 A compelling visual component can add a lot to your presentation. For the next few minutes, let's talk about how to complement your spoken presentation through the effective use of text and image. First off, you'll need to become familiar with presentation software like PowerPoint or Keynote. Each of these systems offers online tutorials that are very helpful as you overcome the learning curve for using such programs. Try googling PowerPoint Tutorials or Keynote Tutorials to find online sources of help as you become familiar with the technical aspects of these programs. As you create your visual presentation, keep in mind the following suggestions. First, think about color. Soft, neutral tones are easier on the eyes than vivid or glaring colors. For the presentation background, consider using a soft, neutral color. The text color should contrast well with the background color so that it is easily visible. Remember, using reds, blues or greens for your text might hinder individuals with color blindness from being able to see your text. Vivid colors can be strikingly presented within the images that you employ. So for color, a good rule of thumb is this. Use soft, neutral, contrasting colors for background and text and let the imagery supply a richness of color to your presentation. Second, think about the text itself. Many blocks of text can be distracting and difficult to read, especially when you are reading the same information out loud as part of your presentation. Use text for emphasis or to succinctly highlight points and use it sparingly. A good rule of thumb for text is be careful not to overwhelm your slides with too many words. Third, think about images. The old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words is quite true in the case of visual presentations. A compelling image combined with the verbalized information you are presenting can be very impacting. Also, images have the capacity to bring rich color and vibrancy to your slides, and yet this vibrancy can be contained by framing the image. So a good rule of thumb for using images is be creative and strategic with how you employ images in your presentation. A good picture can be worth a thousand words. Fourth, presentation software typically offers the option for embedding sound bites and video clips in your slides. Sound can potentially accentuate your points and video can be used for emphasis, explanation, or even to provide humor. Nevertheless, a good rule of thumb for sound and video is be judicious and don't overdo it. Fifth, transitions between slides and even within slides add an important texture to your presentation by providing visual movement that helps to capture and hold listeners' attention. However, some transitions can be distracting. A good rule of thumb for transitions is be creative with your use of transitions but also be careful that they do not become a distraction. And finally, remember to keep your visual presentation simple. The visual component is intended to support your verbal presentation of information. For example, if you're reading a paper, the visual should augment but not overwhelm the verbal. When done effectively, adding a visual component to your presentation broadens its potential to impact a wider range of learning styles in your listeners. Now perhaps the most important rule of thumb is this, practice, practice, practice before you present publicly so that you can master the timing between the verbal and visual aspects of your presentation. Now in the final half of this video, I'd like to demonstrate these principles by sharing with you an example presentation. This abbreviated presentation was prepared for a philosophical theology class and you might be unfamiliar with the content but the content should not be your focus. As you watch, please note how the visual aspects serve to emphasize, clarify and illustrate the verbal aspects of the presentation. Okay, here we go. In 1947, C. S. Lewis published his first edition of Miracles, a preliminary study in which he explicated an argument from reason for the truth of theism. The argument from reason holds that rational thought itself is an example of something that cannot be explained naturalistically. Rational thought is something for which it is impossible to give a natural explanation so it stands outside the total system, thus upholding theism as a better explanation for reality and the universe. Now at the time of his writing, Lewis presided as chief of the Socratic Club at Oxford, which he had founded as a forum especially for Christian apologetics. In its day, the Socratic Club had entertained discussion and debate with some of the most formidable atheists of the time so no one was expecting the unsparing critique that came from a young woman who stood up in the midst of these scholars and students of philosophy about a year after Miracles had been published. G. E. M. Anscombe was a Roman Catholic scholar and Wittgenstein student who found Lewis' argument from reason to be less than compelling because it was based on an interpretation of words that when injected with the meanings that Lewis himself supplied caused naturalism to appear to be self-defeating. So Anscombe read a paper that she had written, a reply to Mr. C. S. Lewis' argument that naturalism is self-defeating, the first of Anscombe's purely philosophical works to be published. In her response, Anscombe calls Lewis' entire thesis specious, meaning that it is alluringly deceptive because of the ambiguity and confusion of words like why, because, explanation, valid, and irrational. Interestingly, Lewis' friends reacted quite emotionally to Anscombe's critique and many sourly described the defeat and humiliation Lewis suffered at the Socratic Club that fateful day. Some claim that Lewis was crushed by the defeat as his friends and supporters tried to rally around claiming the debate was a draw. In a very brief reply, in which I assume that Lewis is having a bit of fun with Anscombe, he admits that his use of valid is unfortunate and he claims that instead he should have employed the words verific, veridical, or veriferous. Well, in reality, Lewis didn't seem to be quite as tragically impacted as all that. In fact, her critique caused Lewis to rethink and rework his argument for reason, which he republished over a decade later in the second edition of Miracles. Anscombe herself described the incident in this way. The fact that Lewis rewrote that chapter shows his honesty and seriousness. The meaning of the Socratic Club, which I read my paper, has been described by several of his friends as a horrible and shocking experience which upset him very much. My own recollection is that it was an occasion of sober discussion of certain, quite definite criticisms which Lewis's rethinking and rewriting showed he thought were accurate. I am inclined to construe the odd accounts of the matter by some of his friends who seem not to have been interested in the actual arguments or the subject matter as an interesting example of the phenomenon called projection. Hopefully, this information has been helpful to you as you learn to create compelling presentations. Remember to keep it simple and tidy. I wish you all the best on your own projects.