Sunday, October 21, 2012

Chapter 11


The textbook did a fine job setting boundaries for presentation media. It went through various digital and traditional options and emphasized the importance of clarity. I was actually surprised by how up-to-date this textbook was as far as technology and digital media went. The author provided tips and pointers about how to make the most of your media while also warning the readers of some common errors such as superfluous text, obnoxious fonts, and all of the other possible distractions associated with digital media (i.e. powerpoints). However, I’m not sure that I agree with the author about audio media. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a speech where audio has been utilized effectively. In my experience, audio is more distracting than its visual counterpoint because it directly interferes with what the speaker is vocally saying. Ideally, the audio could be used to “set a mood,” but that’s a tricky task. Much of the time, background music is effective at doing one of two things: lulling an audience to sleep or making the speech sound corny and forced. I’m open to the possibility that audio could enhance the speech’s effectiveness, but until I’ve seen it done, I don’t quite believe it. 

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