Visual Aids Guessing Game

By Carter Reed

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Time Needed: ~25-30 minutes
• Materials Needed: one laptop/tablet and pen & paper in each group
• Purpose: to consider how to best use visual aids to communicate information regarding a persuasive topic to your audience.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Break into groups of four. Each group will be assigned a separate persuasive topic. Do not share your topic with other groups.
2. With your partners, come up with four to five (4 – 5) visual aids you would use in a persuasive speech on your topic. Consider theme, tone, and what information is important to communicate to your audience about your topic.
   1. NOTE: do not choose images with words that reveal your topic. For example, if your topic is convincing the class to adopt a pet, you should have images of animals and perhaps a chart of stress-relief related to pet ownership, but you should not have a picture of a storefront that says “Animal Shelter.”
3. Find photos, graphics, maps, charts, etc.… or make pictures, drawings, graphs, diagrams, etc.… that you will use to communicate your topic to the class. You can compile these images in a PowerPoint or other software presentation organizer, or you can plan out images/charts/diagrams/graphs/whatever to draw out on the class board. If you plan to use the board, practice drawing on pen/pencil and paper first.
4. Each group will either email me their PowerPoint to share with the class or come up to draw on the board, but you cannot verbally communicate about your topic with other groups.
5. After each group presents their visual aids, we will vote as a class what their persuasive topic was. Whether we guess right or wrong, follow up with these questions:
   1. What did the group do well?
   2. Did the group miss any important information about their topic they should’ve put in their visual aids?
   3. What other possibilities of visual aids might work, or even work better, for each topic?
   4. Were there any visual aids you found distracting or unhelpful? If so, why?
   5. How can we make sure our visual aids are ready for our own speeches?

Persuasive Topic:

• Convince your classmates to go Vote and give them info on how to do so

Persuasive Topic:

• Convince your classmates to do a physical challenge like a Marathon or Triathlon

Persuasive Topic:

• Convince your classmates to protest the KU Chancellor over tuition costs

Persuasive Topic:

• Convince your classmates to enroll in life courses like cooking and sewing