visual aids in reports and presentations

8/18/2019 Visual Aids in Reports and Presentations

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Mahenge, W


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An Overview

These days it is unimaginable that a technical

report or article can be written without someform of graphic display to support the text.With the advent of the digital ageincorporating images in a written report is as

easy as clicing the mouse a few times


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!"#$%$T$O%&A visual'graphic aid refers to a text'(gure that

helps you or the reader to better understandthe text visually. &o features such as tables,charts, timelines, captions, etc.


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Visuals arouse reader

immediate interest.)ecause many readers are visually oriented,

visuals unloc doors of meaning. *eaders whoplace great emphasis on visual thining willpay special attention to the visuals. +isualscatch the readers eye -uicly by settingimportant information apart and by givingthem relief from looing at sentences andparagraphs. )ecause of their sie, shape,colour and arrangement, visuals are dramaticand maintain reader interest.


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+isuals increase reader

understanding by simplifyingconcepts.A visual shows ideas whereas a verbal

description only tells them. +isuals areespecially important and helpful if you have toexplain a technical process to a nonspecialistaudience. Moreover, visuals can simplifydensely paced statistical data, maing acomplex set of numbers easier tocomprehend. +isuals help readers seepercentages, trends, comparisons andcontrasts.


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/ontdVisuals are especially important for non-

native speakers of a language andmulticultural audiences.

+isuals spea a universal language and so canreadily be understood. )ecause visuals posefewer problems in interpretation, they can

help reduce ambiguities andmisunderstanding.


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/ontdVisuals condense and summarize a large

quantity of information into a relativelysmall space. The saying, 0A picture says athousand words,1 is true. "normous amountsof statistical or (nancial data, over manywees, months, and even years, can beincorporated concisely into one compactvisual.


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Visuals emphasize key

relationships. Through their arrangement and form, visuals

-uicly show contrasts, similarities, growthrates, downward and upward movements and2uctuations in time, money and space. 3ieand bar charts, for example, showrelationships of parts to the whole, and anorganiational chart can graphically displaythe hierarchy and departments of a companyor agency.


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Visuals are highlypersuasive.3laced in appropriate sections of a document,

visuals can capture the essence of ideas toconvince a reader to buy our products orservices or to accept our points of view. Avisual can graphically display, explain, andreinforce the bene(ts and opportunities ofplan we are advocating. *eaders are far moreliely to recall the visual than they might be averbal description or summary of it.


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Characteristics of

Eective Visuals+isual aids are useful when selected and

presented correctly. 4ere are suggestions forchoosing e5ective visuals.


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Inserting Visuals

Appropriately .+isuals are best when placed as close as

possible to the (rst mention of them in thetext and are most e5ective at either the top ofbottom of a page. $f the visual is smallenough, it should be inserted directly in thetext rather than on a separate page.


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Identifying and citing the

sources of visuals.

3rofessional visual aids have identifying

elements within a caption 6title7 that indicatedthe sub8ect or that explains what the visualillustrates. 6e.g. "xhibit 9: 4otel Occupancy

;anuary < March =>>>7. A di5erent typeface

and sie in the title maes the visuals standout. /redit to sources of visuals is credited in asimple statement or in in?text citations.


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Considering how a

specic visual will helpreaders.What the reader needs to now visually, what

type of visual will best meet the readersneeds, and how the visual can be created6scanned, imported, drawn7 help us determinewhat will be included in visuals.


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Inserting Visuals

Appropriately .+isuals are best when placed as close as

possible to the (rst mention of them in thetext and are most e5ective at either the top ofbottom of a page. $f the visual is smallenough, it should be inserted directly in thetext rather than on a separate page.


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Identifying and citing the

sources of visuals.3rofessional visual aids have identifying

elements within a caption 6title7 that indicatedthe sub8ect or that explains what the visualillustrates. 6e.g. "xhibit 9: 4otel Occupancy

;anuary < March =>>>7. A di5erent typefaceand sie in the title maes the visuals standout. /redit to sources of visuals is credited in asimple statement or in in?text citations.


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Using high qualityvisuals.+isuals should be clear, easy to read, and

relevant. +isuals that are of poor -uality 6toosmall, done in pencil, crooed lines7 canactually create a poor impression of the reportand upon us as professionals.


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Helping the reader

connect the visuals tothe text .)y indicating within the text exactly when the

reader should loo at the visual 6usually bythe statement 0&ee #ig. 91, for example7, thevisual has a greater impact on the reader.*eaders should be told where visuals can befound 60below,1 0on the following page,1 0tothe right,1 0at the bottom of page @.17


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enerally+isuals should not be distorted for emphasis

or decoration. They should avoiddiscrimination and stereotypes 6such as usingpictures of a worforce that excludes femaleemployees7


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When to use graphicsByou are using to many words to explain

something

you are presenting trends or a lot ofnumerical data

you are doing a comparison over manycategories


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raphic'visual aidsraphics can be used to represent the

following elements in your technical writing:


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*eal things 6Ob8ects7? $f you want to describe how any piece of

e-uipment or machinery wors, youCll do amuch better 8ob if you provide a drawing ordiagram. Any explanation will bene(t from anillustration of how that particular tas is done.3hotographs, drawings, diagrams, andschematics are the types of graphics thatshow ob8ects.


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%umbers Tables, bar charts, pie charts, and line graphs

are some of the principal ways to shownumerical data. $f youCre discussing the risingcost of cars in &ingapore, you could use atable with the columns for the di5erent timeperiodsD and the rows for di5erent types ofcars. Eou could show the same data in the

form of bar charts, pie charts, or line graphs.


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$nstructionsWhen giving complex instructions or

explaining a process consider using a2owchart. $t simpli(es the process and theunderstanding of the instructions


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/hoicesWhen submitting a proposal,

recommendation, or evaluation report,photographs are a good visual aid to use. #orexample, if you are recommending a onebuilding site over another, or one machineover another, include photos of the two 6ormore7 alternatives


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!escriptionsWhen giving descriptions, you would also

want to use pictures or drawings. &impledrawings 6often called line drawings becausethey use 8ust lines, without other details suchas shading7 are the most common. Theysimplify the situation and the ob8ects so thatthe reader can focus on the ey details. This is

done by using tools such as shading anddepth perspectives.


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TE3"& Tables

Fraphs

F/hartsF!rawings

F3hotographs

F!iagrams

FMaps


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Tables Tables are those rows and columns ofnumbers and, sometimes, words. They allowrapid access to information and comparison of

information. Of course, tables are notnecessarily the most vivid or dramatic meansof showing trends or relationships betweendata

&ee example below


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Uses for tables. The biggest use of tables is for numerical

data. $magine that you are comparingdi5erent models of co5ee maers. All

speci(cations, whether they are price orphysical characteristics such as height, depth,length, weight, and so on are perfect for atable.

Tables can be simple or complex


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raphs

These are

Gine graphs

)ar graphs


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"xample of a &imple )arraph&imple )ar graph to show "lectricity 3roduction in Tanania

&ource:http:''www.tradingeconomics.com'tanania'electricity?production?wh?wb?data.html


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/hartsA chart is a graphical representation of data, in which Hthedata is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart,lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart

A histogram consists of tabular fre-uencies, shown asad8acent rectangles, erected over discrete intervals6bins7, with an area e-ual to the fre-uency of theobservations in the interval.

A bar chart is a chart with rectangular bars withlengths proportional to the values that they represent.

The bars can be plotted vertically or horiontally.A pie chart shows percentage values as a slice of a pie.A line chart is a two?dimensional scatterplot of ordered

observations where the observations are connectedfollowing their order


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A histogram consists of tabular fre-uencies, shown asad8acent rectangles, erected over discrete intervals6bins7, with an area e-ual to the fre-uency of theobservations in the interval.

A bar chart is a chart with rectangular bars withlengths proportional to the values that they represent.

The bars can be plotted vertically or horiontally.

A pie chart shows percentage values as a slice of a

pie.A line chart is a two?dimensional scatter plot of

ordered observations where the observations areconnected following their order


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A pie chartA pie chart 6or a circle graph7 is a circular

chart divided into sectors, illustratingnumerical proportion. $n a pie chart, the arc

length of each sector 6and conse-uently itscentral angle and area7, is proportional to the-uantity it represents. While it is named for itsresemblance to a pie which has been sliced,

there are variations on the way it can bepresented.


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A pie chart showing the sources of "lectricityin Tanania

&ource:


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!rawings


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3hotographs


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diagramsA diagram of a scaford


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Maps


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$n Oral 3resentations, +isual Aids...

&trengthen the clarity of the speaers message

$ncrease the interest of the speaersinformation

Mae a speaers message easier for listenersto retain

"nhance the speaers credibility

/an improve the speaers persuasion

4elps combat stage fright


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