While planning for use of our visuals we should think of: objectives, audience, media, resource and technique.
Objective: We should be clear in our mind as to what essential points are of concerns our audience and what can be the barriers to our audience in learning the same.
Audience: Who are they? What are they? and Where are they?
Media: In teaching certain media are well-suited for certain jobs. If we want to communicate the idea of different parts of a machine we may prefer to use a model, if we want to show the operation involving a number of factors we use still pictures, carts, slides, but if we want to show a flying bird, or moving tractor we use film. So we have to decide which aid will help in teaching our audience in a better way. The decision is also on whether to use a single aid or in a combination.
Resources: While planning for the use of aids we have to see our resources of finance, or equipment and facilities for making and using them. We may have a film projector and films but may not have electricity or a generator for a film show in a village. Even though we may not have an artist we can use visuals prepared from cut-out pictures from journals, magazines, etc.
The technique: When talking about a photograph, the use of a camera is not the only technique we are required to know, but also the direction from which picture is to be taken, the distance, and the face of the object. While talking photographs for slides we have to take into consideration, what each slide should show.
Preparation: Preparation of most of the visuals calls for a thorough understanding of the subject-matter on which we are preparing our aid or aids. Different visuals call for different treatment of the message. We have to find a way how best to depict the message for easy understanding by the audience. A good layout needs pictures, photographs, words and colour. The important points of consideration may be local interest, technical correctness, logical correctness of the sequence of ideas, a card index for logical sequence, and jotting down points on separate cards for every visual, rehearsal before using the aids, and faith on the utility of visuals in the communication process.
Participants