Unlock document.
This document is partially blurred.
Unlock all pages and 1 million more documents.
Get Access
Chapter 9: Visual Media
This chapter introduces students to visual communication, including the principles of visual design, the
full range of charts and graphs, tips for integrated visuals with text, and the production of business video.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Understanding Visual Communication
The Power of Images
The Visual Evolution in Business Communication
Visual Design Principles
The Ethics of Visual Communication
Identifying Points to Illustrate
Selecting Visuals for Presenting Data
Tables
Line and Surface Charts
Bar Charts, Pictograms, and Gantt Charts
Scatter and Bubble Diagrams
Pie Charts
Data Visualization
Selecting Visuals for Presenting Information, Concepts, and Ideas
Flowcharts and Organization Charts
Maps
Illustrations, Diagrams, Photographs
Infographics
Producing and Integrating Visuals
Creating Visuals
Integrating Visuals with Text
Maintaining a Balance Between Illustrations and Words
Referencing Visuals
Placing Visuals
Writing Titles, Captions, and Legends
Verifying the Quality of Your Visuals
Visual Media on Mobile Devices
Producing Business Videos
Step 1: Preproduction
Step 2: Production
Step 3: Postproduction
Learning Catalytics is a “bring your own device” student engagement, assessment, and classroom
intelligence system. It allows instructors to engage students in class with real-time diagnostics. Students
can use any modern, web-enabled device (smartphone, tablet, or laptop) to access it. For more
information on using Learning Catalytics in your course, contact your Pearson Representative.
LECTURE NOTES
Section 1: Understanding Visual Communication
Learning Objective 1: Explain the power of business images, discuss six principles of graphic design that
help ensure effective visuals, and explain how to avoid ethical lapses when using visuals.
Many businesses look for new ways to connect and explore business ideas through creative visuals,
helping clients see important concepts and relationships that aren’t obvious using text alone.
Visual communication has become an important skill for today’s business professionals and managers.
The Power of Images
Well-designed visual elements can enhance the communication power of textual messages or even
replace textual messages:
Visuals can often convey some message points more effectively and efficiently than words.
Visuals attract and hold people’s attention, helping audiences understand and remember
messages.
Using pictures is also an effective way to communicate with the diverse audiences that are
common in today’s business environment.
Many colors, shapes, and other design elements have visual symbolism:
Their symbolic, connotative meaning can mean different things in different cultures.
Being aware of these symbolic meanings and using them to your advantage are important
aspects of being an effective business communicator.
Because they have so much power to communicate, visuals must be carefully planned, competently
created, and seamlessly integrated with text.
The Visual Evolution in Business Communication
Thanks to advances in technology and changing audience expectations, business communication is
becoming much more visual.
Design and production tasks that used to take days can now be completed in hours or even minutes.
Two changes in the business environment continue to increase the importance of quality visuals:
Visuals could play a vital role in communicating with audiences with lower reading skills.
Audience expectations for visual content and production quality are higher than ever.
Visual literacy, the ability to create effective images and to correctly interpret images, has become a
key business skill.
Visual Design Principles
Just as creating effective sentences and paragraphs requires working knowledge of the principles of
good writing, creating effective visuals requires some knowledge of the principles of good design.
By thinking about your own reactions to visual designs, you can become a more effective designer
yourself.
Six fundamental principles help distinguish ineffective and effective designs:
Consistency. Audiences assume that design elements will be consistent from one page to the
next.
Contrast. To emphasize differences, depict items in contrasting colors, shapes, or sizes.
Balance. Balance can be either formal, in which the elements in the images are arranged
symmetrically around a central point or axis, or informal, in which stronger and weaker
elements are arranged in a way that achieves an overall effect of balance.
Emphasis. Audiences usually assume that the dominant element in a design is the most
important, so make sure the visually dominant element represents the most important
information.
Convention. Visual communication is guided by a variety of generally accepted rules or
conventions. These conventions dictate virtually every aspect of design.
Simplicity. Simple is better when it comes to visuals for business communication.
The Ethics of Visual Communication
The potential power of visuals places an ethical burden on every business communicator.
Avoid ethical lapses by following these guidelines:
Consider all possible interpretations—and misinterpretations. View your visuals from the
audience members’ perspective, considering their biases, beliefs, or backgrounds.
Provide enough context and background information to help audiences interpret the visual
information correctly.
Don’t hide or minimize negative information that runs counter to your argument.
Don’t exaggerate information that supports your argument.
Don’t oversimplify complex situations.
Don’t imply cause-and-effect relationships without providing proof that they exist.
Avoid emotional manipulation or other forms of coercion.
Be careful with the way you aggregate data.
Section 2: Identifying Points to Illustrate
Learning Objective 2: Explain how to choose which points in your message to illustrate.
To help identify which parts of your message can benefit from visuals, consider the flow of your message
from the audience’s point of view.
When you’re deciding which points to present visually, think of the five Cs:
Clear. If you’re having difficultly conveying an idea in words, consider whether a visual element
will do the job instead.
Complete. Visuals, particularly tables, often serve to provide the supporting details for a main
idea or recommendation. A table or another visual can provide these details without getting in the
way of your main message.
Concise. If a particular section of your message seems to require extensive description or
explanation, see whether there’s a way to convey this information visually.
Connected. Many business messages show connections of some sort—similarities or differences,
correlations, cause-and-effect relationships. To demonstrate such a connection, determine whether
an illustration of some kind might help.
Compelling. Don’t insert visuals simply for decorative purposes; add a visual to make your
report or presentation more compelling.
Make sure that each visual you decide on has a clear purpose.
Section 3: Selecting Visuals for Presenting Data
Learning Objective 3: Describe the most common options for presenting data in a visual format.
Once you have identified which points would benefit most from visual presentation, it’s time to choose
the visual for each message point.
There are many choices for business graphics, which can be roughly divided into those for presenting data
and those for presenting information, concepts, and ideas.
Tables
When you need to present detailed, specific information, a table is often the best choice.
Tables are ideal when your audience needs information that would be difficult to handle in the text.
Follow these guidelines to make your tables easy to read:
Use common, understandable units and clearly identify the units you’re using.
Express all items in a column in the same unit.
Label column headings clearly, and use a subheading if necessary.
Separate columns or rows with lines, extra space, or highlighting to make the table easy to
follow.
Provide totals or averages of columns or rows when relevant.
Document the source of the data, using the same format as a text.
Tables can contain numerals, words, symbols, or other facts and figures.
Word tables are particularly appropriate for presenting survey findings or for comparing various items
against a specific standard.
Line and Surface Charts
A line chart illustrates trends over time or plots the relationship of two or more variables.
In line charts showing trends, the vertical, or y, axis shows the amount, and the horizontal, or x, axis
shows the time or other quantity against which the amount is being measured.
Both axes often start at zero in the lower-left corner, but you can exercise a fair amount of flexibility
with both axes in order to present your data as clearly as possible.
When comparing two or more sets of data, you can plot them on the same chart for instant visual
comparison.
Because they often show trends based on historical data, line charts often prompt questions about
what comes next:
Regression analysis can extend historical trendlines into the future.
These techniques must be used with care, however.
A surface chart, also called an area chart, is a form of line chart with a cumulative effect:
All the lines add up to the top line, which represents the total.
This presentation helps illustrate changes in the composition of something over time.
Bar Charts, Pictograms, and Gantt Charts
A bar chart portrays numbers by the height or length of its rectangular bars, making a series of
numbers easy to read or understand.
Vertical bar charts are sometimes called column charts.
Bar charts are particularly valuable when you want to:
Compare the sizes of several items at one time.
Show changes in one item over time.
Indicate the composition of several items over time.
Show the relative sizes of components of a whole.
Bar charts can appear in various forms:
Grouped bar charts compare more than one set of data, using a different color or pattern for
each set.
Deviation bar charts identify positive and negative values, or winners and losers.
Segmented bar charts, also known as stacked bar charts, show how individual components
contribute to a total number, using a different color or pattern for each component.
Combination bar and line charts compare quantities that require different intervals.
Paired bar charts show the correlations between two items.
A chart that portrays data as symbols instead of words or numbers is known as a pictogram.
A time line chart uses bars to show how much time is needed to complete each task in a given project;
the specialized form, known as a Gantt chart, is often used to track the progress of projects.
Scatter and Bubble Diagrams
Scatter or XY diagrams compare entities against two variables.
Bubble diagrams compare them against three, with the size of the bubble representing the third
variable.
Pie Charts
A pie chart is a commonly used tool for showing how the parts of a whole are distributed.
Pie charts are indeed common, but in many instances they are not as helpful to readers as bar charts,
tables, and other types of visuals.
Data Visualization
Conventional charts and graphs are limited in several ways:
Most types can show only a limited number of data points before becoming too cluttered to
interpret.
They often can’t show complex relationships among data points.
They can represent only numeric data.
A diverse class of display capabilities known as data visualization work to overcome all these
drawbacks.
Unlike charts and graphs, data visualization is less about clarifying individual data points and more
about extracting broad meaning from giant masses of data or putting the data in context.
Data visualization has become an important tool for companies working with big data.
In addition to displaying large data sets and linkages within data sets, other kinds of visualization
tools combine data with textual information to communicate complex or dynamic data much faster
than conventional presentations can.
Section 4: Selecting Visuals for Presenting Information, Concepts, and Ideas
Learning Objective 4: Describe the most common options for presenting information, concepts, and
ideas.
In addition to facts and figures, you’ll need to present other types of information, from spatial
relationships to abstract ideas.
Flowcharts and Organization Charts
Flowcharts illustrate a sequence of events from start to finish.
Be aware that there is a formal flowchart “language” in which each shape has a specific meaning.
Organization charts illustrate the positions, units, or functions of an organization and the way they
interrelate.
Maps
Use maps for such tasks as representing statistics by geographic area or showing spatial relationships.
When combined with databases and aerial or satellite photography in geographic information systems
(GIS), maps become extremely powerful visual reporting tools.
Illustrations, Diagrams, and Photographs
Use illustrations and diagrams to show how something works or how it is made or used.
Illustrations are sometimes better than photographs because they let you focus on the most important
details.
Photographs offer both functional and decorative value, and nothing can top a photograph when you
need to show exact appearances, and when audiences expect photographs to show literal visual truths.
To use photographs successfully, consider these guidelines:
Consider whether a diagram would be more effective than a photograph; sometimes
photographs communicate too much information.
Learn how to use basic image processing functions in your software.
Make sure the photographs have communication value; it’s usually best to avoid including
photographs simply for decorative value.
Be aware of copyrights and model permissions.
At a more sophisticated level, software enables the creation of multimedia files that include computer
animation, digital video, and other elements.
Classroom discussion question: With image manipulation tools such as Photoshop so prevalent today,
do you trust photographs you see in news media, product advertising, real estate listings, and other
places? Where would you draw the line in terms of how much manipulation is ethical? For example,
would it be ethical to subtly improve the look of a real estate listing by using camera lens filters or digital
postprocessing to make the sky bluer or the landscape colors more intense?
Infographics
Infographics are a special class of diagrams that can convey data as well as concepts or ideas.
They contain enough visual and textual information to function as independent, standalone
documents.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of infographics:
Those that are stylized collections of charts or graphs
Those that have a structured narrative (these infographics in particular can tell a powerful
story, even to point of replacing short reports)
Section 5: Producing and Integrating Visuals
Learning Objective 5: Explain how to integrate visuals with text, and list three criteria to review in order
to verify the quality of your visuals.
Creating Visuals
Computers make it easy to create visuals, but they also make it easy to create ineffective, distracting,
and even downright ugly visuals.
By following the basic design principles, you can create visuals that are both attractive and effective.
In addition to helping ensure an effective design, using templates saves you the time of making
numerous design decisions every time you create a chart or graphic.
Computer software and web services offer a variety of graphical tools but don’t automatically give
you the design sensibility that is needed for effective visuals.
Learn how to use your tools to help save time and produce better results.
Take care to match the style and quality of your visuals with the subject matter and the situation at
hand.
A visual’s level of sophistication should match the communication situation.
The style of your visuals communicates a subtle message about your relationship with the
audience.
Integrating Visuals with Text
For maximum effectiveness and minimum disruption for the reader, integrate visuals carefully.
Successful integration involves four decisions:
Maintaining a balance between visuals and text
Referring to visuals in the text
Placing the visuals in a document
Writing titles and other descriptions
Maintaining a Balance Between Illustrations and Words
Maintain a balance between text and visuals, and place visuals so that they help emphasize the
key points.
Take into account the audience’s specific needs:
If addressing an audience with multiple language backgrounds or widely varying reading
skills, shift the balance toward more visual elements to help get around any language
barriers.
The professional experience, education, and training of the audience should influence
your approach as well.
Referencing Visuals
Unless a visual element clearly stands on its own, it should be referred to by number in the text of
your report.
Whatever scheme you use, make sure the scheme for numbering is clear and easy to follow.
Help readers understand the significance of visuals by referring to them before readers encounter
them in the document or on the screen.
When describing the data shown in your visuals, be sure to emphasize the main point you are
trying to make.
Placing Visuals
Place each visual as close as possible to its in-text reference to help readers understand the
illustration’s relevance and to minimize the effort of reading.
Place each visual within, beside, or immediately after the paragraph it illustrates so that
readers can consult the explanation and the visual at the same time.
Try to avoid bunching visuals at the end of a section or the end of a document; doing so
asks a lot of the reader.
Writing Titles, Captions, and Legends
Titles, captions, and legends help connect your visual and textual messages and ensure a seamless
reading experience.
A title identifies the content and purpose of the visual, along with whatever label and number
you’re using to refer to the visual:
A descriptive title simply identifies the topic of the illustration.
An informative title calls attention to the conclusion that ought to be drawn from the data.
A caption usually offers additional discussion of the visual’s content and can be up to several
sentences long.
Captions can also alert readers that additional discussion is available in the accompanying text.
A legend helps readers “decode” the visual by explaining what various colors, symbols, or other
design choices mean.
Legends aren’t necessary for simple graphs, such as a line chart or bar chart with only one series
of data, but they are invaluable with more complex graphics.
Verifying the Quality of Your Visuals
Visuals have a particularly strong impact on your readers and on their perceptions of you and your
work, so verifying the quality of your visuals is an essential step.
Ask yourself three questions about every visual element:
Is the visual accurate? Check for typographical errors, inconsistent color treatment, confusing
or undocumented symbols, and misaligned elements. Also verify that visuals and text match
and that formulas used are correct.
Is the visual properly documented? Visuals based on other people’s research, information, and
ideas require full citation.
Is the visual honest? Step back and verify that your visuals communicate truthful messages.
Make sure they don’t hide information the audience needs, imply conclusions that your
information doesn’t support, or play on audience emotions in manipulative or coercive ways.
Visual Media on Mobile Devices
More and more employees need to consume visual media on smartphones and tablets.
The constraints of small screens are even more acute with visuals than they are with text.
Think carefully about audience needs so you can prioritize and sequence the delivery of information.
Section 6: Producing Business Videos
Learning Objective 6: Identify the most important considerations in the preproduction, production, and
postproduction stages of producing basic business videos.
From tutorials and product demonstrations to seminars and speeches, online video is now an essential
business communication medium.
For most routine needs, any business communicator with modest equipment and a few basic skills can
create effective video.
The three-step process adapts easily to video; professionals refer to the three steps as preproduction,
production, and postproduction.
Step 1: Preproduction
For any video, be sure to think through the following seven elements:
Purpose and scope
Scene composition
Camera placement
Lighting
Sound
Shot list
B-roll material
Step 2: Production
These four tips will help you collect great footage:
Frame each shot carefully to direct the viewer’s eye where you want and create the desired
emotional impact.
Keep the camera still unless you absolutely need to move it in order to get the footage you
need.
Take B-roll footage while you are on the set or at the scene; it might come in handy during
postproduction.
Don’t use the special effects in your camera; export “clean” footage to your editing software
and make any changes there.
Step 3: Postproduction
Postproduction is where you assemble your video by combining and arranging sections of video,
audio tracks, titles, and other elements.
Here is a general overview of the postproduction process:
1. Transfer your video footage to your computer and load it into the editing software.
2. Evaluate your material, identifying the shots you want to keep and those you can delete.
3. Use cut and paste to move sections of video around as needed, to put the story in the desired
order.
4. Weave in B-roll images and clips. Your company might also have a standard library of media
elements to use in videos, including logos or introductory sequences.
5. Add transitions (such as a blend or quick fade to black) between video segments, if desired.
6. Synchronize the main audio track with the video and record narration as needed.
7. Add an intro (a brief sequence at the beginning) and an outro (a brief sequence at the end).
Business videos often include company logos, website URLs, and other branding elements in
intros and outros. Intros and outros often contain brief musical segments as well as a way to
transition into and out of the spoken portion of the video.
8. Add text titles and other features as needed.
9. Create a distributable file. Video editors give you a variety of output options at different file
sizes and screen resolutions, and some let you upload directly to YouTube.
Classroom discussion question: When you are researching (for work, for personal questions such as
shopping, or for school projects), how often do you rely on online video? As an information consumer,
how well does video meet your information needs? From a viewer’s perspective, what are the strengths
and weaknesses of video as a business communication medium?
HIGHLIGHT BOX: THE FUTURE OF COMMUNICATION
Gestural Computing
As students look into the business communication possibilities of gestural computing, you might remind
them of how much influence the consumer and entertainment sectors have on business technologies. For
instance, Facebook and many other social media platforms took off as consumer services originally but
were soon adopted by businesses.
HIGHLIGHT BOX: ETHICS DETECTIVE
Solving the Case of the Hidden Numbers
The bar chart developed by the scientist should not be used; the age ranges she selected do not accurately
represent the entire findings—information your audience definitely needs. In this case, it’s preferable to
either use the line chart or make another bar chart with all ages represented.
COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AT GOPRO
Individual Challenge
Student answers will vary, but each shot list entry should be complete enough to guide the preproduction
and production efforts. For example, “A shot of the arches at the entrance to the campus” would be
insufficient because it doesn’t identify the nature of the shot, where the camera(s) would need to be
placed, time of day, desired weather and lighting conditions, and other factors that need to be considered.
Team Challenge
Students should have some fun with this challenge, but they might be surprised at how much planning and
work is involved in creating even a short and informal video. Remind them that the emphasis is on
effective communication, so they’ll need to think through the scope of their video carefully so they don’t
get bogged down in details of the phone’s operation.
