Unit of Instruction: Creating Visual Impact with your Presentation

Unit Goals
This Unit of Instruction is one of several that will be provided for franchise owners selected to present at our national conference in Vancouver, Canada next year. There will be at least three Units of Instruction dedicated to preparing franchisees to conduct main stage or workshop presentations.

Curriculum Goals
Recognizing that our franchisees are not professional speakers or trainers, a simple and generalized standard has been adopted to connect to our course. The National Communication Association (formerly the SCA) created eight (8) public speaking competencies that will be addressed throughout the course: 1. Chooses and narrows a topic appropriately for the audience and occasion. 2. Communicates the thesis/specific purpose in a manner appropriate for audience and occasion. 3. Provides appropriate supporting material based on the audience and occasion. 4. Uses an appropriate introduction and conclusion and provides a reasonably clear and logical progression within and between ideas. 5. Uses language that is appropriate to the audience, occasion and purpose and demonstrates an ability to insert spontaneous comments in adapting ideas to the specific audience. 6. Uses vocal variety in rate, pitch and intensity to heighten and maintain interest. Uses pronunciation, grammar and articulation appropriate to designated audience. 7. Uses physical behaviors that support the verbal message and communicates engagement with audience through confidence, sincerity and enthusiasm for the topic. 8. If visual aids are included they are appropriate to audience, occasion and purpose. This unit will focus on three of the eight competencies (1, 3 & 8). Learners are not required to become experts in visual imagery or organizing slide presentations because of the technical support provided to coordinate the conference. This course is intended to teach guidelines for preparation and reduce the disparity of knowledge that exists among potential presenters.

Student Characteristics
This unit is intended for the franchisees in an international supplemental education company. They are adult learners with at least a bachelors degree, although several have post-baccalaureate degrees. Even with college backgrounds in a variety of highly regarded disciplines, the majority of this audience has limited formal training in creating and delivering effective presentations. The learners often do not have time to professionally develop themselves in this area due to managing the day-to-day operations of the franchise. Over 60% of the learners speak English as a second

language and many of them do not prefer to be on a stage in front of a large group, even to talk about their own success. However, those selected are typically motivated by the prestige such a task involves and will be motivated to attempt it.

Students Present Level of Performance and Knowledge

A prerequisite to owning a franchise, all franchisees possess a basic proficiency with computers and the ability to communicate in the English language. As they progress through the course, they will gain additional skills to help with the selection of appropriate visual media and incorporation into PowerPoint. Other specific prerequisite skills for this unit include: Opening, editing and saving a PowerPoint file Working with a PowerPoint template Inserting images into slides Inserting text into slides Basic proficiency with formatting PowerPoint slides Use of the Internet to locate supporting visuals

Classroom Context
This Unit of Instruction is intended to be delivered online via asynchronous methods and group discussion. This particular unit will be an online asynchronous course using SharePoint and email for assignment submission. Our franchisees are located in various cities across the nation. Due to the need to reach all learners and the geographic limitations, this is an effective format. Aside from the courses, there will be one-on-one support and feedback provided by employees involved in the conference coordination efforts.

Introductory Procedures
This unit will be introduced using a humorous video to show PowerPoint errors. Next, the course asks learners to recall a positive experience they had as an audience to a workshop or presentation where slides were utilized. Learners will be asked to consider what made the presentation effective or impactful. This will lead to a narrative on impactful presentations and the introduction of the unit goals as it relates to visual impact and PowerPoint.

Materials and Media

To access the course, learners must have access to a computer and an Internet connection. They must also have Microsoft PowerPoint or an equivalent slide program loaded on their computer for homework assignments between units. Those lacking basic skills in PowerPoint will be advised to purchase a reference book, subscribe to Lynda.com or use a variety of free resources to increase their skills. For support during the course, learners will contact the Instruction Department as needed. They will also be able to work with conference coordinators and support employees to

obtain feedback and assist with revisions as they prepare final presentation drafts later in the course.

Course Visuals
Most visuals will be used to inform the design of an effective PowerPoint presentation and get the learners to create a draft. While the details for each design are not completely fleshed out, the concepts are presented here: I. Introductory Slide this graphic will be used to introduce the lesson and tie the theme of the course together. II. Diagram, chart or model - to organize the characteristics of simple and impactful visual design. The goal is to present the information in a way that is easy to remember and that can be referred back to in the presentation as each element is demonstrated. III. Text-heavy slide - This will be designed to show the overuse of bullet points and text to present a poor example of using PowerPoint as a visual aid. IV. Typography This graphic is used to show how words and images can convey a similar message to support the overall presentation content. V. Learning graphic - This visual will test the learners knowledge of previously learned concepts. The purpose is to show learners one example and two non-examples of the types of visuals that create impact. VI. Visual image selections - This visual will show a higher quality image representation of the same idea on the non-example slide to show a more appropriate visual choice. This visual will also compare two images, one very basic and the other more dynamic to show a concept that we want the audience to remember. VII. Small type vs. larger point type - This visual will be designed to show slides with type too small for PowerPoint and the standard for appropriately sized text. The purpose is to show how the size and selection of type in the presentation can be ineffective if it is too small for the audience to see. VIII. Preparation graphic - A visual representing the steps needed to prepare for the public speaking aspect of presentation. IX. Resources This graphic will display the additional resources that learners can access after the course is complete.

Assessment and Evaluation Techniques

There will be review exercises included in intervals of the online course for the benefit of the learner. These exercises should help prepare the learner for the online multiple-choice assessment at the end of the course. Application of the skills will be observed and evaluated as the learner begins to design their presentation. Additional training needs will be determined based on their performance.

Assessment Instruments and Stated Outcomes

The written assessment for this unit is will measure the following competency: If visual aids are included they are appropriate to audience, occasion and purpose.

The subsequent observation assessment for this unit will measure the following competencies: Chooses and narrows a topic appropriately for the audience and occasion. Provides appropriate supporting material based on the audience and occasion. If visual aids are included they are appropriate to audience, occasion and purpose. * Adapted from Unit Plan at http://edtech.tennessee.edu/~bobannon/unit_plans.html