Page 294 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 08 11/20/02 12:50 PM Page 283
Flip Chart Page Layout Making Your Visual Message Sizzle 283
Flip charts that you create before a session can save time and help project the image that
they are professionally prepared if they are planned well and neatly designed. No mat-
ter what you plan to put on your pages, always leave plenty of white (blank) space to
aid ease of visibility. In general, it helps to leave a margin similar to that of your printed
materials. Two inches of blank space on the top, bottom, and sides of a page gives your
flip charts a clean, finished appearance. This image can be conveyed further by the use
of bullet points or icons before each concept, sentence, or idea (see Tools for Trainers in
the appendices for sample icons) Also, leaving about 1 inch between lines of text helps
participants better read what you have written. If you are writing information or cap-
turing ideas from participants during the session take your time and do not clutter a
page with too much content. You may even want to leave the bottom one third of a page
blank so that the participants in the rear of the room can see over the heads of others.
If you use captions on your flip charts to label items, follow the same guidelines that
you see graphic artists use in printed materials. Put them in the upper left hand corner of
the page. If they describe an image shown, place the caption directly under the image.
This is helpful because people see such an over/under format used in various media and
come to expect such a standardized use. Doing anything else might distract them from
your message.

Adding Artwork

You can greatly enhance the appearance of your flip charts by adding relevant artwork
or images to your pages. You do not have to be a great artist to include basic characters
or images. Pick a couple of simple images and practice them on paper, then transfer
them to your flip chart. There are many books available to help you learn how to draw
images and cartoons (also see Tools for Trainers in the appendices section for simple
drawings that you can copy).
When using art or images of people, always have them facing in toward text, rather
than on the edge of the page facing outward. The reason for this is that your participants’
eyes are naturally drawn to wherever the image is focusing. Plus, it makes more sense to
have a purpose for the image (e.g., looking at the text). See the use of my caricature at
the end of the Introduction to this book to get an idea of graphic usage.
Graphic artists have researched and fine tuned techniques for putting material on a
page for best visibility and maximum impact. I suggest that rather than ignore what they
know, take advantage of it and use the strategies to strengthen your own visual messages
in whatever format or media you use. Some of the basic concepts to consider are bal-
ance, pattern, and unity.
Balance

When designing your transparencies and other written materials, consider how you
weight the items on the page. From a graphics standpoint, information is viewed as
either having formal balance (equal on both sides of a page, as in Figure 8-3) or informal