Assignment: Contemporary Audiences,”Assignment: Contemporary AudiencesAssignment: Contemporary AudiencesAssignment: Contemporary AudiencesToday’s audiences expect visual support. Contemporary audiences are quite dif- ferent from those of over a century ago when Thomas Edison invented the kineto- scope, a precursor of the movie camera. Edison said, “When we started out it took the average audience a long time to assimilate each image. They weren’t trained to visual- ize more than one thought at a time.”6 Times have changed. The predominance of vi- sual images—on TV, in movies, on the Internet and our iPods and phones—attests to how central images are in the communication of information to modern audiences.Contemporary communicators understand the power of visual rhetoric in in- forming and persuading others. Visual rhetoric is the use of images as an integrated element in the total communication effort a speaker makes to achieve his or her speak- ing goal.7 To be a visual rhetorician is to assume the role of an audience member and consider not only what a listener hears but also what a listener sees. A speech shouldThe Value of Presentation Aids 267visual rhetoric The use of images as an integrated element in the total communication effort a speaker makes to achieve the speaking goalRonald Reagan (1911–2004)The 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan, has often been called “The Great Communicator.” His early experience in radio and film served him well as he spoke not only to the audience assembled in front of him, but to those listening and watching via television. Reagan’s inaugural address in 1981 was the first to be delivered from a podium on the west side of the U.S. Capitol building. From this site, the televi- sion cameras could broadcast sweeping views of the national monuments—fitting pres- entation aids for Reagan’s patriotic address.8Reagan was a master of using visual support to reinforce his rhetorical point. When you present your speeches, consider how well-selected presentation aids could support your verbal message. Listeners believe what they see
appropriate visual aids help you gain and maintain your listeners’ attention. Imagine that you are in your audience when you present your message. Consider how the visual rhetoric as well as the words you speak will impact your listeners.
LEARNING FROM GREAT SPEAKERS
[Photo: Bob Daugherty/AP Wide World Photos]
268 CHAPTER 12 Using Presentation Aids
be more than just what a speaker says, with a few PowerPoint slides or other visual aids added as an afterthought. Today’s listeners are sophisticated and more likely than listeners of even a few years ago to expect a visually satisfying message to help them make sense of what you are saying.
Types of Presentation Aids The first question many students ask when they learn they are re- quired to use presentation aids is “What type of presentation aid should I use?” We will discuss three classes of presentation aids: three-dimensional, two-dimensional, and audiovisual.
Three-Dimensional Presentation Aids Objects You have played the trombone since you were in fifth grade, so you de- cide to give an informative speech about the history and function of this instrument. Your trombone is the obvious presentation aid that you would show to your audi- ence as you describe . You might even play a few measures to demon- strate its sound and your talent. Or perhaps you are an art major and you have just finished a watercolor painting. Why not bring your picture to class to illustrate your talk about watercolor techniques?
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker
