Effective Flipchart and Markerboard Presentations

Communicate with Impact

This guide is designed to help you create effective flip chart and markerboard presentations. Inside, you will find the basic techniques and helpful hints necessary to product professional, attention-getting flip charts and markerboards, presented in a simple step-by-step format. Follow these recommended guidelines and you'll find it easy to create eye-pleasing visuals that communicate with impact.

8 Steps To A Successful Presentation

No matter how good your meeting facility may be or what type of audio-visual aids you use, without a planned presentation you are likely to undermine the other positive aspects of your meeting and this, its chance for success. The following guidelines are intended to help you avoid common pitfalls and introduce some fundamental communication skills which every presenter should be familiar with.

1. Set an agenda on what the presentation will cover.

An agenda is commonly referred to as the meeting's blueprint. It is important, therefore, for a presenter to develop his or her own agenda in order to make the discussion progress as intended. The agenda can be entirely written out or, if the presenter is extremely knowledgeable on the subject matter, abbreviated as an outline. In drafting the agenda, always keep in mind the importance of meeting the presentation's goals and objectives.

2. Prepare written materials for participants.

Many times it is effective to provide participants with hand outs before your presentation. These will provide information on what you are trying to get across in the meeting and gives them something to take away with them for future reference. Keep the material brief and to the point-no one wants to read a huge volume about the meeting they just attended.

3. Develop a stage presence.

You don't have to become a seasoned performer overnight, but you should appear calm, competent and confident in front of you audience. Take time to prepaer a solid, well-organized presentation that you have rehearsed and know in its entirety.

4. Open the meeting with a brief prepared statement.

Do not put your audience to sleep right at the start with a long rambling statement. Begin with something that will grab attention. Employing a sense of humor at this point is often useful. To be assured participants will understand the subject, start with something familiar and work from there.

5. Audio-visual aids add spark to your presentation.

There are a variety of ways in which a presenter can graphically or visually present information to an audience. Audio-visual aids can be as simple as showing graphs or using overhead transparencies, to viewing specially produced DVDs. Of course, budget constraints will govern the types of extras you will be able to add to your presentation. Remember, just because certain presentation aids may be more expensive, their cost is no guarantee that they will be more effective.

6. Get participants involved in the presentation.

Nothing is more boring to the audience than a presenter who dominate the discussion. Encourage participation by posing open-ended questions and redirecting questions aimed at you to other in the group. Do not, however, let one or several group members dominate, or let off-the-track subjects take over the discussion. You should always remain in control and direct the flow of the meeting.

7. Correct misunderstandings quickly.

Make sure participants understand the information you are relaying to them. Redefine complex terms or concepts for ease of understanding and supply necessary information that you may have inadvertently omitted earlier in the presentation. Above all else, you want to avoid having participants come away with the wrong message.

8. Know when to close a presentation.

Reiterate any major points to ensure that your audience knows what points you feel are most important. Making a final statement is recommended, but like an openeing statement, keep it short.

Advantages of Flip Chart and Markerboard Presentations

Flip charts and markerboards are among the most popular of communication tools because they are simple to use and versatile. Today you can choose from simple easels to sophisticated electronic and computer-ready markerboards. But from simple to sophisticated, they are extremely useful tools for effective communicating.

Flip charts and markerboards are positioned in the front of the audience.

~Previously prepared charts allow the presenter to face the audience during the presentation, allowing for easy audience interaction.

~The presenter can observe reactions and adjust accordingly.

~Flip charts and markerboards compliment presenters instead of replacing them.

~Eye contact is maintained.

The flip chart is simple to use.

~The presenter controls the flip chart and can easily coordinate verbal and visual messages.

~The flip chart allows the presenter to move easily between different lessons, charts, maps and other visuals-as fast as pages can be turned.

~Versatility-flip charts are appropriate for most meetings and training situations.

~No need for an electrical outlet-they require no electrical wiring, unlike many other visual aids.

~The flip chart allows the presenter to write or draw spontaneously as they speak.

The markerboard is simple to use.

~The presenter controls the markerboard and can easily coordinate verbal and visual messages

~The markerboard allows the presenter to write or draw spontaneously as they speak.

~With electronic markerboards, you can print out what is written on the markerboard and make copies for your audience.

Flip charts and markerboards aid learning comprehension and retention.

~Recording comments from the group reinforces participation and spurs members to expand on a subject.

~Since audiences are capable of accepting information at four or five times the rate at which the average speaker talks, comprehension and rentention are increased by tapping the mind's excess capacity to learn.

Flip charts and markerboards presentations are simple to create

~Basic art skills are sufficient to produce dynamic, professional-looking visual aids.

~Pens, Rulers and other equipment for making flip chart and markerboard visuals are both inexpensive and readily available.

Flip charts and markerboards save time.

~The presenter can save time by preparing flip charts in advance.

~Flip charts can be used for quick reference or review and can be easily stored for future use.

Basic Tools to Design Flip Chart and Markerboard Presentations

Whether you are preparing a presentation for a flip chart or a markerboard, many of the same skills apply to both. These skills are simple to acquire; in fact, you probably already have them. Still, like mastering any other skill, the better you understand the tools and principles involved, the more proficient you'll become Remmember to practice as much as you can to learn then reinforce your skills.

EASELS

Easels are simple to use, sturdy and portable. The following charecteristics will guide you in purchasing the right easel:

~Stable pad support that allows you to write over the entire easel pad without wobble.

~Legs that are braced for stability

~A tray or shelf for holding markers and erasers is a useful feature found on many easels.

~Heavy-duty easels are necessary when you plan to do a lot of printing and sketching directly on the pad. When using prepared charts, lighter easels are sufficient.

Pads:

The standard flip chart pad measure 27" wide and 34" long. However, other pad sizes are available for different easel sizes. 16 lb bond paper is the most popular and available weight. For charts that will be re-used, a slightly heavier paper is recommended.

Some flip chart pads feature pre-printed 1" light blue grid lines. This grid offers several advantages:

~Ensure that the presenter is printing on a straight horizontal plane.

~Allows the presenter to line up margins, headings, subheadings and bullets.

~Permits symmetry and spacing in drawings and charts.

~The grid is not visable to the audience.

Markers:

Felt tip markers are available in a number of colors as well as standard black. Always use markers that are designed specifically for flip charts-they won't bleed through your paper, and offer vivid colors that can be seen at a distance.

Rulers and Yardsticks:

Essential for drawing crisp straight lines and boxes, wooden yardsticks are also excellent for drawing circles without the need for a protractor or compass. Using a drill bit that is large enough for the tip of your marker, drill holes on every inch mark until you reach 27" (the width of most flip chart pads). Now you can use a pushpin or the eraser end of a pencil at the center axis and easily draw prefect circles on your pad surface-great for pie charts, diagrams and illustrations. Please note that cutting your yardstick down to just over 27" will assist in packing for travel.

X-acto/Utility Knife:

These handy tools are best used to trim prepared sheets off your pad without tearing ot outright ruining your hard-earned chart! be sure not to press down hard enough to cust through more than the page you intend to remove. Lifting the page up slightly will make removing the page easy.

Tape:

Use single or double-sided clear adhesive tape to attached prepared elements such as reveals to the flip chart pad. matte tape is best to avoud light reflections. masking tape can also be used, but will be more obtrusive.

Note: when attaching flip chart sheets to a wall surface, masking tape is less destructive to paint and wallpaper. Another option is 3-M's Post-It(r) Easel Pads: these flip chart sized Post-It Notes feature an adhesive that was formulated especially for most wall surfaces, and makes an excellent alternative to regular tape.

MARKERBOARDS

Materials

Markerboards:

Markerboards are simple to use and relatively inexpensive. The basic models available are easel style, free standing, and wall-mounted. Surfaces include porcelain-on-steel, melamine and Mylar. Porcelain on steel is the more rugged surface, but weighs the most. Melamine is a great all-purpose writing surface, while Mylar is generally available on electronic markerboards.

No matter what surface you choose, you will be ensured of a surface that is easy to write on, is easy to rease almost instantly, and is visiable to everyone in your audience.

Markers:

Felt tip markers are available in a number of vivid colors are well as standard black. ALWAYS use dry erase markers! Regular felt tip markers will ruin your writing surface. A few points to be aware of:

~Be very careful not to get ink on your clothing-dry erase markers are indelible on clothing and porous surfaces.

~Always use in well-ventilated areas.

~Do not shake markers before using.

~You will need a "dry eraser" to clean your writing surface.

~Periodically clean the writing surface with specifically formulated cleaning fluid and a soft, clean cloth. Cleaning fluid will help clean writing srufaces, even if a permanent marker was used inadvertently.

~Magnets are avaialble for holding charts and other prepared paper materials to makerboard surfaces. Be aware that they only work with procelain-on-steel surfaces.

Rulers and Yardsticks:

Essentially the same as for flip charts: creates crisp lines and boxes as well as prefect circles for pie charts and illustrations.

Design Guidelines for Professional Looking Flip Charts and Markerboard Presentations

LETTERING-Use simple block lettering. Take some time to practice printing clearly in large easy-to-read letters. Good printing involves three simple factors:

Consistency: Stick to clock lettering throughout your presentation. Avoid tall, thin, cursive or flowery lettering, or mixing various letter styles together-it will detract from your written message. Use color rather and styles to stress important points. No lettering should be taller than 1 1/4" high, which can be seen from up to 35 feet away.

Motion: DO NOT labor over your printing. Don't rush but do use fluid, crisp pull-down strokes of your pen. Up strokes give you far less control while writing.

Posture: Relax as you write. Stand facing the writing area, and move with your text as you write. Keep in mind that you have a limited span to your arm, and trying to reach past that span causes your letters to being wandering--usually down.

Amount of Lettering on Flip Charts and Markerboards

When designing a presentation that is predominately printing:

~White space makes the resulting presentation look cleaner, and is easier to read.

~Use a margin of at least three to four inches. Use larger indents for subheadings.

~Use bullets to stress sub-headings.

~If a flip chart has more than 35-40 words, you are crowding the pad surface, using lettering that is too small for the audience to read, or both. Simply use two or more flip chart pages.

~The same rule applies to markerboards. Obviously, you can fit more pringing on them, depending on the size of the markerboard.

~ When incorporating drawings, sketches, and other non-text items, adjust the amount of lettering. The best guide is a clean, easy-to-read presentation. Stepping back and looking will tell you if you have too many elements on the presentation surface.

Grid Sheets-using flip chart pads and markerboards with pre-printed 1" grids offer many advantages for insuring neat, organized presentations. It's simple to keep lines of text parallel, and it's also wasy to line up subheadings and bullets items.

Headings-It is a good idea to place a heading or title at the top if the flip chart sheet or markerboard. A heading orients the audience to the ideas or concepts presented to them. Headings should be bold, underlined, enclosed or in a different color to distinguish then from the rest of the information.

Bullets-Although bullets are most often round dots, just about any symbol can be used as effective bullets. Asterisks, squares, arrows, dashes and stars can be used, particularly for bullets in sub-headings or on complicated charts.

Non-Verbal Symbols- Non-verbal symbols, such as stick figures, happy faces, or a pair of scissors, are easy to draw and can be extremely effective. Non-verbal symbols are powerful croos-culteral icons that are used to denote actions or emotions. One example is the thumb's up/down for "do's" and "don't's". Use an hour glass or clock for timing and efficiency, etc.

Use Color for Punch-Color on charts and markerboards can make a significant difference in the dynamics of a presentation and the acecptance of the content. A sense of organization, flow or even urgency can be effected through proper use of colors. Be aware that too much color can bring confusion. Using colors in combination is very effective: two colors are better than one, and three can be used effectively of done carefully and with purpose. A few things to keep in mind:

~Black, blue and green offer the greatest visability

~Purple, brown, pink and yellow are good colors for highlights, drop shadows and bullets, but be careful that these colors don't blend or even get lost against more vibrant colors.

~Red should only be used as an accent color. Use for bullets, underlines, arrows, etc.

Special Visual Effect-For Flip Charts Only

Reveals-Depending on your presentation style and content, you may wish to disclose only part of a chart or graph at one time. Maybe you'd like to pose a question and only reveal the correct answer after an audience discussion. Or perhaps you want to reveal selected information in sequence. Reveals allow you to do this: they are easy to make and effective presentation tools. After you complete your flip charts, decide which areas you want to cover, and how. There are three types of reveals:

BLOCK REVEAL: Use this type for progessively unconvering certain areas of the flip chart at one time. In thsi model, the bottom of the page is brought up to cover the points on the same page. As those points are discussed, you lower the edge of the sheet to reveal the hidden data. The biggest problem with this method is that the printing on the chart will almost always show through, including the date you wanted to hide in the first place.

Instead of using the bottom of your chart, a better method is to use a seperate sheet of paper-the paper can be a doubled-uop standard pad sheet (so the printing on the chart doesn't inadvertently show through) or a sheet of very heavy paper stock. Use two-sided masking tape for holding it in place until you are ready to use your reveal.

SELECTED AREA REVEAL: Used for selectively revealing certain areas of the flip chart. In this model, one or more strips of paper are placed over certain points on the chart, to be removed at the appropriate time. The reveal(s) should be a little larger that the data being hidden. You can reveal a sequence of steps, or a multi-process procedure using strips-the method is only limited by your imagination.

EXPANDED INFORMATION REVEAL: Similar to the selected area reveal, this method premits two (or more) points to be made from each reveal. By drawing on the actual reveal, you expand upon what is underneath the reveal. Once the reveal is removed, the original image is transformed and offers a completely different concept.

ORCHESTRATING FLIP CHART VISUALS-A well-orchestrated presentation occurs when the visuals are synchronized with the presenter's verbal materials. The danger of disregarding timing all the elements results in an audience that is confused and frusterated. Some hints to help you put it all together include:

~Make sure your light source is in front of your easel for easier viewing.

~Always number each flip chart and mark your notes accordingly. This will help you locate the next chart more easily, as well as assist in setting up the presentation.

~Leave two or three pages between the printed ones. This will prevent the audience from seeing the next chart prematurely, and you will have a blank page at your disposal to spontaneously draw charts.

~Use a mixture of pre-drawn and spontaneously drawn charts to change pace. For instance, you might display a chart with prepared questions. As each point is discussed, write key words as a reminder or to lead the discussion.

~Depending on the complexity of your presentations, you may consider using two or more easels. One easel can hold pre-printed charts, while the second easel will hold the pad that the presenter uses for audience responses. Powerful multiple reveals can also take advantage of two seperate pads and easels.

MARKERBOARD OVERVIEW

Whiteboards and dry erase boards are generic terms for all markerboards. Surface materials and features vary by model.

Surfaces:

1. Porcelain-on-metal-Top of the line. This surface is durable, and is the heaviest type of markerboard. Lasts for many years. Cleans easily with no "ghosting".

2. Melamine-High quaility writing surface that works well for most applications. Lighter in weight than procelain, it also does not last as long.

3. Mylar-Used primarily for electronic markerboards. Lightest of markerboard materials. "Ghosting" does occur if not cleaned properly and maintained.

Features:

Markerboard/flipchart Combo Easel-Combines portability with versatility.

Wall Markerboards- Used for stationary applications such as classrooms, training and conference rooms.

Rollaround Markerboards-Markerboards with wheels. Used for moving aroung the classroom, training or confrence room, or from one room to another.

Electronic Copyboards-These boards feature a large writing surface that scrolls to reveal a second writing panel (some may have up to 5 panels). The Mylar material has a 2" grid system that produces thermal printer copies at the touch of a button. You can also purchase "computer-ready" copyboards that download written information to a PC. Some models feature plain paper inkjet printers. Seperate markerboard cameras are also available to download data into a computer.

TeamBoards- Similar to electronic copyboards, the TeamBoard can be used in conjunction with a data/video projector to control computer applications, and works like an electronic copyboard in all other respects.