Using Visual Aids










In the previous chapter we were considering discussion techniques
for which you would need to employ the simple aid of either a
blackboard, a flipchart or sheets of newsprint pinned up on a wall-
or a tree. But whether you are using presentation, discussion or
action-based modes of communication, appropriate equipment and
visual aids can greatly enhance your performance.
This chapter reviews the kinds of aid you may wish to use in your
extension activities. Not all these aids are available to all extension
workers, but it is important to know what can be accomplished by
the aids that are becoming increasingly common. Also, it is impor-
tant to know about alternative methods of preparing charts and
other visual materials.

WHY USE VISUALS?
Visual aids are media designed to help us get our messages across
more clearly and more emphatically. Some visuals can communi-
cate a message on their own, but usually they are there to supple-
ment spoken or written words. They can range from simple to
complex-from an outline drawing on a single sheet of paper to a
television documentary programme. However, whatever the shape
or form of the visual aid, it enhances the communication process in
three main ways:
 it arouses interest in the subject or message-by
 making it more emphatic;
 it helps people understand the message more
 clearly-by making it more coherent;