Creative Visual Presentation Ideas for Research Projects

Creative visual presentations of research projects bring the information to life for the audience. You can expand upon the facts to showcase the feeling or importance behind the project with visual displays. The visual aids can be infused with modern technology or a simple artistic display which embodies the research material. A hands-on component to a visual presentation is typically useful in engaging and educating children. Make sure in advance that electrical outlets and Internet connections are available when planning a technology-based presentation.

Research project video presentations can include personally recorded audio, videos, photos and text typed directly onto the image frames. You can also add music to your video which complements the theme of the research project. You can purchase or download songs geared to specific educational topics, such as bullying, drug prevention and healthy lifestyle choices. If your presentation will be viewed by an entire room, you can connect a laptop to a projector or large television to accommodate the audience. You can also burn your video presentation onto a DVD and use the classroom or venue player to avoid packing bulky equipment with you to the presentation.

Even in this modern world, a picture is still worth a thousand words. You can take your own photos, use copyrighted material with permission or the vendor, or create posters to visually embody the research project. The available space for the display will likely dictate the size of images and how they are displayed. Tabletop display images are routinely printed in 8-by-10-inch size, while wall hanging displays can be bumped up to a movie-theater-size poster. To draw the viewer’s focus to the images, keep the frames simple and all the same color to avoid distraction.

Historical, environmental or geographical research project presentations can be enhanced with scale models. If you're extremely creative and have a lot of time and extra cash, a professional model-maker can build a display to match your topic. Even those with limited free time and a small budget can design supportive displays from common craft materials and shoe boxes. Diorama models could show a succession of time periods, events, landscape styles or the difference between healthy and contaminated habitats. A trip to the local craft and discount store should aid you in garnering both the supplies and assistance needed to make miniature scale models to match your topic.

Bring the research text to life with handheld items which can be both touched and experimented with during the presentation. If your research paper pertains to world cultures, borrow or purchase traditional costumes, tools and toys for the audience to enjoy. An aromatherapy project, for example, would be enhanced by displays of natural materials used to create the oils and the richly scented finished product. The possibilities are only limited by your display space and budget. Network with local organizations, museums and colleges in advance to request assistance in gathering or borrowing materials to be used as visual aids.