101 Ways to Captivate a Business Audience

Chapter 8

Create Exciting Visual Aids

David Peoples, in his book Presentations Plus, says that people gain 75 percent of what they know visually, 13 percent through hearing, and 12 percent through smell, touch, and taste. Research shows that about 85 percent of the information stored in the brain is received visually. Information that is seen has a much greater chance of being remembered than information that is heard. Since many people are visually oriented, it is critical that presentations include visual aids such as flip charts, overhead transparencies, slide shows, computer-generated graphics, props, or handouts.

Visual aids, however, are never a replacement for the presenter. You are still the number 1 visual in your presentation. Your ...