The right visual aids. (part 1 of 2)

I am a big proponent of making your entire presentation visual. The problem for me is that I can't draw, I take bad photographs, and none of my talented relatives will cooperate enough to provide me with images to use. (I have lots of artists in my family, they just don't want to do graphics for my slides for some reason...)

So what's a nerdy numbers person to do?

Here are some ways you can create your own visual aids for your next presentation:

1. Purchase images from a website – there are a number of websites that offer professional photographs royalty free. My favorite is www.istockphoto.com . They offer  a ton of gorgeous images at a very affordable price, and they make it easy for you to try them out and download the image once you have found the right one. 

IT guy from my 'Doing More With Less' presentation. Image purchased from www.Istockphoto.com

Pro: Professional images
Con: Other people might end up using the same images in their presentation.

2. Use clip art – the clipart library gets deeper every day. Now that you can access images online, there seems to be no end to cutesy graphics that you can insert into your slide show.

Picture of an accountant from Microsoft online clipart files

Pro: Quick, easy, and cheap
Con: Quick, easy, and cheap.That means everyone in your audience will know you are using the same clipart they use for their presentations. This does not set you apart as a professional.

To be continued...