 The Chinese philosopher Confucius said I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. I mean, he's no Rick Astley, but I suppose he has a point. As a speaker, you can use presentational aids to help support the content of your speech and increase the odds that your audience will understand and remember what you say. In this video, we'll talk about the different types of presentational aids and offer some tips on preparing and using presentational aids during your speeches. Let's get started. Presentational aids come in all shapes and sizes. The type of presentational aid that best suits your needs will depend on a variety of factors, such as the size of the audience, the technology available and how much time you have to prepare. One of the most obvious kinds of presentational aids is stuff. If you're talking about an object, you can bring that object in. If you can't bring in the actual thing because it's too big, too small, too expensive, too dangerous, or you simply don't have access to it, then you might need to find an alternative way to work it in. You could consider a life-size model, a large-scale model of a small thing, a small-scale model of a large thing, or maybe a nice picture. Posters and flip charts may be low-tech, but they're public-speaking classics and can be effective when employed correctly. Advancements in technology have led to an increase in the use of multimedia tools like PowerPoint and Prezi. Audio and video have also become commonplace in speeches with the rise of technology. Handouts can be helpful in allowing an audience to carry information from the presentation with them. They do carry some risk, though, as we'll discuss in a moment. Finally, don't forget about using yourself as a presentational aid. Through your personal appearance, demonstrations, and in other ways, you also become a tool for delivering information visually. Regardless of the type of presentational aid or aids you plan to use, it's important that these aids be thoroughly prepared in advance. It's a good idea to use the KISS rule when preparing visual aids. Keep it simple, silly! Remember that you're giving a speech, not an advanced tutorial on fancy design and a display of your understanding of the entire spectrum of known colors. These tips will help you prepare neat and clean presentational aids that support the content of your speech without being a distraction. When it comes to text in front of an audience, use the 6x6 rule. No more than six words per line and six lines per slide or poster. Stick to keywords or phrases and avoid paragraphs of text. Don't use more than two different fonts. Stick to two or three different colors and make sure your font color contrasts with the background color. Stay away from clipart and other cheesy chart junk. Avoid bolding, underlining, and italics unless it's absolutely necessary. Make sure that the lettering is large, in charge, and easy to read. And, for the love of everything holy, under no circumstances should you use animations or transitions that slow the pace of your speech. I'm just going to assume that you've followed these tips and now have the perfectly prepared presentational aid, but what about using it effectively during your speech? Don't sweat it, we've got you covered there, too. Just follow these simple rules. First, incorporate your presentational aids into your speech practice. Get used to handling them, changing the slide, pressing play, or whatever it is you'll be doing. Your aid should only be visible when you're using it. If it's not in use, then hide it if at all possible. Otherwise, it'll just be a distraction. When you are using the aid, make sure your presentational aids are visible to everyone in the audience. Speak to your audience, not the presentational aid. Don't use handouts unless absolutely necessary because the audience is going to focus their attention on whatever's in front of them and not what you're saying. And be sure to keep visual aids visible long enough for the audience to see and understand them. Used effectively, presentational aids can enhance your speech a great deal. So, in preparing and using your visual aids, remember the wise words of Confucius. I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand. And also, the wise words of Jerry Maguire who said, show me the money or whatever else you're talking about.