reading understanding and creating visual aids

The primary purpose of visual aids is to make data easy for the audience to understand. Is should support project data and make talk more interesting. Visual aids should be more than words printed large enough for everyone to see. They should be used to portray concepts that are better explained graphically than verbally. It is much easier to see a profit pattern in a bar graph rather than a list of data.
The presenter should take center stage during a business presentation. Visual aids should be used to reiterate and reinforce core ideas the presenter is delivering. Too much detail, or flashy graphics and transitions, can command the audience's attention and cause the presenter to become a secondary concern. Help focus the audience on the presenter and use visual aids to reiterate, clarify, or simplify your ideas.
Preview visual information: 1 read title and explanation so you know what idea of the text the visual illustrates, 2 check information, is it provided and reliable, 3 look for clues to purpose of visual in the headings and label used, 4 circle key words in title and associated text, 5 answer 3 questions in your journal: What is purpose of the visuals? What info is being presented? What is the main point of the visual?
Types of visual aids: charts and tables, graphs, diagrams, outlines, mind maps, time lines, free-form drawing.