people in less time, but they require special preparation and skills.
Once you master the technology, you can speand less time thinking about it and more time thinking about the most important elements of the presentation; your message and your audience.

Highlight, nine major issues to consider when you are preparing to give a presentation online.

Review these points to help plan a successful online presentation: (1) Consider all your options; PowerPoint is far and away the most common presentation software in business. But other options are available, including some designed specifically for online presentations. (2) consider sending preview materials ahead of time so your audience members can familiarize themselves with the issues you plan to discuss. (3) keep your content and presentation as simple as possible. (4) plan to ask for feedback frequently because you might not get all the nonverbal signals that normally alert you to condusion or disagreement. (5) Consider the viewing experience from the audience’s side to make sure your audience can receive the sort of content you intend to use, such as video clips. (7) Allow plenty of time for everyone to get connected and familiar with the screen they are viewing. (8) consider assigning a moderator to manage the logistic of the online session so you can focus on the message and the audience. (9) find creative ways to engage the audience at regular intervals, such as by using online polling.

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