Preparing lectures used to be much simpler - but not necessarily more effective - than it is today.
Lincoln prepared his Gettysburg Address on the back of an envelope during a train ride. It was quite effective and memorable in its time, and some American schoolchildren are still required to memorize it. I must admit that it's an impressive speech, especially considering that he didn't use a nice computer presentation program.
However, today's sophisticated audience expects sound, light, animation, and much more. We now use computerized presentations, often prepared with the assistance of skilled graphic artists. Today's most effective speakers don't struggle when they stand before an audience. They don't entertain or teach an uninterested audience. They use computer-based presentations - and people listen and remember.
I made a presentation years ago about computer viruses. I update it each time that I lecture about the topic.
You certainly can't get a more boring topic than viruses. Yet, years after any virus presentation, my students or people from my audience approach me and ask questions about it. Presentations are certainly memorable!
That presentation used clip art that I selected from regular, commercial packages. Indeed, on a certain level, graphic artists are not needed in order to prepare good presentations. You can use the art that is packaged with most of the popular presentation programs. That art is supplemented by a nice selection of professional, attractive and appealing backgrounds, layouts, setups, and design. The lecturer need only add other basics, including text and animation. Modern presentation programs can assist in these areas as well, providing step-by-step suggestions for specific types of lectures.
These presentations sometimes benefit from animation, which will be discussed in the accompanying article series on computer multimedia.
Click here for the first article in the series on multimedia. This link will be available soon.
Of course, the standard images are not sufficient. Professional and specialized graphic images are very much welcome in good presentations. There is no reason to be limited by the graphics available from specific collections, or to make do with the basic graphics available on general CDs.
Click here for information on specialized CD graphic collections. This link will be available soon.
Computer graphic artists can make attractive changes in images. They can also use various effects, such as color, to modify the original image.
Some programs can then further change, or morph, the resulting graphics. The picture can be twisted, turned or stretched out of shape in order to make other designs, colors, or options.
It lends new meaning to those things in Jabberwocky which gyre and gimble in the wabe.
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