The Art of Visual Presentation

(COM 40)

When it comes to making public presentations, the visuals count as much as the words actually spoken. This course is designed for anybody who speaks in front of audiences whether for personal or for professional purposes, and it will explore how messages are delivered through the use of body language, timing, and the original use of visuals. Along the way, we will see how different masters of visual presentation— comedian Stephen Colbert, Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Lessig, and Apple CEO Steve Jobs—use important visual techniques to get their points across. By the end of the course, you will learn to integrate PowerPoint slides or other visuals effectively into your talk so that they don’t overshadow you as a speaker, but instead help you connect with your audience. You will also gain keener insights into body language and its subtleties.

Taught in a workshop format, this course will combine lectures and guest speakers talking about new theories of effective public communication and visual literacy. It will also feature discussions, group activities, analysis of speeches, and standup comedy routines. You will have ample opportunity to improve your spoken and written presentation skills with help from the instructor and your fellow peers.

Helle Rytkönen, Lecturer, Introduction to the Humanities Program

Helle Rytkönen teaches courses in oral and written communication, and humor and visual rhetoric in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric, as well as workshops on effective communication at Stanford’s Writing Center. Rytkönen received a PhD from Stanford. She has worked as a journalist and editor both in the US and in Denmark. Her article on the Mohammed cartoon issue is due to be published by University of Michigan Press later this year.