Week 10 — Readings & Resources · Presentation Aids / Visual Support

Course: Public Speaking — Fundamentals of Oral Communication (COMM 1) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Marchetti
Objective covered: Objective 6 — Design and use presentation aids that clarify a message, enhance audience retention, and support (rather than replace) the speaker.

How to use this page

Everything here is a link to an external resource — open it in your browser. Nothing to download, nothing to buy.

This week's load: one chapter reading + one video, grouped by lecture segment, with one optional extra. Read or watch one item from each group and you are ready for the quiz. Total time is roughly 35–45 minutes if you do everything; far less if you pick one per group.

Order that matches the lecture: ① what aids are and how they function → ② how to design them and avoid death by PowerPoint.

A habit worth keeping: as you watch the video this week, study the speaker's slides as a student of design, not just a viewer of content. Which slides communicate quickly? Which create clutter? That same critical lens is what the Workshop and the quiz will ask you to apply.

① Presentation Aids — Functions, Types, and Tips

Maps to Lecture Segments 2–4. The four functions of aids; the main types (graphs, diagrams, maps, objects, images); the media choices; and the design tips that keep aids from working against you.

Reading — "Presentation Aids: Design and Usage" (Stand up, Speak out, Ch. 15)
🔗 https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Communication/Public_Speaking/Stand_up_Speak_out_-_The_Practice_and_Ethics_of_Public_Speaking/15%3A_Presentation_Aids-_Design_and_Usage
Why it's assigned: the most complete treatment of this week's ideas — functions, types, media choices, and practical tips — in one place. Ch. 15 has five short sections; spend the most time on 15.1 (Functions), 15.2 (Types), and 15.4 (Tips). Read online, no account needed.
⏱ ~20 min (all five sections); ~10 min (just 15.1 + 15.2 + 15.4)

② Design — Avoiding "Death by PowerPoint"

Maps to Lecture Segments 4–5 + the AI-critique moment (Segment 7). What makes a slide work or fail; how to design for audience comprehension, not for the notes page; and the visual "death by PowerPoint" trap.

Video — "How 'Death by Powerpoint' could be losing you millions" (Sofija Venckute, TEDxPCL, 2021)
🔗 https://www.ted.com/talks/sofija_venckute_how_death_by_powerpoint_could_be_losing_you_millions
Why it earns the click: a short, direct talk on why audiences switch off when presentations are packed with text, and what to do instead. As you watch, apply this week's principles: does the speaker herself follow the rules she describes? Are her slides consistent with her message? That meta-observation is the skill the Workshop drills.
⏱ ~20 min

Optional deep-dive

• "How to avoid death by PowerPoint" — David JP Phillips (TEDxStockholmSalon) on YouTube.
  🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwpi1Lm6dFo
  A classic, widely-used talk on slide design rules — one message per slide, the role of size and contrast, working memory limits. If you want a second perspective on the same week's principles (especially the design rules), this is the go-to. Approximately 20 minutes.

Pick-one quick path (≈ 30 min total)

In a hurry? Do exactly these two and you will be ready for the quiz and the Workshop:
1. Read Ch. 15.1 (Functions) and Ch. 15.2 (Types) from the LibreTexts chapter — focus especially on the graph-type matching (pie/line/bar/diagram/map and when each applies).
2. Watch the Sofija Venckute TED talk on death by PowerPoint.

Heads-up (links rot): these point to outside sites that occasionally move or rename pages. If a link ever fails, tell Prof. Marchetti and search for the title in the meantime. The LibreTexts chapter is available via the main Stand up, Speak out table of contents.