Visuals to Present Data

The correct visual presentation of your data can help you to communicate a business message more effectively. Visuals are photos, pictures, illustrations, charts, and tables that help illustrate data to form a business message. This lesson will educate you about the role of visuals in the communication process.

Role of Visuals

Visuals are an excellent way to highlight a message in workplace communications. Many companies depend upon visuals, such as bar and line charts, photos, and multimedia presentations, in order to help create a memorable, informative, and stimulating message. Here are some reasons that visual communication in the workplace can help with message delivery:

Send and receive messages. The most basic reason to use visuals in a business communication is that it helps illustrate information. For example, an amusement park company who wanted to educate their shareholders about a new extreme water slide for possible production next year could use a video versus just a written description.

Keep receiver’s attention. How many of you have fallen asleep in class as your professor lectured on and on with a few outlines thrown on the screen? If visuals, such as videos, pictures, and graphics, were added, it would probably keep your attention due to the visual stimulation.

Create an emotional reaction. Coupled with an impactful verbal or written message, visuals are able to create an emotional reaction in viewers. Imagine if you just read an advertising billboard on the side of the road that said, ‘Come to Our New Water Park’ versus a billboard that showed a photo of laughing and smiling kids and families. It would have a dramatic effect on your emotions towards the park, making you think how you could also be happy and smiling if you were able to go to the water park.

Reinforce written or verbal message. Visuals allow reinforcement of a written or verbal message by creating an easy way to remember the message. For example, many companies add warning drawings or pictures on their product, not just a verbal message. For example, a hair dryer has the warning to not plug in while taking a bath. In addition, there is also a photo accompanying the warning.

Summarize information. Companies often use visuals to summarize their business information for year-end financial reports. Most use tables, bar charts, and line charts that explain their financial results.

Allows global communication through the use of visuals via the Internet, email, and online slideshare programs. Visuals can also help overcome language barriers because images often convey universal messages that written words cannot.

Lesson Summary

Visuals can add support to a business message. Visuals are photos, pictures, illustrations, charts, and tables that help illustrate data to form a business message. There are key ways that different forms of visual communication can aid in business message presentation.

• Send and receive messages by illustrating information
• Keep receiver’s attention
• Create an emotional reaction in viewers
• Reinforce written or verbal messages
• Summarize information
• Allows global communication