Incorporating inclusion in presentations has a variety of benefits for both the presenter and the viewer. Taking time to ensure accessibility and inclusion are woven throughout a presentation helps create a welcoming environment and decreases the chance of unintentional viewer exclusion.
Preparation
The development and planning of a presentation is a multifaceted task, combining content and design while also incorporating engagement components. This process can be lengthy. However, accessibility and inclusion should be key components of presentation preparation. When planning visuals, keep in mind how they can affect students. For instance, a fast, recurring image on a slide could create an environment that causes some students to lose focus. Likewise, when selecting images, consider their implications. Resources like Unsplash or Pexels offer free, high-quality, and diverse images. Ensuring diverse image representation promotes a more inclusive class environment and can reduce bias. Lastly, check presentation color combinations. Colors are a key feature of presentations. Ensure your color combinations are inclusive; for example, pairing red and green would be challenging for color-blind students. These are just a few ideas to consider when planning your next presentation.
Delivery
When presenting, it is important to keep the audience in mind. Be thoughtful about facing the students in your class when speaking. This helps your voice carry in a strong tone, aids students who lip-read, and makes the interaction more engaging overall. Ensure that you speak clearly, and if applicable, repeat questions that students ask during the presentation. Typically, other students in the class can benefit from a question asked by their classmate. Restating the question allows another opportunity for students to hear it and focus on the conversation redirection. Likewise, when discussing a topic represented on a PowerPoint slide, be sure to explicitly connect the two. Simply telling students to look at the slideshow differs greatly from directing them to a specific graph or image as you discuss it. If providing a handout, it never hurts to have various options available. For example, you could supply a large-print handout as an alternative option. Lastly, emotional diversity is vital to a classroom community. One way to incorporate this into a presentation is to include feedback from the audience. Platforms like Poll Everywhere are great for obtaining quick audience responses. Including feedback opportunities can be done before, during, or after the presentation.
Incorporating inclusion into presentations does not require a significant amount of additional time. Small changes and thoughtful planning can make a presentation with meaningful content accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable for all.
References
Equal access: Universal design of your presentation (2022) Equal Access: Universal Design of Your Presentation | DO-IT. Available at: https://www.washington.edu/doit/equal-access-universal-design-your-presentation.
How can you incorporate emotional diversity into your presentation visuals? (2023) How to Incorporate Emotional Diversity in Presentation Visuals. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/advice/1/how-can-you-incorporate-emotional-diversity-9sale.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Presentations (2022) slidepeak.com. Available at: https://slidepeak.com/blog/implementing-equality-and-inclusion-in-presentation.