Week 10 — Readings & Resources

Your primary reading is Chapter 10 (in this module). Everything below is the optional, go-deeper layer — pick what helps, skip the rest.

How to use this page

This page has 10 items (4 readings and 6 videos). Allow 77–89 minutes for everything. Each group points back to the matching chapter section and class-session segment, so use the full menu when you want more, or take the quick path below.

Every video here has captions: turn them on with the CC button in the player. The chapter covers the same ideas in text.

Pick-one quick path (19–21 min total)

• Presentation Aids: What-Why-When — Patricia Jenkinson
• 5 Pointers to Make Your Visual Aids Valuable — Toastmasters International
• Toastmasters Tips – Visual Aids — Toastmasters International

① What an aid is for, and which kind to use

Chapter 10, Section “What an aid is for: the four functions” · Session 1, Segment 1, “What an aid is for” · Remember: an aid earns its place by helping these listeners understand, remember, or stay engaged, and anything that does none of those jobs is cut.

• Presentation Aids: What-Why-When — Patricia Jenkinson — a video lesson on what counts as a presentation aid, why a speaker would use one, and when it belongs in a speech; as you watch, sort each reason she gives under one of the four functions, and use it while you complete the Week-10 module overview. (video, 8 min) (captions: creator)
• Presentational Aids — COMMpadres Media — a short tutorial on the types of aids and tips for preparing and using them in a speech; this builds on Week 9's work on delivering from brief notes, so notice which tips keep your eyes on the room instead of on the aid. (video, 5 min) (captions: automatic)

② The right graph for the data

Chapter 10, Section “Types of aids, and the right graph for the data” · Session 1, Segment 2, “Types of aids and the right graph” · Remember: ask the question the data answer first, then choose pie for parts of a whole, line for change over time, and bar for comparing categories.

• Types of Graphs and when to use them — MooMooMath and Science — a quick video on matching a graph to its data, including a circle graph for parts of a whole, a bar graph for categories, and a line graph for change over time; it also shows a few graph types this course does not name, which you can treat as extras. (video, 3 min) (captions: creator)
• Data visualisation: charts — Government Analysis Function — a government statistics service's guidance on choosing a chart; read the sections on choosing the right chart, bar charts, line charts, and pie charts, and note its warning about pie charts whose slices are close in size. (reading, 8–12 min)

③ A clean slide with one idea

Chapter 10, Section “Design for one idea: the principles and the six-by-six heuristic” · Session 1, Segment 3, “Design for one idea” · Remember: one idea, large type, strong contrast, and few words let a listener look, understand, and turn back to you.

• Presentation Aids: Design Guidelines — Patricia Jenkinson — a video lesson on design guidelines for text, images, and audio-visual material on an aid; pause after the section on text, where she suggests her own limits on lines and characters, and count one of your own slides against the six-by-six rule of thumb. (video, 11 min) (captions: creator)
• Contrast and Color Accessibility — WebAIM — an accessibility organization's explainer on how contrast between text and background is measured, and why color should never be the only way a slide carries meaning; read the introduction and the section on using color, and skim the technical ratios. (reading, 6–9 min)

④ Showing it, then putting it away

Chapter 10, Section “Reveal, reference, return: put the aid into the speech” · Session 1, Segment 4, “Reveal, reference, return” · Remember: show the aid at its idea, point to what matters in one sentence, then take it away, and keep a backup plan for a dark screen.

• Toastmasters Tips – Visual Aids — Toastmasters International — a short video from a speaking club on setting up and using visual aids during a speech; listen for each tip that matches reveal, reference, or return. (video, 6 min) (captions: creator)
• 5 Pointers to Make Your Visual Aids Valuable — Toastmasters International — a magazine article that tells speakers to settle the message before choosing aids and warns how easy it is to start reading your slides; stop at the aids themselves, since next week takes up the informative speech they serve. (reading, 5–7 min)
• Using Visuals: A Speaker's Guide for Using Effective Visuals — Dr. Colin Steele — a longer lecture on types of visual aids and effective and ineffective ways to present them, with a reminder to have a backup plan for tech glitches; watch the part on presenting visuals if you are short on time. (video, 19 min) (captions: creator)

Optional one-stop reference (free online reference)

• Making Events Accessible: Speakers: Planning Your Session — W3C Web Accessibility Initiative — a web standards body's checklist for speakers; read the part on slides and on saying aloud what each slide shows, and skip the sections for event organizers. (reading, 6–9 min)

Heads-up (links rot): these point to outside sites that occasionally move or rename pages. If a link ever fails, tell your instructor and use the reference above in the meantime.

Provenance: Built with The Course Maker · samples.thecoursemaker.com