Kinds of Presentation Aids
Maps, Commercially prepared maps contain too much irrelevant detail to serve as presentation aids. The best maps are those that you make specifically for your speech so that they are simple, relevant to your purpose, and uncluttered. Maps are particularly useful for speeches based on spatial relationships.
The map was used to indicate the distances and routes between major attractions at Yellowstone National Park. Seeing a map helps the audience put locations and distances into perspective. Stephen Huff used a map to help his listeners see where a series of earthquakes occurred along the New Madrid Fault and to understand how a recurrence of such earthquakes might endanger them.
How well a map works as a presentation aid depends on how well you can integrate it into your presentation. Elizabeth Walling used a map of the wilderness canoe area in northern Minnesota to familiarize her Memphis audience with that area. She made a double-sided poster that she was able to keep hidden behind the speaker’s table until she was ready for it. On one side she highlighted the wilderness canoe area on an outline map of northern Minnesota, pointing out various places of interest. To illustrate how large the area is, Elizabeth said, “Let me put this in a more familiar context for you.” She then turned the poster over, revealing an outline map of western Tennessee on which she had superimposed the wilderness area. At a glance we could see that this area would extend from Memphis to past Jackson, some eighty miles away. By using maps this way, she created a striking visual comparison. The same type of effect could be obtained by overlaying transparencies.
Tags: Education