As we discussed last week, if you're going to present to a small group of a people in a small room, I suggest you use the low-cost visual training tools - boards (black and white) and flip charts. We talked about the former last week. So let's look at flip charts today.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Flip Charts

Flip charts are generally tablets of newsprint that hang from easels. The paper may be blank, lined or in grid. Lines and gridding help you keep the information level as you print or draw. Some of the newer flip charts come with removable adhesive along an edge enabling you to hang the sheet on the wall of the classroom.

Advantages

• Flip charts are inexpensive.
• Pages can be completed ahead of time, saving you valuable class time.
• Can be used to illustrate information so that the audience can follow the sequence.
• Flip charts are portable.
• Sheets can be reused, if you store them appropriately.
• Color markers can be used to emphasize information.
• Sheets can be changed easily.
• Sheets can be removed from the pad and hung around the room, keeping important points in front of the audience or allowing them to continually review information.

Disadvantages

• Writings might not be legible to the people in the back of the room, which precludes using flip charts for presentations before large groups.
• Ink may bleed through sheets, causing waste or creating material that is difficult to read.
• Unless the charts are pre-prepared, they can look sloppy.
• Sheets are fragile and can be torn easily.
• Reused sheets tend to look shabby over time, especially if they're not stored correctly.

How to Use Flipcharts Correctly

Here are four tips to keep in mind when using flip charts:

1. Make Sure They're Visible to the Audience

• Use flip charts only with small groups.
• Set the easel up at the front and in the center of the group.

2. Make Sure the Written Material Is Legible

• Print using both upper and lower case letters.
• Print big. Upper case letters should be at least two inches tall.
• Use special flip chart markers that won't bleed through the thin paper.
• If you expect to reuse your material on a flip chart, consider having them professionally printed on either heavyweight paper or lightweight plastic sheeting.

3. Keep the Audience's Attention

• Write the information on the pages of the flip chart before the presentation so you don't have to waste precious training time doing it during the session.
• If you are going to print on the chart during the session, print your information, then turn and face the class. Don't talk to the class while writing and facing the flip chart.
• Use a blank sheet between each new topic. This will keep the new information hidden from your audience. They'll pay attention to you, instead of trying to read what's coming next.

4. Prepare Your Own Cues

• On pages that you'll to refer to later in your presentation:
  • Attach large paper clips or tape tabs on the sheet's edge, or
  • Tear off that page and hang it near you.
• Before the presentation, write notes to yourself (lightly and in pencil) in the margins of the sheet. When you glance at the flip chart, you'll see your note, remember your key points, and can resume your presentation facing the class.

Conclusion

There are other low-cost solutions to training, such as simple handouts. But whatever low-cost training tool you choose, remember, it's not the method of presentation that's important, it's the message.

Next week, we'll look at some of the hi-tech options - the mechanical training aids, such as overhead projectors and computer projected images and software, including the presenter's oft-used PowerPoint™.

THIS DATE IN HISTORY

Dr. Bernardino Ramazzini: Understood the link between disease and the workplace.

The Birth of the First Industrial Hygienist

On November 3, 1633, the man many regard as the founding father of the field of industrial health was born in Capri, Italy. Dr. Bernardino Ramazzini gained this title because he is thought to be the first physician to consider the patient's occupation and industry when performing an examination and diagnosis.

In his treatise, De Morbis Artificum Diatriba, (The Diseases of Workers), Dr. Ramazzini systematically linked the health risks associated with more than 50 different occupations, based on his 20 years of observing workers in their environment. At a time when physicians relied on historical medical findings, Dr. Ramazzini's approach was revolutionary. He visited workplaces, observed workers' activities and talked to them about their illnesses. He believed that an analysis of workplaces could identify potential and actual hazards that threatened the health of workers.

Dr. Ramazzini's observations led him to suggest preventive measures, such as improved ventilation, personal protective equipment and risk avoidance behavior. His treatise even included suggestions for therapy and workplace rules.

Well-known for his expertise in the field of industrial toxicology, Dr. Ramazzini was also a pioneer in the field of ergonomics.

Dr. Ramazzini died in 1714. Still, we wish him a happy 372^nd birthday.

Story Tools:  Email This Post  Print This Post Top