Using Visuals, Testimony, and Storytelling to Support Your Ideas

1. Visuals

Visual aids are often used to help audiences of informative and persuasive speeches understand the topic being presented. Visual aids can play a large role in how the audience understands and takes in information that is presented.

There are many different types of visual aids that range from handouts to PowerPoints. The type of visual aid a speaker uses depends on their preference and the information they are trying to present.

Each type of visual aid has pros and cons that must be evaluated to ensure it will be beneficial to the overall presentation. Before incorporating visual aids into speeches, the speaker should understand that if used incorrectly, the visual will not be an aid but a distraction.

Planning ahead is important when using visual aids. It is necessary to choose a visual aid that is appropriate for the material and audience. The purpose of the visual aid is to enhance the presentation.

1a. Objects

Objects can be used as a visual aid by bringing the actual object to use as a demonstration during the speech. For example, a speech about tying knots would be more effective by bringing in a rope.

• Pros: The use of the actual object is often necessary when demonstrating how to do something so that the audience can fully understand the procedure.
• Cons: Some objects are too large or unavailable for a speaker to bring with them.

1b. Models

Models are representations of another object that serve to demonstrate that object when using the real object is not possible for some reason. For example, models might include human skeletal systems, the solar system, or architecture.

• Pros: Models can serve as substitutes that provide a better example of the real thing to the audience when the object being spoken about is of an awkward size or composition for use in the demonstration.
• Cons: Sometimes, a model may not be an accurate representation of the real thing and cause misunderstanding.

1c. Graphs

Graphs are used to visualize relationships between different quantities. Various types are used as visual aids, including bar graphs, line graphs, pie graphs, and scatter plots.

• Pros: Graphs help the audience to visualize statistics so that they make a greater impact than just listing them verbally would.
• Cons: Graphs can easily become cluttered during use in a speech by including too much detail, overwhelming the audience, and making the graph ineffective.

1d. Maps

Maps show geographic areas that are of interest to the speech. They often are used as aids when speaking of differences between geographical areas or showing the location of something. For example, a map showing the building site for a new hospital could show its close location to key neighborhoods, or a map could show the differences in the distribution of AIDS victims in North American and African countries.

• Pros: When maps are simple and clear, they can be used to make points about certain areas effectively.
• Cons: Inclusion of too much detail on a map can cause the audience to lose focus on the key point being made. Also, if the map is disproportional or unrealistic, it may prove ineffective for the point being made.

1e. Tables

Tables are columns and rows that organize words, symbols, or data. For example, a table is a good choice to use to compare the amount of rainfall in three different counties or to display complex information as shown on the Periodic Table of the Elements.

• Pros: Good tables are easy to understand. They are a good way to compare facts and to gain a better overall understanding of the topic being discussed.
• Cons: Tables are not very interesting or pleasing to the eye. They can be overwhelming if too much information is in a small space or the information is not organized in a convenient way. A table is not a good choice to use if the person viewing it has to take a lot of time to be able to understand it. Tables can be visual distractions if it is hard to read because the font is too small, or the writing is too close together. It can also be a visual distraction if the table is not drawn evenly.

1f. Photographs

Photographs are pictures, usually taken with a camera, that can be used as a visual demonstration during a speech. A photograph is also good to use when the actual object cannot be viewed. For example, when discussing the lowland gorilla, it would be beneficial to show a photograph for an audience who has never seen one before.

• Pros: Photographs are good tools to make or emphasize a point or to explain a topic.
• Cons: If the photograph is too small, it just becomes a distraction. Enlarging photographs can be expensive if not using a PowerPoint or other viewing device.

1g. Drawings or Diagrams

Drawings or diagrams can be used when photographs do not show exactly what the speaker wants to show or explain. For example, a drawing or diagram of the circulatory system throughout the body is a lot more effective than a picture of a cadaver showing the circulatory system.

• Pros: Drawings or diagrams can also be used when a photograph is too detailed.
• Cons: If not drawn correctly, a drawing can look sloppy and unprofessional, rendering it ineffective.

2. Testimony

A testimony is an assertion made by someone who has knowledge or experience in a particular matter. Testimony is used in various contexts for a wide range of purposes.

There are two major types of testimony:

• Peer testimony
• Expert testimony

EXAMPLE

In the law, testimony is a form of evidence that is obtained from a witness who makes a solemn statement or declaration of fact.

term to know

Testimony

An assertion made by someone who has knowledge or experience in a particular matter.

2a. Types of Testimony

Expert testimony, as the name suggests, is testimony given by a person who is considered an expert by virtue of education, training, certification, skills, or experience in a particular matter.

Because experts have knowledge beyond that of a typical person, expert testimony carries considerable weight. Though an expert is an authority on a particular subject, their testimony can certainly be called into question by other facts, evidence, or experts.

Peer testimony, unlike expert testimony, is given by a person who does not have expertise in the subject in question. As a result, those who provide peer testimony are sometimes referred to as "anti-authorities."

A person who provides peer testimony might not have expertise in a particular area, but they likely have personal experience with the issue at hand.

Though peer testimony can easily be challenged, it can still be a powerful tool in persuading an audience, particularly when delivered or provided by a well-liked celebrity.

Before incorporating testimony, ask yourself:

• Are you quoting the testimony accurately?
• Is the testimony biased? In what way?
• Is the person providing the testimony competent and well respected?
• Is the testimony current?
• How will your audience respond to the testimony?

terms to know

Expert Testimony

Testimony given by a person who is considered an expert by education, training, certification, skills, or experience in a particular matter.

Peer Testimony

Testimony given by a person who does not have expertise in a particular matter.

2b. How to Incorporate Expert Testimony Into Your Speech

Once you have found experts to support your ideas, you may wonder how to incorporate their testimony into your speech.

The body of your speech should help you elaborate and develop your main objectives clearly by using main points, subpoints, and support for your subpoints.

To ensure that your speech clearly communicates with your audience, try to limit both your main points and subpoints to three or four points each; this applies to your supporting points, as well. Expert testimony is considered a supporting point; it is used to support the main point and subpoints of your speech.

When a claim or point is made during a speech, the audience may initially be reluctant to concede or agree to the validity of the point. Often, this is because the audience does not initially accept the speaker as a trustworthy authority. By incorporating expert testimony, the speaker is able to bolster their own authority to speak on the topic.

Therefore, expert testimony is commonly introduced after a claim is made.

EXAMPLE

If a speech makes the claim, "Manufacturing jobs have been in decline since the 1970s," it should be followed up with expert testimony to support that claim. This testimony could take a variety of forms, such as government employment statistics or a historian who has written on a particular sector of the manufacturing industry.

big idea

No matter the particular form of expert testimony, you should use it to defend and support a claim.

watch

Barry Schwartz, Professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College, delivered a TED talk entitled Our Loss of Wisdom in 2009. Using the link provided, watch his speech and think about how Schwartz references expert testimony in the course of his speech to justify his point to the audience.

• Schwartz begins by showing the job description of a hospital janitor, noting that the tasks do not require interaction with other people.
• Schwartz introduces the expert testimony of actual hospital janitors as a way to complicate the apparent solo nature of janitorial work.
• Schwartz personalizes the experts with proper names, "Mike," "Sharleene," and "Luke," and uses their testimony to demonstrate that despite the job description, janitors take social interaction to be an important part of their job.
• Schwartz incorporates the expert testimony of actual janitors as both a counterpoint and a support. The testimony shows that in fact, janitorial work does include interaction with other people, thus foiling the initial presentation of janitorial work as solitary.
• Schwartz uses the testimony of these experts to show that they embody the characteristics of wisdom that he will describe in the remainder of the speech.

3. Narratives and Storytelling

Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, sounds, or images, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation, and instilling moral values.

Narratives take the form of a story. Presenters use narratives to support a point that was already made or to introduce a point that will soon be made. Narratives can be combined with facts or statistics to make them even more compelling.

Storytelling points toward a single goal. Your story should not be forced but should come across as a natural part of your speech. If your audience thinks you're telling a story just because you read that it was a good idea to do so, your story won't work. The task of a story is to make the audience care. Your narrative should be something that your audience can easily understand and relate to.

Keep it short and sweet. Limit your narrative to three or four minutes at the most. Remember, you are using it to support or clarify your point. Once you've done that, move on. Your story is not there to replace information. It is there to put something you have said into perspective.

The best stories paint a picture. They allow your audience to visualize what you are saying. Make sure your story builds over time and doesn't get boring. Keep your audience interested until the end. Don't overuse stories.

Of course, as the old adage says, "use what you know." Stories are not just about facts—they're also about communicating what you have experienced and what you personally know, and feel, to be true.

terms to know

Storytelling

The conveying of events in words, sound and/or images, often by improvisation or embellishment.

Narrative

The systematic recitation of an event or series of events (see also storytelling).

3a. The Power of Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful tool, a means for sharing experiences and knowledge. It's one of the ways we learn.

Peter L. Berger says human life is narratively rooted; humans construct their lives and shape their world into homes in terms of these groundings and memories. Stories are universal in that they can bridge cultural, linguistic, and age-related divides.

3b. The Utility of Storytelling in Public Speaking

Because human life is narratively rooted, incorporating storytelling into public speaking can be a powerful way of reaching your audience.

For example, storytelling techniques can be a more compelling and effective way of delivering information than using only dry facts.