Visual aids are a great way to help present data, information and instructions as well as being a very powerful tool to enhance part of a presentation, simple instructions or to assist learning. There are many different visual aids you can use from photographic pictures to graphs and bar charts, all of which will help to engage your audience and assist learning.

You can also use visual aids to help display large amounts of complex data in easy formats can help break down the information, allowing your audience to understand the detail quickly and easily.

As well as complicated data, visual aids can also help children learn simple tasks quickly and efficiently without having to remember words and instructions. Pictures can also help children to learn a skill by breaking the sequence down into steps, allowing the child to process the information bit by bit. Visual Aids for Learning have some great downloadable visual packs which you can use around the home and in schools. It has also been proven that children remember and recall information better when it is taught using both visual and verbal methods.

Although visual displays help to display information there are also different learning styles which should also be taken into account when you are presenting information. Many teachers also include alternative learning styles such as auditory and kinaesthetic to help aid the learning of their students. You can find out which learning style is best suited to you by completing an online questionnaire on the Vark website, which should help you understand your preferred learning method to make learning easier.

If you are giving an oral presentation, visual aids can help deliver your information in a clear concise way which will enhance your spoken words to your audience. Using visual aids can be used at any time throughout your presentation but you may wish to use them when you really need to deliver a key point to make an impact.

Keep in mind these top tips when using graphs or displays;

• One simple idea should be used for one display
• Make all of your graphs or pictures simple and easy to read and see
• Do not include information which is not needed
• Ensure your data is all presented in the same format and style
• Proof read and check your images are of a high quality

New software systems such as Dynistics Software use a graphical dashboard to help staff understand their company’s data in easy to read simple formats to their advantage. You can find out more by visiting their website www.dynistics.com.