304 14.2 Designing anD Using Presentation aiDs
• The Internet. If the room in which you are delivering your speech has WiFi
or direct Internet access, you could skip storing your video and instead
play the video directly from YouTube or another Internet source. You could
also retrieve your video or audio material from the “cloud”—computer
storage in a remote location. Having a cloud backup of your material can
enhance the security and ensure that your material will be there when
you need it. Playing video directly from the Internet or from cloud storage
does, however, carry the risk of losing an Internet connection prior to or
during your speech. It will also involve having the technology to access the
Internet—either your own equipment or whatever is available in the room.
When using any of these technologies, you’ll want to practice using your
video and make sure all the equipment you need is available. Unless you’re us-
ing a wireless system, for example, you might need a cable to connect your stor-
age device to a monitor. We also recommend that, before you give your speech,
you do a technical run-through, ensuring that your video image will be ready
when you want it.
auDio aiDs Audio can be used to complement visual displays. As with
video, you can either create your own audio content or use prerecorded sources.
You also have a number of options for storage and playback. You might play a
few measures of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor from your iPod—or even
live, on a portable electronic keyboard—to illustrate a point.
Used sparingly, sound can effectively establish a mood or support your
points. While showing PowerPoint slides of her recent Caribbean vacation,
one student used a recording of soft steel drum music as an introductory back-
ground for her talk. Another student played excerpts of taped interviews with
frustrated students who had difficulty figuring out the most recent changes in
how to apply for financial aid.
As with video, be sure to rehearse with and master any technology that is
needed for your audio aids, and don’t let your audio soundtrack overwhelm or
distract from your own words.Quick Check
Types of Presentation Aids
• 3-D aids: objects, models, people
• 2-D aids: drawings, photos, slides, maps, graphs, charts, flipcharts,
chalkboards, whiteboards, overhead transparencies
• Computer-generated aids
• Audiovisual aids: video, audioM14_BEEB3981_05_SE_C14_289-314.indd 304 11/18/14 11:27 AM