argument presentation on a whiteboard

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Organizing Your Argument Presentation

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This presentation is designed to introduce your students to the elements of an organized essay, including the introduction, the thesis, body paragraphs, topic sentences, counterarguments, and the conclusion.

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4.19: Presentations

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Learning Objectives

• Describe components of an effective presentation

Presentations

In college and beyond, you’ll find that you often need to present information from your research or other writing activities in the form of a presentation. A presentation gives your audience a quick overview of your work and provides your audience with some visual support for your ideas and information.

Presentations are becoming more and more common in all levels of college courses because your professors know presentations are so critical in the world today. The most common presentation assignments are PowerPoint assignments, but you may also use other programs such as Google Slides or Prezi.

Preparing for a Presentation

Just as different writing assignments have unique expectations from you as a student, presentations will also vary depending on the assignment. Carefully read the assignment and directions before you try to create an outline for your presentation. For example, you may be asked to give an argumentative presentation, and that will follow a similar structure as an argumentative essay. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Remember to present your thesis statement or main idea clearly .
• Provide the highlights of your evidence from your essay (if you are building from an essay) or simply focus on the key points of evidence from your research. Don’t try to cover everything!
• You may be asked to address the opposition . How you do this will depend upon your goals and the type of argument you are making, but you should always do it.
• Use images relevant to your points as evidence. Images are powerful and are important pieces of an effective presentation. Think about how you can use images to amplify your thinking!
• And always cite your sources !

The sample video below was created using Prezi by a student in a beginning writing class. She took an essay she had written on issues in the clothing industry found here and developed a Prezi to share with a broader audience. Click below to see how she developed an argumentative presentation for her writing class.

Note: This is still a very text-heavy and image-light presentation. Notice how the slides that combine text and image are more powerful in conveying information and the student’s broader perspective on her topic. As you watch the presentation, consider moments where some of the text could have been replaced by an image. Or, think about moments where she could have replaced much of her text altogether with just an image, and then presented the text orally while her audience was viewing the image. Remember, it’s much easier for a viewer to see and think about an image than it is for a viewer to try to read all the text on your slides.

https://lumenlearning.h5p.com/content/1290966715661166178/embed

Use this Prezi YouTube channel for tutorials and tips for creating powerful Prezi Presentations.

Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoint presentations are quite common in both academic and professional settings, and, because they are such an important part of how you’ll likely present your ideas and information to an audience, it’s helpful to have some basic information on how to create an effective PowerPoint presentation.

The basic purpose of a PowerPoint presentation is to give you a way to present key ideas to an audience with visual support. Your PowerPoint presentation shouldn’t be full of text. It is meant to provide you with speaking points, and detailed notes should be kept from your audience. You want to keep your slides clear, clean, short, focused, and you want to keep your audience from using the expression that we sometimes hear in reference to long, boring PowerPoint presentations, “death by PowerPoint.”

TIPS: Here are some tips to keep in mind when creating an effective PowerPoint presentation:

• Remember to avoid too much text. You should keep your text brief and include talking points only. Detailed notes can be inserted into the notes section of PowerPoint (or you can use some other form of notes as you present), but only you should see those notes, unless a professor asks to see your notes to evaluate your PowerPoint as an assignment.
• Be consistent and clear with your font choices. Helvetica is a nice font for presentations. Make sure your font is large enough that an audience in a room would be able to see your text, even if audience members are sitting in the back of the room.
• Be careful with your color choices for text and background. You want to make sure your audience can read your text easily. Black on white text is easiest to read but is also boring for a presentation. Still, when you add color, just be sure you are adding color that works and doesn’t distract.
• Add images. Text on slides for every slide is boring. Add appropriate images to your slides. Relevant charts and graphs are excellent, as are pictures that will connect to your content. Think about moments where an image can more easily convey information or a message. A powerful image on a slide with no accompanying text can be a powerful way to capture your audience’s attention.
• Make sure your main points are clear. Remember to connect your ideas well and provide background information and transitions when necessary.
• Keep your audience in mind. Your audience will affect the overall tone and appearance of your presentation. Sometimes, humor can be appropriate. Other times, a more serious tone may be necessary. Just as you evaluate your situation any time you write a paper, you should evaluate your situation for creating a PowerPoint presentation.

Watch this video to review some important tips for giving effective presentations.

A YouTube element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: pb.libretexts.org/ec1/?p=250

You can view the transcript for “How to Give an Awesome (PowerPoint) Presentation (Whiteboard Animation Explainer Video) here (opens in new window) .

Finally, don’t forget the key to success at everything: practice, practice, practice . Don’t spend all your time preparing your slides and forget to practice making the presentation. Some people use the notes section to outline what they plan to say. Others write out a detailed script. There is no one way of preparing what you will say during a presentation. Just remember, you need to prepare yourself to speak just as you have prepared your slides.

Contributors and Attributions

• Presentations. Authored by : Excelsior Online Reading Lab. Located at : https://owl.excelsior.edu/online-writing-and-presentations/presentations/presentations-powerpoints/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
• Argumentative Presentations. Provided by : Excelsior College OWL. Located at : https://owl.excelsior.edu/argument-and-critical-thinking/argument-and-digital-writing/argument-and-digital-writing-argumentative-presentations/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
• How to Give an Awesome (PowerPoint) Presentation (Whiteboard Animation Explainer Video).. Provided by : Wienot Films. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=54&v=i68a6M5FFBc&feature=emb_logo . License : Other . License Terms : Standard YouTube License

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5 Tips for Giving a Persuasive Presentation

When you need to sell an idea at work or in a presentation, how do you do it? Five rhetorical devices can help — Aristotle identified them 2,000 years ago, and masters of persuasion still use them today: Ethos. Start your talk by establishing your credibility and character. Show your audience that you are committed […]

When you need to sell an idea at work or in a presentation, how do you do it? Five rhetorical devices can help — Aristotle identified them 2,000 years ago, and masters of persuasion still use them today:

Source: This tip is adapted from “The Art of Persuasion Hasn’t Changed in 2,000 Years,” by Carmine Gallo

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Whiteboarding: the definitive guide

Marcin demkowicz | september 28, 2023, welcome to whiteboarding 101.

Whiteboards are one of humanity’s unquestioned success stories. They are instantly-intuitive tools that allow us to convey or collaboratively explore complex concepts, quickly and effectively. They are optimized for humans in every way, reflecting how we work, how we learn, indeed, how we move around. And yet so many of us misuse this wonder-tool or struggle to find a place for it in an increasingly remote and digital world.

In this treatise, we’ll address all things whiteboarding: why the practice is so effective, how to do it properly, and how to seamlessly integrate whiteboards into an otherwise digital workflow.

Table of Contents

The science behind whiteboarding How to conduct successful whiteboarding sessions Whiteboarding – superiority over digital alternatives Hybrid whiteboarding

The science behind whiteboarding

Why are whiteboards so effective at helping us convey, multiply, or dissect complicated ideas? The answers can be found in this tool’s two critical characteristics: intuitiveness and human-centricity. Let’s break these down and review the facts.

The instantly-intuitive whiteboard

No one has ever needed a user manual to understand a whiteboard: even very small children can immediately intuit its purpose. It belongs to a category of tools which is so easy to use that you could call it “instantly intuitive.” Other examples might include a roof or a bed: you see it – you know how to use it. We take for granted that our hand simply generates content on a board, seemingly without instruction. This is directly related to the fact that there is very little friction between what our mind can construct and what our markers can capture: we don’t need to translate a thought to an abstraction – as is often the case with even the best digital tools.

This phenomenon is well captured in the concept of Cognitive Load. “Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), combines the ideas of working memory and long term memory by assuming people have a limited amount of working memory. Therefore learning is limited by one’s cognitive load, the amount of new information one can take in and use at any one time. Cognitive load can be reduced when information can be pulled from long term memory instead of requiring that information to be constantly in use.” (see references at end of article)

In other words, if you’re drawing a flowchart and have to translate the concept of “decision” to the symbol of a diamond, then search for a button with that symbol, then click it and drag it to its desired location, you’ll be experiencing a significantly greater cognitive load than someone simply drawing a diamond on a whiteboard. That significantly lower cognitive load you experience while whiteboarding allows you to create content faster and in a more creative manner. This same benefit extends to the people viewing your whiteboard: following your simpler movements to create content, in turn, requires lower cognitive load to follow your lead.

The benefits compound – for both the content creator and the viewer – from the simple act of using the whiteboard to capture information. This concept is explored in another, related cognitive science theory called Distributed Cognition (DC). DC demonstrates how the distribution or off-loading of thoughts onto the board actively distributes cognition, therefore further reducing cognitive load. Put simply: you don’t have to keep that, which you’ve just written on your board in your limited working memory.

Whiteboards - created by humans, for humans

If you were tasked with conveying a complex piece of information – such as your company’s onboarding procedures – to a strange audience, in a limited amount of time, what tool would you choose? Most likely, you’d opt for a whiteboard or a pen and paper over a digital alternative. You’d do this because, as demonstrated above, the low friction between your thoughts and the content your marker is able to capture would allow you to create complex content quickly. However, while using the whiteboard, something else would happen: you’d move your body, you’d speak to your audience, you’d make gestures and facial expressions – you’d be human.

All of these additional verbal and non-verbal actions convey a lot of information to your audience. Indeed, it is often the act of coming up with and then writing down those few words on the board that conveys more meaning than the few words themselves. This is why we desire to “get everyone into a room” – it’s as much about the people involved as the contents they create.

Here too, we’ll find further scientific explanations behind the efficacy of the shared whiteboarding experience:

• Whiteboarding involves using multiple senses and thus engaging multiple memory systems. “Written or spoken information paired with visual information results in better recall,” says Louis Cozolino, American psychologist and author.
• The act of drawing is itself a very effective memory tool: Doodlers were 29% more likely to remember boring information in a study from Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology
• The act of drawing content engages the same parts of the brain as seeing that same content (or watching it emerge from someone else’s marker). This helps explain why watching others write on a whiteboard aids recall and helps follow a presenter’s train of thought.
• Indeed, the calming effect of the Serotonin, Endorphins, Dopamine, and Norepinephrine released during drawing are also experienced by those who witness drawing
• Students who watch their teachers move are proven to retain information better
• Working on a vertical surface helps us develop spatial and body awareness, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination
• Even the process of walking over to a whiteboard makes us more alert and aids with recall

Add to these the fact that whiteboards allow us to break our computer-centric work habits and you get even more benefits, such as reduced screen fatigue. And let’s not forget that the physical characteristics of the whiteboard, allowing us to use our full arms, shoulders, elbows and wrists (not just our fingertips), contribute to healthier work habits and directly feed back into the tool’s intuitive nature.

How to conduct successful whiteboarding sessions

The human-centricity of whiteboards cuts both ways: while the tool is, indeed, human-optimized and builds on (and, indeed, strengthens) the ways our minds and bodies work, it is up to us humans to use them properly. Not every whiteboarding session is equally effective. This has to do with why we whiteboard to begin with and how we conduct ourselves during our whiteboarding session.

The term “whiteboarding” itself has different meanings in different contexts. There’s more than one way (and reason) to whiteboard. You may be whiteboarding to generate ideas, to organize thoughts, to coordinate efforts, to convince, to teach – the list is long. Each of these purposes carries its own best practices; however, as ultimately “whiteboarding” involves completing one of the aforementioned tasks via (or in large part with) a whiteboard, the basics are common to all.

Whiteboarding basics - Step 1: Preparation

First things first, whiteboards are naturally interpersonal tools; their use often presupposes the participation of at least one other person (note the word “often” – the practice of individual brainstorming is a notable exception here). As such, preparing to use them requires us to adhere to basic principles associated with any meeting:

• Have clearly defined goals
• Prepare a specific agenda
• Invite the right people to attend
• And, perhaps most critically, make sure you need the meeting at all

This bears repeating: please prepare well . An ill-prepared whiteboarding session will yield limited value and may even be counterproductive. Only after you’re confident in your preparation of these basics can you move on to some whiteboarding-specific prep work. This work will depend on the overarching purpose of your session:

Idea generation

Often called brainstorming, ideation, or even a buzz session, the concept is simple: generate ideas! The frictionless and human-optimized nature of the whiteboard suits this purpose particularly well. To prepare for your ideation session, consider the right starting point: the center of a mind map or specific prompts by category or even characteristic . And to keep the free flow of thought unencumbered but also generally on track, remember to keep a Parking Lot. This simple tactic works wonders to capture those concepts which might not seem to fit the assignment but which have value in another context (or in a way which requires you to reassess assumptions).

Organization and coordination

If you’ve ever participated in a requirements prioritization meeting or a cross-functional team status update, you know how important good preparation is. If you’re leading your meeting, prepare your whiteboard to reflect the categories or structure used in your discussion. Prepare those “MSCW” columns in advance, or make sure you have the right color markers ready to go. Keep in mind how your audience will view your board. Yellow markers, for example, are notoriously difficult to read. For your status update, consider replacing yellow with patterns, such as green lines or dashes.

Consensus building or sales

To drive your audience to a desired conclusion, start by considering their perspective. If there are key questions that might help everyone arrive at the same point, capture them at the top of your board and leave them there for the duration of your meeting. Also, be mindful of your own body language and key movements. As mentioned earlier, how we move affects what our audience remembers. Use proper mannerisms to emphasize your critical points and help your audience recall them effectively.

Explanation or teaching

The key here is the preparation of the content itself. Beyond that, a clean board and good markers are your friends (good tips for any whiteboarding purpose). And remember: combining text with drawings or even simple graphic elements will help your audience with recall.

Whiteboarding best practices - during the session

So, you’ve come prepared and it’s time to put that whiteboard to good use. Regardless of the purpose of your whiteboarding session, there are some basic best practices that will help you reach your goals.

Identify the facilitator(s)

More often than not, a whiteboarding session sees a primary facilitator leading the discussion and/or being responsible for capturing content. In certain contexts – such as teaching – this is obvious but in others – such as business ideation – it may not be apparent who should play this role. Be specific and identify a single facilitator, if you can. Even group brainstorming events will benefit from a master of ceremonies – someone to welcome everyone, assign roles, establish rules, and lead the agenda.

Participation is key

Whiteboards are an interpersonal tool by nature. So too effective whiteboarding sessions depend on your ability to elicit participation from your attendees. Get as many of your participants actively engaged in the discussion as you can. If you’re addressing remote or hybrid audiences, make sure to use the right tools (see more on hybrid whiteboarding below).

Focus on goals, stick to the agenda

You’ve already defined your goals as part of your whiteboarding preparation. Now, be sure to stick to them. Use a parking lot for ideas that might take the discussion into a tangent. Stick to the agenda and watch that clock.

Combine (big) text with visuals

Your whiteboard content is no good if it’s illegible. Make sure everything written on the board is big enough for the person farthest from the board to see effectively. Take advantage of the freeform nature of whiteboards: combine visual elements with text whenever possible; this is a scientifically proven method for driving information recall.

Speed vs. prettiness

Our minds can move quickly. If your brainstorming session is particularly prolific, you may have a hard time keeping up with the concepts being thrown at the board. First and foremost, make sure they’re captured; if at all possible though, don’t let the “how” suffer either. Content that looks appealing and reflects a good balance of visual and textual elements is naturally more memorable and impactful. Ultimately, legibility is most critical though; you can always pretty up your board during a break.

Erase non-essential information

This point is inextricably linked with the previous one. To keep your board clear, legible and rich in useful content, don’t forget to trim the fat. Rely on features such as Board Memory to keep an instant replay handy, in case you erase something important.

Keep the meeting actionable

Never lose sight of your meeting’s purpose. This is just as important near the end of the whiteboarding session as at its beginning. If you’ve completed what you’ve set out to achieve, assign tasks and owners thereof; keep the work actionable and tied to explicit next steps.

Keep it time-bound

Better yet: keep it short. Don’t make your whiteboarding session any longer than it needs to be. Well-defined meeting objectives and a strict adherence to your agenda will help you stay on target.

Whiteboarding - superiority over digital alternatives

The notion that whiteboards are somehow less effective in our increasingly digital-centric world couldn’t be more flawed. In the previous sections we’ve outlined the inherent, tangible benefits of using whiteboards to communicate, expound, or explore complex topics. But how do whiteboards fare in a head-to-head comparison with digital alternatives?

Short answer: as with any tool, it depends on the job to be done. Different tasks require different tools; complex tasks may require multiple implements. You might create a table during a whiteboarding session but that doesn’t mean you’ll stop using your spreadsheets. In a more apples-to-apples situation, however, the whiteboard holds its own.

Consider the act of giving a presentation – particularly a persuasive or informative presentation. Many would consider using slides to convey their thoughts in this scenario. Here again, science points to the natural superiority of whiteboarding.

Tim Riesterer, Chief Strategy Officer at Corporate Visions, has covered the whiteboard vs. PowerPoint topic very well in his work entitled “Should you whiteboard in a virtual sales meeting?” A few key highlights:

• Though only 6% of sales professionals rely primarily on whiteboards (77% rely on PowerPoint), 43% consider whiteboards to actually be most effective (vs. 33% for PowerPoint). The difference usually is tied to the accessibility of whiteboards or a reluctance to use the tool in remote or hybrid settings (more on that below)
• Watching a whiteboard presentation led to a 16% improvement in recall of the presenter’s key message
• Business professionals watching a whiteboard presentation were 91% more likely to pay visual attention to important presentation elements, compared to PowerPoint
• In that same neuroscience study, whiteboards proved categorically more effective at driving audience consensus

The key rests in what is called the Picture Superiority Effect – the fact that concepts expressed visually are significantly more likely to be retained than those expressed solely as text. The free-form nature of whiteboards allows well-trained professionals to take advantage of this effect and deliver a more memorable presentation. This, coupled with the already demonstrated benefits of observed writing and even movement, compound the positive effect of whiteboards as a medium for persuasive presentation. The study even found that observers were statistically more likely to assign greater credibility and authority to presenters relying on whiteboards, when compared to those relying strictly on PowerPoint.

Again, whiteboards are not always available and are not always the best tool for the job. When they are in reach, however – and when they are properly used – their impact is unquestionable. But in an increasingly remote world, are whiteboards a viable option?

Hybrid whiteboarding

Hybrid whiteboarding has been around for decades. The notion of using a whiteboard with some physically-present colleagues while others join remotely is not new. The results, however, have often left much to be desired. Remote participants in such situations are often second class citizens, unable to clearly see the board, much less contribute to it.

The solutions to problems such as visibility – even among the largest companies – have been woefully inadequate:

• They’re often surprisingly low-tech (picture a stack of books with a laptop on top, facing a whiteboard surface)
• They’re addressed through extremely expensive workarounds (e.g., “flying everyone in” for a brainstorming session)
• They’re dependent on digital look-alikes which do not exhibit the aforementioned scientifically-proven benefits of physical whiteboards and/or don’t take advantage of the physical proximity of in-person attendees

At the same time, hybrid work settings are quickly becoming the norm. Following a sudden shift to remote work during the Covid19 pandemic, companies have started demanding that their employees return to the office. Many employees protest these RTO mandates and the result is often something in the middle.

Gallup Poll

https://www.gallup.com/401384/indicator-hybrid-work.aspx

This conflict is truly global and continues to heat up. Pressure is mounting from both sides:

• According to McKinsey research, 87% of those given the option to work remotely, take employers up on their offer
• Buffer and Forbes report that almost everyone they polled (98%) expressed a desire to work remotely at least part of the time
• At the same time, also according to Forbes, 9 out of 10 companies will require their employees to return to the office; indeed, 90% of those surveyed, plan on completing this return by 2024

Some of the research conducted seems to conflict with other published works and it’s difficult to predict exactly what the future holds. Still, one immutable truth remains: however the megatrends of workforce migration play out, in one way or another, work in many sectors will remain “naturally hybrid.” Companies serving clients or working in multiple locations find themselves addressing semi-distributed audiences, regardless of their policies toward their own employees. The shifts caused by RTO mandates and the pandemic before it only serve to accelerate the natural trend toward a hybrid setting, brought about by the internet.

Now, despite a steady march toward hybrid exchanges being the new status quo, most of the tools we use for communication and collaboration are remote-first. They’re meant to be used between players that are physically separated. In hybrid settings, they create the absurd situation where in-person attendees are using digital tools in unison, rather than taking advantage of their physical proximity. Or the equally frustrating double-work scenario, in which remote-first tools have to be used in addition to physically-present tools (such as whiteboards).

Thankfully, there is a new category of hybrid-first collaboration tools emerging, with ShareTheBoard as a leader in this space. The technology underlying these tools is created from the ground up as a hybrid solution – meant to take advantage of the physical proximity of certain participants and to level the playing field with those who may be joining remotely. These tools aim to capitalize on the scientifically-proven benefits of traditional whiteboards while combining them with the efficiency and convenience of digital solutions.

Used correctly, whiteboards can be extremely effective. Their unmatched ease of use and human-centricity make them very well suited to brainstorming, collaboration, or teaching – especially when covering subject matter which requires improvisation. Indeed, they are often the best tool for the job, exceeding in effectiveness many digital alternatives. As hybrid work becomes the norm, new hybrid-first whiteboarding tools will help make whiteboards even more effective, regardless of where its users may physically reside.

Congratulations! If you’ve made it through this entire exposition, you’ve essentially completed Whiteboarding 101. Stay tuned for a detailed exploration of the topics covered here and other concepts that will help you become a whiteboarding expert.

Atkinson, R.C. and Shiffrin, R.M. (1968). ‘Human memory: A Proposed System and its Control Processes’. In Spence, K.W. and Spence, J.T. The psychology of learning and motivation , (Volume 2). New York: Academic Press. pp. 89–195.

Bannert, M. Managing Cognitive Load—Recent Trends in Cognitive Load Theory. Learning and Instruction2002, 12(1), 139–146.

Hollan, J.; Hutchins, E.; Kirsh, D. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction2000, 7(2), 174–196.

Paas, F.; Ayres, P. Educational Psychology Review2014, 26(2), 191–195.

“https://www.chemedx.org/blog/distributing-cognition-using-whiteboarding-techniques”

“https://smithsystem.com/smithfiles/benefits-of-using-traditional-whiteboards/”

“https://neurosciencenews.com/drawing-seeing-15334/”

“https://www.theartstudiony.com/blog/why-drawing-doodling-is-good-for-your-brain/”

“Learning and Embodied Cognition: A Review and Proposal” By: Jaclynn V. Sullivan (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1475725717752550)

“https://win.corporatevisions.com/rs/413-YED-439/images/Research%20Brief%20-%20Maximizing%20the%20Picture%20Superiority%20Effect.pdf”

“https://www.gallup.com/401384/indicator-hybrid-work.aspx”

“https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2023/09/24/nine-out-of-10-companies-will-require-employees-to-return-to-the-office”

“https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/real-estate/our-insights/americans-are-embracing-flexible-work-and-they-want-more-of-it”

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Engaging Strategies for Teaching Persuasion, Argument, and Debate

Year after year, I love teaching persuasion. I love persuading my students that persuasion is a life skill worth learning. (Because isn’t all teaching just persuading kids to listen and learn?!) Luckily, with the right mix of ethos, pathos, and logos, this is usually an easy sell to my audience of adolescents.

After all, teens love to argue…with their peers, their parents, and *gasp* their teachers. They have plenty of practice with real-life persuasion, whether it’s convincing their parents to stay out past their curfew or proposing just one extra day to work on that project. And they’re always dying to debate: which sports team is superior, why they deserve more freedom, and what’s wrong with school, society, and this world! If you’ve ever taught teenagers, you know that they have no shortage of opinions. So suffice it to say: your students are already arguers.

The challenge, of course, is helping students channel their opinions and energy into structured, academic argumentation. To do this, you’ll need high-engagement activities that match your students’ energy… not the ancient 5-paragraph persuasive essay over a subject on that random list of 100 debatable topics you found online. If we want to move students to a more sophisticated level of debate, we need to offer them student-centered, authentic, and relevant tasks to practice their persuasion.

Ready to ditch the 5-paragraph persuasive essay and engage your students in meaningful persuasion? Here are dozen different strategies for your ELA classroom.

MOCK TRIALS

Want to teach students how important it is to support your argument with evidence (and what happens when you don’t)? Ready to watch your class eagerly annotate a text and cite said evidence *without* complaints?

I wasn’t sure my students would ever see citing evidence as more than a chore until I dressed up as “Judge G,” borrowed a gavel, and facilitated my first mock trial!

A mock trial is the perfect way to practice persuasion and argumentation because it’s student-centered, inherently engaging, and 100% authentic. You’ll watch students become intrigued, take ownership, and get competitive real quick! Because students know they’ll be arguing in front of a jury of their peers, the standards become strategy. Citing textual evidence is no longer a chore, but a competition! The stakes are higher than a grade from the teacher because the real prize is bragging rights. 

To structure a mock trial in your ELA classroom, you’ll need a murder, crime, ethical dilemma, or essential question. In other words: literature! From there, you’ll want to divide students into teams of prosecution, defense, and jury. After that, students will get to work within their groups. In my classroom, this is what it looks like:

The prosecution and defense teams prepare evidence-based claims and rebuttals. Each student is responsible for a section, whether that’s the opening, a claim, a rebuttal, or the closing. Meanwhile, the jury works together to create a rubric and anticipate the arguments they may hear during the trial.

You can read more about mock trials HERE or find everything you need to facilitate a virtual or in-person trial HERE.

RHETORICAL BAR GRAPHS

Bar graphs in ELA? Oh yes you can! Getting a gold star from her math cohorts, Ashley Bible at Building Book Love has her students create rhetorical bar graphs to analyze persuasion.

This digital or tactile strategy is simple yet highly effective!  All you do is assign each appeal a color before taking students on a color-coded text hunt.  (In her rhetoric lesson plan , Ashley uses: Pink Pathos, Light Blue Logos, and Emerald Green Ethos). 

Once students have each appeal coded, they arrange the rhetorical devices into a bar graph and analyze which appeal the speaker relies most heavily on and how they could make their argument stronger. This visualization technique always generates important insights about the topic at hand!

From analyzing speeches in Julius Caesar , to recognizing propaganda in Animal Farm , to tackling social justice in Dolly Parton’s America , this strategy is a gift that keeps on giving! Tag her @BuildingBookLove if you give it a try! 

ANALYZING COMMERCIALS & ADVERTISEMENTS

To help students identify persuasive appeals and techniques in action, Shana Ramin from Hello, Teacher Lady suggests deconstructing commercials and advertisements.

When teaching in person, Shana enjoys facilitating this type of analysis with the tried-and-true “chalk talk” approach. After gathering a series of printed advertisements, Shana glues each one in the center of large chart paper and places them at various points around the room. Students rotate through each station with a small group, annotating each ad silently with an eye for purpose, audience, tone, etc. At the end of the activity, students return to their original stations and share out their final observations with the class. 

To mimic this activity in a hybrid or digital environment, Shana recommends using Jamboard, an easy-to-use, digital whiteboard app by Google. The setup process is pretty much the same, but replace the printed ads with image screenshots and the white chart paper with a digital Jamboard slide. Students can then use the sticky note and marker features on Jamboard to annotate the images in breakout rooms. 

Click here to learn more about the collaborative features of Google Jamboard .

ARGUMENT OLYMPICS

The Argument Olympics are Emily Aierstok’s favorite way to teach middle and high school students evidence based writing. Emily, from Read it. Write it. Learn it. , uses an Olympic theme to deconstruct arguments, write outlines, and compete in the “strongest evidence” game complete with gold medals! Kids LOVE it and quickly understand the qualities of strong evidence in their writing. 

To really create an Olympic games feel, Emily creates a very simple (and free!) classroom transformation. She strings red, yellow, and blue streamers around the room, plays the Olympic theme song from YouTube, and prints gold medals to hand out for gold-medal-level deconstructed essays, strongest outlines, and strongest evidence. 

Next, Emily introduces the “Olympic events.” For example, the first Olympic Event she introduces to students is The Strongest Evidence Competition. Students are given two sides of an argument topic and asked to find three pieces of evidence to support each argument. After finding their evidence, students are tasked with identifying the evidence that’s the strongest. Students become so motivated to find the strongest evidence, and they’re practicing essential analysis skills. The quality of evidence students find is amazing. 

You can read more about implementing the Argument Olympics in your classroom here . 

SILENT DISCUSSIONS

Jenna, @DrJennaCopper , loves using silent discussions for students to debate the impact of articles and artifacts. The rules are simple: students are only allowed to write. This type of stipulation helps students really think about their responses since they can’t talk.

Here’s how it works:

• Choose an artifact or article.
• Get a big piece of poster board or a big paper and paste the article or artifact in the center.
• Tell students to read the article and then, discuss with the stipulation that they are only allowed to write. No talking! It helps if students color-code their writing.
• As students “discuss,” walk around the room and comment (in writing, of course!) to generate more debate.
• When the discussion is over, place the posters on the walls and give students a chance to walk around and view.
• Facilitate a talking classroom discussion to discuss insights and observations.

That’s it! Not only will your students be highly engaged, but you’ll also enjoy the few short minutes of precious silence!

As a bonus, this activity works great for a remote lesson as well. Just paste your article or artifact in a Google Doc and share it so they all have editing access. They can complete their silent discussions right in the document. 

STUDYING FAMOUS SPEECHES

Lauralee from the Language Arts Classroom frequently uses famous speeches and commercials to teach persuasion. By bringing in authentic examples to the classroom, this strategy offers history and media lessons, too.

When students realize that they see strategies every day in social media, on their phones, and within stores, they engage and are excited to apply those concepts to their public speaking endeavors.

For instance, students can study the techniques in a Susan B. Anthony speech and then apply those techniques to their own speeches. Teachers can even pair her speech with a narrative speech assignment. Students can then employ sentence structure, tone, and logos into their speeches. Although ELA teachers often use persuasive techniques during public speaking lessons, many of the same activities work well with argumentative writing.

NAILED IT! & SHARK TANK

Staci Lamb from The Engaging Station loves switching up her creative lessons on ethos, logos, and pathos every year. She has had students watch Shark Tank and sell their own products, but last year, she was inspired to try something new by making a connection to the Netflix show Nailed It .

Right before winter break, she went to Walmart to buy graham crackers, icing, candies, and more. Dollar Tree also had a great selection of inexpensive candy. Students had to create a gingerbread masterpiece and then use ethos, logos, and pathos to justify why their house was the best. The kids had a lot of fun, and it was an engaging activity to end the calendar year.

You can see this idea and more with free resources on her blog post Creative Ways to Teach Persuasive Appeals .

REAL WORLD TOPICS + CHOICE

Today, students have access to more information than ever at their fingertips. Tanesha from Tanesha B. Forman leverages real world topics – that students want to debate in the classroom – with argu mentative writing lessons. Choice is the bedrock of Tanesha’s approach to lit eracy and she offers students a choice on a topic (e.g. should college athletes be paid?), and tells them the format (e.g. speech, letter). 

Next, students research their topic. Tanesha always warns students to think about their position, but be open to changing based on what the research from credible sources reveals. Students spend a day or two gathering information for their writing assignment. For students who need support with this, Tanesha has 3-4 sources readily available. Once students have their evidence, they enter the writing process that Tanesha creates mini-lessons aligned to their needs and they present their work. Throughout the year, Tanesha encourages students to share topics they want to “argue” and she repeats the cycle.

THE ELEVATOR PITCH

No matter what you’re reading or learning about, adding a persuasive pitch to “sell” an idea, is a great way to include elements of persuasion beyond a persuasive unit.

For example, if students are creating something to aid a character , rather than just explain it, challenge your students to create a short elevator pitch! It can even be used with literary analysis by asking a question such as: Which character is the most (insert character trait here)?  Staci from Donut Lovin’ Teacher finds that when students have to pitch their ideas, they really begin to reflect on their work and what makes it great, and also where it can grow. 

Staci likes starting with a graphic organizer to get students thinking and then begins layering in mini-lessons that consider the audience, point of view, tone, and rhetorical appeals, depending on how much time you have. Students can then begin crafting their pitch on a guided template and practice saying it aloud. If you’re able to incorporate this multiple times throughout the year, your students will really grow confidence in their speaking skills, too!

MUSICAL DEBATES

Middle and high school students can at times feel intimidated by debate and persuasion. That’s why Melissa from Reading and Writing Haven recommends a mini debate activity that engages all students and makes debate relaxed and approachable.

Musical debates amplify the energy, creativity, and social interaction in the physical classroom and online. By adding a simple twist of music, it lightens the mood and provides natural brain breaks so students have time to collect their thoughts. 

Here are Melissa’s simple steps for using this debate-style discussion strategy in your classroom:

• Give students a thought-provoking or humorous prompt.
• Play music as students think, research, jot notes, and (if possible) walk around the room. 
• Stop the music and have students get into groups of two or three.
• Students quickly choose roles. Two of the students need to take one of the sides (pro / con or for / against). The third person is a neutral judge who can build on what the speakers say, offer a different perspective, or make connections between ideas.
• After a set amount of time, follow up with a question that digs deeper into the topic or provides another angle. Play music, and allow students to brainstorm again, or take some notes.
• Students then pair up again with different peers. 
• After as many rounds as you would like to run, bring the whole class together and use a Jamboard, Mentimeter, or Padlet as a common visual location to share ideas as a whole group.

To make this strategy work online, you can use breakout rooms to group students together randomly. 

Of course, you can run the same type of mini debates without the music. And, that’s fun, too! But, for students, the music adds energy and connectedness. Plus, it reduces the anxiety for students who are more reluctant to engage in debates. 

Musical debates create a warm, relaxed environment conducive to critical thinking and dialogue. And, students have multiple short opportunities to hone their skills and hear a variety of perspectives. Melissa wrote about engaging variations, prompts for musical discussions, and how to prepare students on her blog. Click here to read the post .

PSA PASSION PROJECTS

One way that Christina, The Daring English Teacher , likes to incorporate persuasion, argument, and debate into the classroom is by assigning a PSA Passion Project to students.

After learning about rhetorical appeals and argument writing , Christina assigns her students a PSA Passion Project. Her students select an important social issue and create a public service announcement campaign to raise awareness for their chosen issue.

The public service campaign usually includes a variety of items. To place students in charge of their learning, they choose several products to produce from a list of items: a speech, a persuasive letter, a graphic essay , a poster, an infographic, an informational video, a narrative video, a social media campaign, and more. It is important to make sure that students choose at least two items, and that their combination includes a writing component and a media literacy component.

To make the class project more fun, no two students can choose the same topic. To share their projects with the class, Christina likes to use Padlet.

ANALYZING MUSIC

Amanda from Mud and Ink Teaching likes to head the Disney direction when it comes to learning the ins and outs of argumentation. 

So many great Disney songs offer an argumentative core, and their popularity and familiarity help build engagement with students.  Take “Under the Sea” for example:  Sebastian has quite the task in front of him.  Somehow, he must convince an uninterested Ariel to curb her curiosity about the human world and appreciate her home under ‘de water.  Reversely, Moana sings of the importance of heeding the call to the ocean in “How Far I’ll Go” as she debates within herself how far she is actually willing to go.  Each of these speakers has an important message to impart, and these are things that students are comfortable wrestling with.

Amanda’s favorite song to teach, however, is the well-loved classic “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast .  In this lesson that she outlines in her blog post and provides a free Google Slide lesson download , Amanda teaches students the importance of understanding the rhetorical situation (the rhetorical triangle) as well as the devices and techniques that the speaker uses to communicate his message.  Through practice and discussion with familiar texts and characters, students begin to embrace the fundamental ideas of argumentation.

I hope this post helps you make persuasion more engaging, authentic, and student-centered! What are your other favorite activities to teach persuasion? Let me know in the comments!

If you like any of these ideas, don’t forget to pin them! 🙂

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How to Use a Whiteboard

Whether in a classroom or the halls of Congress, a dry-erase board can help simplify even the most complicated topics.

By Malia Wollan

“Nobody is going to write a huge essay on a whiteboard,” says Representative Katie Porter, who was elected in 2018 to represent Orange County, Calif. Videos of Porter pulling out her whiteboard during congressional hearings to question C.E.O.s and government officials regularly go viral online. Some admirers have even taken to calling it her “whiteboard of justice.” Porter was a fan of the whiteboard long before she was elected; she carries an 8½-by-11-inch one in her purse along with her favorite purple-colored dry-erase marker. “Purple is dark enough that people can see it in pictures, but it’s also a little bit more fun,” she says.

Think of a whiteboard as a tool to clarify concepts that might otherwise seem confusing — like, say, math. “There’s a brevity, a kind of conciseness that comes from the format,” Porter says. Let the act of writing something down and seeing it there — tangible and scrawled by hand — hold you, and those around you, accountable. “It’s satisfying to cross off things that you’ve gotten done,” Porter says. Avoid the abstract, and know the limits of your artistic abilities. Occasionally, Porter’s staff will suggest she do something metaphorical during a hearing, like draw a bridge on the verge of collapse to represent crumbling infrastructure. “I’m like, ‘No,’” she says.

When you hold the marker, you have the stage. A whiteboard allows you to be flexible and responsive. Before running for office, Porter taught bankruptcy law at the University of California, Irvine, where she used whiteboards rather than PowerPoint presentations. “Some of these other tools are more controlled, but you lose something with that too, which is really being able to respond to the moment,” says Porter. Ask questions and jot down answers. If you get something wrong, don’t be afraid to erase it. “The whiteboard encourages revision,” says Porter.

Before a congressional hearing, Porter practices what she plans to write. Sometimes what you don’t put on the whiteboard can be just as telling as what you do. During a recent hearing, Porter took out her board and asked the chief executive of a multinational pharmaceutical company to justify why he and several other top executives paid themselves more than $124 million over three years. She then sat there, with her blank whiteboard, marker at the ready. “You can visually make a point that can be hard to explain,” Porter says, “which is silence.”

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Structure an Argument in a Presentation in Google Slides

Create a visual display of an idea in a presentation using data and supporting evidence to persuade your audience.

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Argument-Driven Inquiry

Make science, math, and engineering education in your district or school more meaningful, rigorous, and equitable for all students.

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What makes Argument-Driven Inquiry so great?

High-Quality Instructional Materials

We create all our materials using the Argument-Driven Inquiry instructional model. This instructional model was designed and tested through classroom-based research and then refined over time based on feedback from teachers and students.

The Argument-Driven Inquiry Learning Hub

The Learning Hub is a browser-based application built for teachers and students. Teachers can assign investigations to a class. Students then collaborate with other students as they complete an investigation in remote, hybrid, or in-person contexts.

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Teachers participate in the same rich, inquiry-based investigations that we want students to experience. We then encourage them to rethink what's possible and work together to develop a plan for creating rigorous and equitable learning experiences.

The ADI Learning Hub

The ADI Learning Hub is a browser-based application for teachers and students. This application can be used for in-person , remote , or hybrid instruction. At the core of the ADI Learning Hub are investigations that give students an opportunity to use the core ideas and practices of science and mathematics to figure out how or why phenomena happen in the world around them.

Our Instructional Materials

All of our instructional materials give students in grades 3-12 a chance to learn how to use the core ideas and practices of science, mathematics, or engineering to figure out how or why something happens, or to design a solution to a problem that will help make the world a better place. These materials include classroom resources and professional learning opportunities for teachers.

Each science investigation gives students a chance to interact with their peers as they make sense of a natural phenomenon. All of our science investigations are available in the ADI Learning Hub.

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Each math investigation encourages students to become knowledgeable, flexible, and resourceful mathematical thinkers. All of our math investigations are available in the ADI Learning Hub.

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Each design challenge requires students to use ideas and practices from multiple disciplines to develop a solution to a problem. Design challenges are available in the ADI Learning Hub.

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ADI has certified several other organizations as ADI PL Providers to deliver the same high-quality and transformative professional learning experiences whenever and wherever you need them.

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Districts across the United States are using the ADI way of teaching to help students not only become proficient in science, math, and engineering but also develop their disciplinary-based literacy skills at the same time. Below are some of the school districts that are using one or more of our programs.

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The Argument-Driven Inquiry way of teaching was developed through several research studies that were carried out by educational researchers, scientists, mathematicians, and engineers who work at Florida State University and the University of Texas at Austin and then tested in hundreds of classrooms inside and outside the United States.

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How to run a lesson with Microsoft Whiteboard

Whiteboard offers a great way to create rich and engaging lessons that inspire creativity, provoke thought, and trigger discussion. 

Make use of your whiteboard’s infinite canvas to organize ideas, present concepts, fuel discussion, and encourage interaction and sharing of knowledge. 

Key features:

Get started quickly by using the Lesson Plan template

Prepare your board ahead of time with diagrams, shapes, and images to make the lesson more visually engaging

Use ink to express ideas creatively

Follow a non-linear discussion flow by seamlessly panning from one side of the board to another

Annotate the board with colorful sticky notes

Prepare the board

Open Whiteboard and create a new board. 

In the Create panel, select Templates > Learning > Lesson Plan , and then insert it on the board. 

Customize the template to fit your goals for the lesson. 

Add any additional content to the board that you’ll need for the lesson, such as images, diagrams, text, and so on. 

Remember — the Whiteboard canvas is infinite! Add everything you’ll need for a successful lesson.

During class

Once the class has started, share your screen with the whiteboard opened.

Introduce the goal of the lesson.

Set rules on participation. For example, if using Microsoft Teams, you could let students know to use the “Raise Hand” feature before speaking.

Run the class as you normally would.

Keep an eye on the clock to make sure the lesson will end on time.

If you’d like the students to participate and collaborate on the whiteboard, send them a share link from the Whiteboard app, or share your board from the Share tray in Teams.

After the session

If you would like to share the contents of your board, export it as a PNG image from the Settings  menu. 

Send the PNG image file to the class for their notes. 

Reuse the same board for subsequent classes if the subjects build off of each other by adding additional content for the next class. 

Once a topic is complete, create a new whiteboard to explore additional topics.

Check out our other Whiteboard guides to learn more! 

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Readings With Hope

120 Amazing Things to Write on a Whiteboard

When you gaze upon an empty whiteboard, what do you see? 

A blank slate? 

An intimidating expanse of whiteness? 

Or a canvas brimming with potential, waiting to be filled with thoughts, ideas, and expressions? 

Whiteboards, common fixtures in classrooms, offices, and homes, often become a silent partner in our brainstorming sessions, presentations, and daily task reminders. 

But are we fully harnessing their potential? 

Let’s explore the myriad things to write on a whiteboard that can transform it from a mere accessory to an instrumental tool in our daily lives. 

Dive in, and let’s color that canvas with productivity, creativity, and inspiration!

Best Things to Write on a Whiteboard

• Today’s main goals: 1) Drink more water 2) Smile more 3) Finish that report.
• Quote of the day: “ The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln.
• Brainstorming Session at 3 PM! Bring your best ideas.
• “Remember, every mistake is a learning opportunity!”
• Fun Fact : Did you know that honey never spoils? An ancient jar might still be good to eat!
• To Do: 1) Reply to emails 2) Order supplies 3) Plan team outing.
• Countdown to the team retreat: 23 days!
• Birthdays this month : Jake – 7th, Sara – 15th, Mark – 20th.
• “ Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein.
• Current Book Club Pick: “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• Lunch and Learn this Friday! Topic: Social Media Marketing.
• “ Stay positive , work hard, make it happen.”
• Team’s Favorite Joke of the Week: Why was the math book sad? It had too many problems!
• Weather Forecast : Sunny with a chance of team building!
• Safety Tip : Remember to stretch every hour if you’re sitting at your desk all day.
• “ Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success.”
• Trivia : The unicorn is the national animal of which country? (Answer: Scotland)
• Wellness Reminder : Take a 5-minute walk or meditation break today.
• “ Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” – Ken Blanchard.
• Word of the Day : “Resilience” – the ability to bounce back from setbacks.

Things to Write on a Whiteboard in Your Room

• Daily Goals : 1) Read 20 pages 2) Exercise for 30 minutes.
• “You are stronger than you think .”
• “ Happiness is an inside job.”
• Chores : 1) Laundry 2) Vacuum 3) Dust.
• Water Tracker : 8 cups a day for optimal hydration.
• Motivation : The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
• Movie List : To watch – “Inception,” “Spirited Away.”
• Book Quotes : “Not all those who wander are lost.”
• Mood Board : Inspiration for the week in doodles or keywords.
• Sleep Goals : Aim for at least 8 hours tonight!
• Mindfulness Reminder : Take 3 deep breaths.
• “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Gandhi.
• To Buy : 1) New sneakers 2) Sketchbook.
• “ Self-care isn’t selfish.”
• Fitness Goals : 1) Run 5K 2) Master 10 yoga poses.
• Meal Plan : Monday – Stir Fry, Tuesday – Taco Night.
• “ Dream big. Start small. Act now.” – Robin Sharma.
• Study Schedule : Biology – 4 PM, History – 6 PM.
• “ Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”
• Countdown : Days till summer vacation: 45.

Things to Write on a Whiteboard at Work

• Agenda for today’s team meeting at 2 PM.
• Project Milestones : 1) Initial Research, 2) First Draft, 3) Review.
• Kudos Corner : Congrats to Emily for outstanding customer service!
• “ Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”
• Upcoming Deadlines : Proposal – June 1, Budget – June 7.
• Coffee Cart : Every Wednesday, 10 AM, in the break room.
• “ Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going .” – Sam Levenson.
• Skill Share : Bob will share tips on Excel this Friday!
• Quote of the Week : “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
• Office Poll : Where should we go for the next team-building activity?
• Tech Tips : Shortcut keys for efficiency – Ctrl + C (copy), Ctrl + V (paste).
• Productivity Hack : The Pomodoro Technique – 25 minutes work, 5 minutes break.
• Employee of the Month : Well done, Sarah!
• Monday Motivation : Let’s crush this week!
• Vacation Planner : Mark your days off on the calendar.
• “ Customer satisfaction is the key to success.”
• Weekly Wins : Closed a big deal? Solved a tough problem? Share here!
• Help Wanted : Need volunteers for the charity event on the 30th.
• Friendly Reminder : Please, keep the kitchen area clean.
• Fun Friday : Casual wear and snacks in the lounge!

Cute Things to Write on a Whiteboard

• “🌈 Today’s forecast : 100% chance of happiness!”
• “ Hug Count : How many have you given today?”
• “🐾 Paws and reflect : Take a moment for yourself.”
• “🌟 Twinkle, twinkle , little star, do you know how loved you are?”
• “Be a pineapple : Stand tall, wear a crown, and be sweet inside.”
• “Spread smiles like confetti 🎉.”
• “🍪 Life’s a batch , and then you bake.”
• “Why was the math book sad? Because it had too many problems. 😄”
• “Every day may not be good, but there’s good in every day.”
• “Let’s taco ’bout how awesome you are! 🌮”
• “Life is short, eat the cake 🍰.”
• “💭 Dream big fluff thoughts.”
• “You’re otterly amazing! 🦦”
• “Keep your chin up, or you’ll drop your crown 👑.”
• “Be the rainbow in someone’s cloud 🌈.”
• “You’ve cat to be kitten me right meow! 😺”
• “Life’s a journey, not a race . 🐢”
• “There’s always room for ice cream 🍦.”
• “Bee-lieve in yourself! 🐝”
• “You make my heart saur ! 🦖”

Aesthetic Things to Write on a Whiteboard

• “Embrace the chaos within the cosmos 🌌.”
• “Breathe in serenity, exhale hustle .”
• “Chase sunsets, not troubles 🌅.”
• “Vibes speak louder than words.”
• “Flow like water, crash like waves 🌊.”
• “Bloom where you are planted 🌱.”
• “Inhale the future, exhale the past.”
• “Golden hours, silver linings 🌄.”
• “Every shadow no matter how deep is threatened by morning light.”
• “Stay wild, moon child 🌙.”
• “Let the winds of change whisper stories.”
• “Color outside your own lines 🎨.”
• “Retrograde moments, cosmic clarity.”
• “Pastel dreams, neon realities.”
• “Dance with the whispers of the trees 🌲.”
• “Lost in the right direction.”
• “Cherish fleeting moments, eternal memories.”
• “Galaxies within, stardust on skin ✨.”
• “Stitch time with threads of grace.”
• “Love in monochrome, live in spectra .”

Inspiration Things to Write on a Whiteboard

• “ Believe in the magic within you.”
• “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now .”
• “Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
• “The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams .”
• “ Don’t watch the clock ; do what it does. Keep going.”
• “The road to success is always under construction .”
• “The harder you work for something, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it.”
• “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”
• “Your limitation—it’s only your imagination .”
• “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
• “The only way to do great work is to love what you do .”
• “Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it .”
• “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams .”
• “If you’re going through hell, keep going .”
• “It always seems impossible until it’s done .”
• “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
• “The mind is everything . What you think, you become.”
• “The best way to predict the future is to create it .”
• “Don’t wait for opportunity. Create it .”
• “You don’t find willpower; you create it .”

Read our other posts

• What to Message When Someone Doesn’t Reply
• What to Write on Polaroid Pictures
• What to Write in Sympathy Card for Someone You Don’t Know Well
• What to Write on a Dating Profile
• Thank You For Coming Messages

Founder @ ReadingsWithHope.com

I make sure that your cards don't go empty handed.

The Best Whiteboard Explainer Videos & Examples

The power of whiteboard animated videos comes from increasing viewer engagement and improved information retention. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that approximately 83% of human learning happens from visual information and 11% through hearing. A whiteboard video engages both the eyes and the ears. This engagement makes up 94% of the learning processes of an average person.

Other research studies find that there is up to 33% more user engagement when viewers watch and listen to whiteboard animation. Viewers say that they find the content more interesting. The retention of information increases up to 15% from a whiteboard animation presentation style. Moreover, viewers are 66% more likely to share a whiteboard animation with others.  Learn more from our guide on how to use video animation more effectively .

In this article, we will explore more on, what whiteboard animation is and showcase some of the best explainer video examples using whiteboard animation.

What is Whiteboard Animation?

We create a whiteboard animation presentation using footage of a real person sketching out the images on camera. Then we speed up the footage and edit it in a sophisticated way to keep the energy level exciting. We progress through the explainer video at a comfortable pace for the viewers’ enjoyment.

How to Use Whiteboard Animation

A classic whiteboard video, often tailored to the target audience, is frequently the main feature on a webpage as part of the marketing campaign for a product or service. It can be a key element in the sales funnel marketing efforts. Web pages with incorporated whiteboard animation have a much better chance of engaging viewers and keeping them on the page without immediately clicking away.

Whiteboard animation can explain a complex idea, present product innovations, introduce new processes, describe new policies, and support change management in situations such as a corporate reorganization. In the following sections, we will delve into several whiteboard animation examples that effectively illustrate these uses.

There are many other ways to use a whiteboard animation presentation, such as in-house training, education videos, marketing videos, product videos, employee onboarding, and explainer videos for various corporate messages, both internal and external.

Use Cases of Whiteboard Animated Video

Here are some winning whiteboard video examples of case studies where the campaign used a whiteboard animated video for a specific purpose.

Case Study One: Fanity Explainer Video

Fanity has a unique system that uses fan-created art to raise money for charities at festivals. The purpose of the Fanity effort is to increase charitable engagement through social media and corporate sponsorships.

The Fanity system goes into a tent at the festival site. There are charging stations, corporate-sponsored electrolyte pops as giveaways, bean bags, and art-creation stations with Fanity team members to help.

The Fanity explainer video describes the process that includes four team-guided steps, which are:

• Team One enthusiastically encourages festival-goers to come into the Fanity tent to express their fandom through fan art.
• Team Two explains the process and gets participants to sign a waiver that permits sharing their fan-created art with sponsors and social media.
• Team Three helps fans create art inside the tent on an iPad or the SoundCloud music streaming service.
• Team Four adds festival and corporate sponsorship information to the fan art and uploads it to social media. Throughout the festival, the fan art displays on four big-screen TVs outside the Fanity tent.

The purpose of the Fanity animated explainer video is to get festival event producers to partner with Fanity for their events.

Case Study Two: Wayne Farms Explainer Video

Wayne Farms wanted an employee recruitment video that shows a compelling overview of the company’s operations, describes the job opportunities and encourages qualified applicants to join the company.

The explainer video starts by showing a multi-cultural group enjoying a prepared chicken meal at a barbeque. The overview of the company explains that the company manages the process from start to finish.

It begins with the ownership of the flocks, the feed mills, the processing plants, and the distribution channels. It ends with the delivery to the end-user, which may be a restaurant chain, institution, or store.

There are job opportunities in the prepared foods area and the fresh processing area. The company offers entry-level positions with no experience required.

This video succeeds through the cultural diversity of the characters shown in the video to encourage anyone to apply.

Case Study Three: Trip Nerd Explainer Video

Trip Nerd is a travel concierge company that handles all travel booking details, accommodations, and special needs for its clients and guests.

For example, Trip Nerd can book attendance at sporting events, major golf tournaments, horse racing events, Irish golf trips, concerts, hunting trips, and much more.

Trip Nerd takes care of all the planning and logistics so that you can have an enjoyable, worry-free trip.

This video, serving as an example of whiteboard animation, is used as part of the company’s friendly marketing campaign to get people to visit their website or send an inquiry by email.

Case Study Four: Atlanta Braves MLB Opening Day

This video for the Atlanta Braves is a guide for those wanting to attend the opening day game. It shows how to obtain prepaid parking passes and how to find out when your designated parking lot is open because times vary.

It shows how to download the MLB.com BallPark App that can hold your tickets, parking pass and help you navigate to your parking space. It shows how to get to the game by taking Uber and the drop-off and pick-up spots. It tells which area allows tailgating parties.

Next, the video shows the available restaurants and how to enter the stadium for the game at Sun Trust Park. It describes the water and food allowed into the stadium. Finally, it says when to take your seats for the pre-game show, twenty minutes before the first pitch.

This video aims to guide a ticket holder who is visiting the new stadium for the first time. It takes them from the parking lot to their seat. It helps reduce confusion about where to go and when to get there.

Why The Sketch Effect is the Best Partner for Animated Video Creation

We are one of the best animation companies creating whiteboard explainer presentations for video marketing.

Be aware that a cheap animation technique is used to create whiteboard animation style using rudimentary whiteboard animation software. We do not use this approach because it looks cheesy, awkward, and low quality. Consumers do not like lousy animation.

Viewers expect high production values in the things they watch, even if it is only a video on social media. Our exacting standards are to produce a high quality video production as your explainer video.  Check out some other things to consider when choosing a whiteboard animation company .

Please don’t take our word for it. We worked with major international brands and organizations, including the American Cancer Society, Coca Cola, Chick Fil A, Cigna, Cox Communications, Ernst & Young, GA Tech, General Electric, GMC, Marriot, Microsoft, and Vanderbilt University, to namedrop a few of our clients.

Get ready to be astounded by the results of your whiteboard video project.

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“Having artists from The Sketch Effect at our onboarding programs has been a huge hit! The learners love seeing their conversations and work come to life through the sketches the artists create. They feel “heard” and that their contributions are validated. And as a result, they engage more. The sketches have great uses following the programs, too! They can be used in communications and marketing of future events. The team was easy to work with and they made the whole experience fun for everyone.”

Ernie Brescia

Sr. Manager, Design & Development Studio

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“Our animated video with the Sketch Effect turned out wonderfully and we were very happy with the entire process. It was great working with the Sketch Effect team – they really understood the assignment and our goals for this communication effort! We launched the video to the entire Staff and have been receiving compliments ever since! As our work in this space continues, I’m sure we will be back in touch for more animation projects with The Sketch Effect.”

De’Johna S. Council

Corporate Legal Chik-fil-A, Inc.

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How to Effectively Use an Online Whiteboard to Enhance Online Teaching

Updated on: 22 August 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the physical ways and methods of teaching and learning, accelerating the digitization of them. Video conferencing has replaced the face-to-face engagement in a physical classroom; screen sharing and presentation slides have become the new whiteboard. 

As teachers and students around the world are now slowly embracing the patterns of online teaching and learning, video conferencing tools like Creately’s whiteboard software , Zoom and Microsoft Teams alone have become insufficient to accommodate online teaching requirements, especially in terms of maintaining the active involvement of students and collaboration between them and their teachers . 

As education is rapidly turning digital, the need for and the availability of tools to facilitate online learning and teaching has surged over the last few years; and online whiteboards are gaining popularity by the day. 

In this post, we will talk about online whiteboards and their use in enhancing online teaching and learning experience. The online whiteboard tool we’ll be referring to is Creately – a visual collaboration tool used by educators to create learning material and collaborate with students online.

What is an Online Whiteboard

Digital whiteboards allow teachers and students to replicate the experience of a physical whiteboard online, with an infinite canvas. They offer shape libraries and premade templates that can be used to create content (i.e. charts, diagrams, posters, visuals, etc.). They also digitize the content created, which makes it easier for anyone to access it online from their own personal device.

Advanced online whiteboard tools like Creately also offer in-app video conferencing and real-time collaboration features where teachers and students can work on the same canvas and track each other’s changes with real-time change previews and mouse tracking .

Why use an online whiteboard

Just like in a physical classroom where everyone interacts around a whiteboard (or a blackboard), an online whiteboard makes it possible to 

• Make your online lessons more interactive 
• Write, draw and visualize concepts online on a canvas as you teach 
• Allow your students to actively participate and collaborate 
• Create presentations, posters and other learning material for the online lessons

How to Use an Online Whiteboard to Enhance Teaching

Whether you are currently using an online whiteboard or looking to try one, here are some great ways to utilize them better in your online lessons . 

Collaborate with Students

An online whiteboard is primarily a collaboration tool. While you can use it during lessons/ lectures to visualize and simplify concepts and ideas for the students, you can also get the students to contribute. 

For example, on Creately , once you create a new document, you can add students to it as collaborators. You can also share an Edit enabled link with the students via email or a chat platform you use, to communicate with each other online. 

Here are a few ways you can use Creately to collaborate with your students. 

Brainstorming :  

Create a document or choose a Creately brainstorming template to start with.

Add all students to the document. Use Creately’s built-in video conferencing feature to communicate with each other as they edit the document. If you are using a third-party app to communicate, share your screen, and track students’ movements across the canvas with real-time mouse tracking.

A variety of visual brainstorming techniques can be used here; some of them include, mind maps , idea boards , concept maps , affinity diagrams , lotus diagrams , and starbursting.

Create separate documents containing the same content (i.e. assignment), by simply duplicating the original. Create separate folders inside Creately where you can organize and track them, for each activity or class you teach. You can also use the Google Drive integration to create, organize, and manage permission to your Creately documents from there.

When naming the duplicated document, include the student’s name in it to easily track which document belongs to whom. Once the student has completed the assignment, you can review and leave your feedback with in-line comments. You can also hop on a quick video call and walk each individual through the recommended changes.

Interactive Exercises 

A recurring challenge in online teaching is creating an environment where the teacher and students can actively interact with each other during the lesson. Online whiteboards bridge this gap by providing a shared space where both parties can work together. 

You can use Creately to easily create quizzes, and other fun games such as crossword puzzles, hangman and get the students involved in playing in real-time.

Create and Share Material Needed for the Lesson

When teaching online, keeping things brief and visual is essential. It’s said that visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text and that visuals improve learning by up to 400% .  

Using charts, diagrams, posters, graphic organizers , storyboards , infographics, etc. you can easily summarize a one-hour lecture and explain complex concepts better. An online whiteboard makes it easier to create and share these visuals quickly with an entire class.  

Creately offers extensive shape libraries and pre-made templates for over 50 types of charts and diagrams including flowcharts , thinking maps, mind maps, infographics , storyboards, etc.   

You can also add more shapes and images with built-in Google image search or by importing them from your own device. 

You can export these visuals as PNGs, SVGs, JPEGs or PDFs, for embedding in presentations, websites, reports, etc. You can also simply share a View-only link with the students if you don’t want to add them as collaborators.

Do Presentations

An online whiteboard is one big canvas that allows you to create visually stunning and engaging presentations as a whole or on one single space. 

To make it easier on Creately , create the structure of your presentation first and number or title each slide. Later this will make it easier to navigate from one slide to the other. 

You can Google or import images in different formats (JPEG, PNG, SVG, GIF, etc.) and add them to make your presentation slides more expressive. 

During the presentation zoom in on each slide and explain the content to students with screen share or Creately video conferencing.

Visual Note-Taking

Visuals make a great way to synthesize content. While you can present important concepts in the form of a chart, graph, or diagram on an online whiteboard during the lesson, you can encourage students to use the same tools to take down their notes .

Research shows that 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual and that people tend to recall data better when visuals are involved. By encouraging students to use a mind map, concept map , flowchart , or graphic organizer to take down their notes, you can help improve their ability to retain information. 

Creately offers an array of premade templates that students can quickly put to use during note-taking. You can also create a template prior to the lesson and share it with the students for note-taking.

Have You Tried an Online Whiteboard for Teaching Yet? 

Between hours of Zoom calls with students and staring at a screen, the engagement and the receptivity of students have greatly decreased. An online whiteboard for teaching can restore the energy that exists between the teacher and students in a physical classroom by emulating the collaborative experience online. 

Let us know your online teaching and learning hacks in the comments section below. 

This post is a part of Creately’s series on remote teaching. More resources you would find useful include,

7 Effective Remote Teaching Best Practices

Essential Remote Teaching Tools for Conducting Effective Online Lessons

The Ultimate List of Visual Teaching Strategies

The Ultimate List of Graphic Organizers for Teachers and Students

The Ultimate List of Visual Creative Thinking Techniques

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7 Great Ways to Use White Boards in the Classroom

Keeping students engaged in the classroom is tough – especially with all of today’s modern distractions, such as cellphones and tablets. When it comes to keeping students engaged, and excited to learn, whiteboards get the job done. No, we’re not talking about those crazy expensive smartboards that cost $5,000+. We’re talking about old-school whiteboards. Whiteboards are an amazing and inexpensive way to engage students. Here are seven great ways to use white boards in the classroom.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is an amazing way to review, or explore a new subject/concept. There’s no better way to brainstorm than with a whiteboard. Divide your students off into groups of two or three, giving each group a whiteboard or set them up in groups on whiteboard tables . Give your students a concept to brainstorm about, and have them take turns writing on the whiteboard. Bonus: Give them different colored markers so you know who is contributing!

Q&A Session

Students are notorious for not liking to be called out and answer questions in class. With the convenience of a whiteboard you can ask your entire class a question and ask them to write out their short response on their whiteboard . Either pass out individual whiteboards, or have them write on their desks if they have whiteboard desks ! 

Practice Vocab

Practicing vocabulary words has never been easier. Teachers can write out multiple choice answers on the whiteboard at the front of the classroom, while students write down which answer they think is correct on their small whiteboards at their desk, on their whiteboard desks , or scratch paper. It’s simple, effective, and keeps the entire classroom engaged. Bonus for Language classes: Have your students conjugate directly on their desks!

Math Problems Made Easy

Let’s admit it – most students don’t enjoy math. Writing out math problems on whiteboards give students the freedom to retract/erase their steps, and work through the problem. Solving math problems on white boards gives students the freedom of working on a clean slate . Plus, as the teacher, you can come around with a colored marker and annotate directly on their desk ! 

We all love a good game of Pictionary! You can have you students play games of Pictionary for new vocab works, or to review for a quiz coming up . Play a game of Pictionary with whiteboards, and you’ll be amazed at how excited your students are to learn! (here's a photo below of Pictionary from a recent work event we did!)

Use it for One-On-One

If you have a student who continues to struggle with a topic, sit with them one-on-one and have them work out the problem on their whiteboard . This will give you the opportunity to see exactly where the student is making a mistake. Once you figure out that, you’ll be able to guide them in the right direction.

Whiteboards are great for younger students who still have spelling bees and quizzes. Students are more likely to retain information when they hand-write it down . Break your students off into groups of three or four and let them takes turn spelling out the words. Turn it into some friendly competition by offering the winning group bonus points.

These are just a few ways to use whiteboards in the classroom. Not only are whiteboards a great way to engage students, but they’re cost effective and better for the environment.

If you have tables and desks that are not currently dry erase, feel free to check out our Whiteboard Table covers and Whiteboard Desk covers here!

Also, not sure if you should cover your tables or not? Check out our video below!

• dry erase desk
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Online whiteboard

Online Whiteboard on Wooclap

An interactive digital whiteboard is an innovative way for teachers to engage students in the learning process. It also provides a space for learners to share their own ideas, thoughts and concepts in a collaborative environment .

The purpose of this page is to explore the benefits of using an online whiteboard, particularly for educators and students. It will also provide a guide on how to create and use a whiteboard on Wooclap.

Definition of online whiteboard

An online whiteboard is a virtual space where individuals can come together and brainstorm, plan or teach in real-time . It is a platform that has become increasingly popular among distance learners, remote workers, and educational institutions worldwide. An online whiteboard enables users to create, personalize, and share their thoughts and ideas with others. It is an interactive animation that simulates a physical whiteboard, with added benefits of collaborating, remote participation, easy and quick sharing, and storage of documents.

The primary function of an online whiteboard is its capacity to enable individuals in a remote location to interact in real-time . This format makes it perfect for remote learning, coaching, and collaboration across various fields such as business, education, and research. This interactive digital whiteboard has become an essential tool that enhances learning, encourages remote participation, and fosters creativity among students and professionals alike.

Why use an interactive whiteboard

The use of an online whiteboard is not only beneficial for remote workers or students. It is an interactive space that bridges the gap between face-to-face and remote interactions . Educational institutions, teacher, trainers, training centers, and departments can all benefit from the use of an online interactive whiteboard . Below are a few reasons why online whiteboard is a valuable tool that everyone should consider.

Collaborative whiteboard

Collaborative whiteboards allow users to collaborate in real-time, regardless of their location. It enhances remote participation, encourages creative and critical thinking, and fosters teamwork. The digital platform allows individuals to share ideas, work on the same document, and edit documents simultaneously .

Remote whiteboard

The pandemic has forced institutions to adopt remote learning, and an online whiteboard has become an essential tool for teachers and students. Not only does it enable remote interaction, but it also provides a virtual space where teachers can simulate a physical classroom . It is fast, simple, and alive, enabling students to interact and learn as they would in a traditional classroom.

Simple whiteboard

An online whiteboard is incredibly user-friendly, making it easy to use for people of all ages and backgrounds. It is a simple tool that is easy to navigate and customize . Users can create, edit, and share documents within seconds, making it a convenient choice for people with busy schedules.

Active whiteboard

Online whiteboarding encourages participation, creativity, and innovation. It allows individuals to express their ideas and share their thoughts with others. The interactive digital whiteboard can be used in various ways, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, collaboration, and presentations .

Interesting whiteboard

An interactive whiteboard is an engaging tool that can make learning and teaching interesting. It encourages the use of multimedia such as videos, images, and graphics . The platform provides an opportunity for teachers to create immersive and interactive animations that will keep students engaged and interested throughout the course.

How to create and use a collaborative whiteboard on Wooclap

Create the whiteboard.

To create a free whiteboard on Wooclap, click on the " Whiteboard " button. Then name your whiteboard and click the " Display " button to customise it according to your requirements.

Customize the whiteboard

Wooclap gives you the possibility to create an outline for your whiteboard session before displaying it to your audience. After selecting the "Display" option, the whiteboard will appear on your screen. You can use the available tools to write, draw, or add multimedia, such as images or videos. You can also customize the board and adapt it to your needs by changing colors, fonts, and layout styles.

Collaborate on the whiteboard

You can also share your whiteboard with others by inviting them to join the board. By enabling the collaboration option , you allow your audience to digitally add post-its to your numeric whiteboard and participate in its creation. This can be useful if you want them to add ideas or comments. You can edit the board in real-time and save or export it in various formats.

The advantages of the Wooclap remote whiteboard

Illustrate your argument.

The Whiteboard offers you a blank digital medium on which you can add illustrations, text, and different shapes and colours . This allows you to complement an explanation by visualising it. For example, by presenting a mathematical formula in real time or by drawing a diagram. 

By adding an image to your Whiteboard, you can then circle the areas that interest you, and add text and different colors to your image.

Collaborate with your audience

To make your presentations even more interactive, you can also have your audience participate in a Whiteboard. 

This can be very useful in both companies and schools for the co-creation of a mind map or a customer journey, the illustration of a scientific concept or a clinical reasoning.

Multi-user collaboration

The Wooclap live whiteboard allows several users to work on the same canvas simultaneously, which makes it an ideal tool for groups or classes. Users can also see each other's changes in real-time, which enhances the sense of community and collaboration.

Interactive activities

The Wooclap whiteboard integrates with other interactive activities, such as polls, quizzes, and surveys, which can provide instant feedback and assessment. This can help teachers to evaluate the students' understanding and adjust the teaching accordingly.

Customizable templates

You can find a variety of customizable templates for different educational contexts, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, or SWOT analysis in the “Examples gallery”, when creating a new question on Wooclap.

Want to know more about the Whiteboard and read examples of its use?

Read our blog article on the topic