MGT269

BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION
VISUAL COMMUNICATION
Picture, tables, charts and diagrams that can aid the sender’s
expression of an idea and the receiver’s understanding

WHAT IS VISUAL COMMUNICATION?

Visual communication has become an important skill for today’s
business professionals and managers.

1. Visual communication can replace textual message.

2. Visual elements can enhance the communication power of textual

message.

3. Visuals are an effective way to reach audiences of diverse professional

and cultural background.

4. Busy readers can quickly grasp the essence of what you are trying to
communicate when looking at the visuals.

5. Help to summarize figures or show comparisons, relationships or

trends so that readers can learn the info at a glance.

POWER OF VISUALS
 1. To improve 2. To improve 3. To improve
communication audience perceptions speaker’s confidence
effectiveness of presenter

BENEFITS OF USING VISUALS

 Add another sensory channel to
the oral communication process.
Visuals improves efficiencies: Visual improves audience’s:
1. Improve group consensus. 1. Attention.
2. Less time spent in discussing 2. Comprehension
decisions. (understanding).
3. Less time spent in meeting. 3. Agreement.
4. Highly significant 4. Retention.
improvements in audience
action. 5. Action

IMPROVE COMMUNICATION
EFFECTIVENESS
Audience perceive presenter as more:

Persuasive.

Interesting. Professional.

Prepared.

Credible
(believable).

IMPROVE AUDIENCE’S PERCEPTION

“A picture is worth a Visualization Poor presenter using
thousand words”. encourages visuals can be as
preliminary & early effective as good
organization & presenters not using
planning. visuals.

IMPROVE SPEAKER’S CONFIDENCE

 Reinforce Clarify &
understanding. simplify text.

Illustrate
Attract &
relationships
build
between
credibility.
points.

Emphasize &
summarize
points.

ADVANTAGES OF USING VISUALS

Purpose Application

To clarify Support text description of “graphics” topics; quantitative or numerical

information, explanations of trends, descriptions

To simplify Break complicated descriptions into components that can be depicted

with the conceptual models, flowcharts, organization charts or diagram

To emphasize Call attention to particularly important points by illustrating them with

line, bar and pie charts

To summarize Review major points in the narrative by providing a chart or table that
sums up the data

To reinforce Present information in visual and written form to increase reader’s

retention
To attract Make material seem more interesting by decorating the cover or title
page and by breaking up the text with visual aids

To impress Build credibility by putting ideas into visual form to convey the
impression of authenticity and precision

To unify Depict the relationship among points – for example, with a flowchart

WHEN TO USE VISUAL

 FIGURES
All mathematical
visuals ie charts,
graphs, diagram,
etc.
TABLES ILLUSTRATIONS
Arrangement of All visuals ie
numerical data in photographs,
horizontal or sketches, plans,
vertical rows. maps, etc.

3 broad
categories
of Visuals

TYPES OF VISUALS
• A systematic arrangement of data in columns and rows
• Helpful in consolidating (combining) info.
• Ideal when audience needs the info what would be either difficult or
tedious to handle in the main text.
• Uses
• To present groups of detail facts in a concise and readable form
• To help readers find particular facts quickly
• To compare features of products or process

• Eg:
CLASSES FEMALE STUDENTS MALE STUDENTS
DBS 3A 32 15
DBS 3B 20 30

TABLES
• Bar graph represents numbers by the height or length of its rectangular
bars so that a series of number will be easy to be read and understood.
• Uses
• To compare quantities/size of several items at one time.
• To show changes in one item overtime (trends).
• To indicate the composition of a whole.

Vertical/ Column Bar Chart Horizontal Bar Chart Component Bar Chart

BAR GRAPHS
Line Graphs Pictorial Graph
• Graphs of time series. • Also known as pictograms
• Uses • It is a simplified bar charts to help
• To show trends and cycle those who do not understand the
• To compare trends usual presentation
• To show the relationship of • Symbols are used to make visual
two or more variables e.g. impact
relationship between sales
and profit

Years
= 10,000 trees
2003

2002

2001

2000

No of trees

LINE GRAPH & PICTORIAL GRAPH

Pie Chart Gant Chart
• Shows how a whole is divided into • Identifies the major steps in a
parts. project and tells when they will
• The different values of are drawn in be performed. Also tracks the
proportion to the slices of the pie progress towards completing the
• May be constructed on a percentage project
basis, or actual figures • Example below shows a chart
• The circle which is divided into that depicts the progress of a
segments adds up to 100% new computer system
• Effective way of to show percentages installation.
or compare one segment with
another
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Design

Test

Implementation

Feedback

PIE CHART & GANT CHART

 Flowchart Organizational chart
• Useful in presenting a series of  Represent the arrangement
steps in a process or procedure of people and department in
an organization and the way
they interrelate.

Registration

CEO
Payment
Secretary

Result Manager 1 Manager 2 Manager 3

FLOWCHART & ORGANIZATIONAL

CHART
Uses
• Visual appeal
• To show the appearance of something the reader have never seen
• To show the condition of something
• To help reader recognize something

PICTURES
Communication Challenge Effective Visual Choice

To present individual, exact values Table

Show trends or relationships over time Line charts, bar charts

Compare two or more sets of data

To show frequency or distribution of parts in a Pie chart

whole

To show geographic relationship or Map

comparisons
To illustrate processes or procedures Flowchart/Diagram

To show spatial relationship (realistic) Picture

SUMMARY - SELECTING THE BEST

VISUALS
CONSISTENCY CONTRAST BALANCE EMPHASIS CONVENTION SIMPLICITY

Design Avoid to
Highlight much text
Background Slide vs per slide.
important
vs Text Slide
points Follow the
Fonts traditional Use
way of bullets
doing whenever
Sizes Test things. possible.
readability List points Play safe.
Title vs Replace
of a according to
Points words
finished importance.
Color slide. with
pictures

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE VISUAL

DESIGN