In order to take full advantage of a web conference, you should use appropriate yet compelling visual aids as much as possible. For web conferencing participants, a series of text-heavy presentations with lists and bullets may work well for note-taking, but using visuals can better assist in getting your message across and is more persuasive than mere text-only content. It does not only enhance engagement from your participants, but the retention percentage is also higher with the help of visuals. In fact, the use of images is one of the best ways to improve the long-term memory of your audience. In a sea of words, the right visual aids will stand out and help your participants remember key points. It also crosses language barriers because it helps you explain better to people from diverse cultures. 

If you’re thinking of conducting a web conference without visual aids, you might as well host a teleconference instead. 

There are plenty of visual images that you can choose from and you don’t need to worry about picking the perfect one because you can essentially mix-and-match a couple of them.

Most Popular Types of Visual Aids 

 

Photos/Illustrations

This is helpful in demonstrating a process and in adding context to a topic being discussed. Images add depth and variation to your presentation. Be sure to use high definition images, either an original one or taken from free online galleries. If the web conference isn’t too formal, you can also take advantage of humor or witty captioned images. A little humor here and there is not so bad and can actually increase the appeal of your presentation. 

Videos

Using videos make it easier to show your audience exactly what you mean. Show, don’t tell, right? This is another convincing way to present ideas and topics. You can play videos of product specifications or customer satisfaction interviews both to inform and to leave a positive impression. Using visually appealing and well thought out videos may even be your distinction from your competitors. 

Infographics

An infographics is a combination of text and images. This helps keep complex ideas or statistics to be more interesting. With several details included in an infographic, make sure that all the information included is accurate and must be backed by a more detailed explanation from you. 

Slides 

This is an efficient way to present a large amount of data that won’t simply fit in an infographic. You can look for unique services that provide slideshow sharing without the need to download any software. It would also be nice if they offer slide annotation and virtual whiteboard so you can further explain data real-time while referring to slideshows making it more interactive. 

Charts/Graphs/Diagrams 

These are normally used to support and emphasize statistical and numerical data or illustrate a progression. It can be color-coded or you can use symbols to effectively show your audience the whole picture. 

Do keep in mind that despite the advantages of using visuals, you should only use them as needed. You can’t throw it all in your discussion just for the sake of having visuals. Its purpose is to assist you so your audience can comprehend your presentation better. You don’t want to overdo it and drown your audience with too much content. In the end, it’s the value and depth of your content, text, and visuals altogether, that will make your audience feel like it is a conference worth attending.