Flip Chart Speech Presentations

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In this day and age when computer-generated presentations are becoming more and more common, flip chart presentations seem low tech, old-fashioned and soooo 20th Century.

But if you're making an informative speech or a persuasive speech to a group of say, 20 or less, a flip chart may be the way to go. This is especially true if your presentation takes place in a relatively small room.

One of the benefits of using flip charts is that you can keep the room bright and well lit, making it easier for you to make eye contact with the audience and for them to see your face, gestures and body language.

Here are some simple "do's and don'ts" for making effective flip chart presentations.

If you have terrible handwriting, ask someone from the audience to act as your "scribe." Make sure he/she prints or writes everything large enough to be read from the back row of your audience.

When recording audience comments on a flip chart, condense their words but don't paraphrase.

Also avoid "rating" audience comments by saying things like "that's a good one" because

• it can become repetitious and lose its impact, and
• there's potential for hurt feelings if you don't say "that's a good one" for each comment.

Try not to "talk to the flip chart." This can be a challenge since you may have to turn your back on the audience occasionally to write on the chart. If this is the case, look back over your shoulder at the audience frequently.

If you're a lousy artist but you'd like to spice up your flip charts with artwork, graphics or cartoons, do this. Prior your presentation, use an overhead projector to show the images on a page of your flip chart. Then just trace the image. This assumes, of course, that you can pre-plan your flip chart presentation so that you can arrive at the right page at the right moment.

If you want to add a touch of fun to your presentation, put something like a shopping list on a page of the chart so when you flip to that page, the shopping list suddenly appears. Besides adding a little humor to your speech, this helps refocus the attention of audience members who may have started daydreaming.

Use underlines to emphasize your important points. This seems self-evident, but many people overlook this simple strategy.

Research shows that blue, black and green inks have the greatest visibility on white paper. Avoid purple, brown, pink and yellow.

Permanent markers have the best visibility, but they also dry out quickly if you accidentally leave the cap off. Permanent inks can also be difficult to get out of your clothing if an accident happens.

Finally, you can sometimes have your flip charts reproduced as handouts to distribute to your audience members. You may need some help from a place like Kinko's to pull this off, but it can have a very positive impact.

Razzle-dazzle computer or video presentations can be great, but obviously the more electronic gizmos you need for your presentation, the greater the risk of a technical "meltdown"--and a less-than-effective presentation. If the order of the day is "keep it informal, clean and simple," a flip chart can be a great friend.

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