Chapter 3 - Using visuals in written and oral communication. After studying this chapter, you should be able to: Describe the process for effective visual communication: planning, gathering and collecting, analyzing and organizing, choosing a form, placing and interpreting, and evaluating; choose the appropriate type of visual for the communication task; construct text-based visuals such as tables, pull quotes, flowcharts, and process charts;. | three Using Visuals in Written and Oral Communication Understanding the Visual Communication Process Planning Gathering and Collecting Analyzing and Organizing Choosing a Form Placing and Interpreting Evaluating Planning Clarify complex or difficult information Illustrate relations Reveal trends, patterns, and outliers Emphasize facts Add coherence Overview and summarize data Provide and keep interest Enhance appearance Gathering and Collecting Mine data you or your company has already collected Gather new data – internally or externally Analyzing and Organizing Analyze the data to gain a clear understanding of what you have Organize the data to convey your message clearly to your reader Choosing a Form Select visuals to convey meaning quickly, easily, and completely. Review content for ways visuals help communicate it. Consider context of the audience that will use it and let the words you use to describe the information to complement the visual. Source: . | three Using Visuals in Written and Oral Communication Understanding the Visual Communication Process Planning Gathering and Collecting Analyzing and Organizing Choosing a Form Placing and Interpreting Evaluating Planning Clarify complex or difficult information Illustrate relations Reveal trends, patterns, and outliers Emphasize facts Add coherence Overview and summarize data Provide and keep interest Enhance appearance Gathering and Collecting Mine data you or your company has already collected Gather new data – internally or externally Analyzing and Organizing Analyze the data to gain a clear understanding of what you have Organize the data to convey your message clearly to your reader Choosing a Form Select visuals to convey meaning quickly, easily, and completely. Review content for ways visuals help communicate it. Consider context of the audience that will use it and let the words you use to describe the information to complement the visual. Source: Placing and Interpreting Place and use visuals near discussion of them. Use an incidental reference to a visual carrying the primary message Interpret thoroughly when words are carrying the primary message. One method (GEE) begins with a generalization or summary statement followed by examples and any exceptions. Supplemental visuals should be placed in an appendix or at the end of a document or presentation. Evaluating Ethically bound to present visuals with integrity. Build credibility with accurate visuals by avoiding common errors. Errors of scale (uniform scale size, scale distortion, zero points) Errors of format (wrong chart type, distracting grids and shading, misuse of typeface, problems with labels) Errors of misleading context (objective framing, reader empathy) Ensure clarity through careful choices of format decisions and through factoring in context. Create appeal that helps audience retain the .
