What is Visual Communication?

A picture says a thousand words without saying anything. The words are imprecise and not so perfect conveyors of the meaning particularly in communicating the statistical data and the complex information. The statistical data is difficult to understand in the maze of the words. The technical processes and the procedures are difficult to understand when the words are used in the process of the communication. The visual aids are required to be used in such situation that includes pictures, graphs table etc. is is helpful when someone wants to show something rather than tell something. The reports form a very essential part in the business communication and they are required when someone asks to elaborate the exact position of the business and this type of work can be done only with the help of graphs and numbers. The emphasis is laid on the key points in this way and they act as supplementary to the words. They make the content supplementary and the information can be delivered through it in broad way. The physical appearance of the report is enhanced by using the pictures, graphs, numbers or figures or the statistical.

The design of the visual should be the simple one and it should not be the complex that leads to the confusion and misunderstanding in the process of the communication. It places the picture proximates to the related content. The size of graphs, tables should commensurate the content. The colours used should be appropriate and the cross hatches to improve appearance of the picture and the graph. The rules and the borders also increase the appearance of the aids used in the business communication. The horizontal printing must be used to enhance the charm of the appearance of the written aids in the business communication. The different types of the aids are graphs, tables, drawings and diagrams. The graphs resent the relationship between the two variables. The cyclic movements can be spotted through the graph with the help of these graphs. The two variables are taken in to consideration at the same time. The effect of the change in one is noticed on the other variable and vice versa. The position of the two variables can be seen in very less time by viewing the graph. We do not need to go through the long detail of the written form to figure out the exact position of the company of any business organization.

The graphs that are used frequently in the business communication can be of the different types and the few of them are line graphs, bar graphs, column bar graphs, bilateral bar graphs, pie charts, XY scatter graphs bubble graphs or area graphs. All the graphs are important in their own ways and have both the advantages and the disadvantages. These graphs are used in the different ways for different purposes. Line graphs help us to show the relation between the two different variables along the continuum. The change in sales profit, capacity utilization etc can be easily shown with the help of the line graphs over the different span of the time. There are different advantages as well as different disadvantages for the line graph. The advantages include the permission to compare several variables over the time with the help of the line graph. The increase and the decrease can be indicated clearly with the help of the up and down line receptively. The symbols that are used on the lines are used to add the clarity in the point that is needed to be explained with the help of the line graph. We also have disadvantages of the line graphs in many ways. Like in the case depictions of the too many variables one can get confuse. The precise and fine distinctions are difficult to ascertain. The bar graphs are used to compare the difference in quantities, that are represented by the length of the bar over the time or location etc. These bars are arranged either vertically or horizontally. The advantage of the bar graph is simple in form. The use of colours and cross-hatching is used to increase the visual appeal. The comparisons and trends are visibly clear. The disadvantages of the bar graph include comparison of different items over the period in a clear way. The precise distinctions are hard to notice between the variables of the graphs.

The contents may be overwhelmed by the visual impact. The column bar graphs depict simultaneously quantities of more than one variable. It makes the comparison over the location or the time. The comparison of the different items or the location can be shown with the help of the bar graph. The bar charts, colours and cross hatching add to the visual appeals of the graph. The titles and the sub titles can be easily adopted for the data. There are many disadvantages for this also and it includes the difficulty in showing the comparisons or the trends. The visual impact gets reduced due to the inclusion of the so many items. The precise distinction is difficult o make between the two items. Then are the bilateral graphs that show the plus as well as the minus deviations in the quantities along the locatio and the time. The time in the bilateral graph represents the time on the horizontal ends and the minus or the plus deviation on the vertical ends. The sub divided bars are used when total quantities are required to be shown along with the sub divided part. Here also the colours and cros hatches are used to increase the visual impact. They show the proportionate share of the each variable in the different periods. The increase and the decrease in any variable are kept a close watch in the bar graphs. The too many items if included in it may lead to the printing too small that can be difficult to read. One cannot have the exact knowledge of the proportional share of the different items in the period that one can have in the pie charts. The pie charts on the other hand show the whole information ha is sub divided into the slices representation of the parts and expressed in the percentage on the whole. The advantages of the pie chart includes the including of the values, headings and the legends in the pie chart that can be placed above, below, aside or inside the chart. The proportional share of the different items in a period is shown very neatly and precisely in the pie chart. The segment of the pie chart can be extracted out for explaining in the deep form and also for the visual emphasis. It can be used in a very effective way for the written as well as the oral presentation.

The disadvantages of the pie chart include the blur distinction due to the use of too many parts and values. It is difficult to know the area grabbed by the each slice y the human eye. It does not help us to compare the value over more than one period. It gives the information of the value for one period only. The XY graphs are used to show the relationship between the numeric values in several data over both the even interval of the time as well as the uneven interval of the time. The bubble graph is also a type of the XY scatter graph with the third variable of the relative size. The area graphs are used just like the line graphs. They are made in that way only but the difference in the line graph and the area graph is that the area or the space under the line is filled with the cross hatching or the colours to use that space to represent the area. The sales and the profits can be described with the help of the area graph very correctly and precisely. The other thing that is used as the aid for the business communication is the table. The tables are the systematic and the summarized presentation of the data into the form of the rows and the columns. In the same way of the graph, the tables are the instruments for communicating the data into the columns and the rows. The tables can contain the more complex information in the detailed form or narrative material that explains the various parts of the data. The advantages of the table include the permission to use the precise figures or the statistics. They also allow the reader to have the in-depth sight of the situation through the classified data and then return to the text for the different types of the reviews. They also help to incorporate the complete detail along with the decimals also. The disadvantage of the table includes the things like they do not show the difference among the different things. They are not appropriate for the oral presentation as they are visually dull. Sometimes the minute detail item distract the readers and hence leads to the chaos in the understanding the actual motive of the communication process in the business. The drawings and the diagrams increase the communicability of the written materials. The sight of the single diagram can do so much as compared to the thousand words in the written form. A single diagram can have the power of the thousand words. These are used along with the written content in the type of the photographs, charts and the diagram maps. The organizational charts can be used to show the sequential relationship among the various individuals. The diagrams can be used to explain the complex structure of the machines or the complicated designs. The maps are also the examples of the diagrams and the drawings. They are used to give the information for the geographical areas. The different profession use different types of the drawings and the diagrams according to their need and the purpose. Like in the case of the architects the drawings help to elaborate the structure of the house or any building which cannot be explained with the help of the words or the tables. The tables and the graphs are used for the comparison purposes.

The drawings are used to illustrate the different things and hence make them understand in a better way. They are all included in the various types of the visual communication. One can use the process of visual communication in en effective way in order to explain the things in abetter way. There are number of things to be kept in the mind for purpose of effective visuals. The placement of the visuals should be made in such a way that it is placed near the paragraph that explains the whole process in the written way and is completely related to that subject. It is important to introduce the visual before using them as it can lead to some confusion by introducing the visual immediately without giving any reference in your speech. It should be simple and the complexity should be avoided to make it more effective way of communicating in the business communication. The use of more than eight lines should be avoided in the outline chart and the use of more than six to eight categories should be avoided in the bar graphs. The line graph should not contain the more than three to four lines as it may make it more complicated to understand and the simplicity wil be effected by this way. The use of titles and the terms should be avoided in the graphs as well as the tables. The graphics and the tables should be used in emphasized manner. The graphic packages should also allow an unlimited variety of the visual techniques. It should be used sparingly but in a well planned way. There should be the consistency in the colour, scales, titles, logos and the patterns used for all types of the visuals. The humors in the visuals make it more interesting. This can be done by using the clip art in the visuals. It should be selected in the reference to the formality and the informality with the reader. If the visuals are used in the official way then the use of the humour should be restricted. They can be used in the informal presentations. The creative merging of the contents and the visuals will let the attention of the reader to be drawn to the written material in an effective way. The creative merging of the content and the visual will help hold the attention of the reader and i will make understand the things in a better way. The difference in the variations can be seen by rounding off the figures and using the percentage values.

The outline gives the prose overviews. The bar graph gives the comparison between the two or the more than two variables. The pie charts often view the single category broken down in the various parts normally totaling to hundred percent. The line graphs give the change over the time. In this way different graphic choices give different meanings and they explain the different concepts in simple way. The size of the visual should be sufficient one as it should be visible from anywhere in the room. Hence the visual aids that are used to make the communication better are the best ways to enhance the effectiveness of the communication. The graphs, symbols that are used make the communication easy so that the data is interpreted in a better way. It allows us to share the information of the figures and numeric data in an interesting way. It helps to make the physical appearance good and also increase the readability of the data. The technical process and the procedure can be made understandable with the help of the graphs and the tables. Any organization needs the data in the form of the reports. The tables, graphs and the diagrams form an important part of the reports. One can measure the accuracy of the report from the precise figures that are used in the report. Hence the reports and the presentation of the organization help to use the idea of the graphs and the tables in an effective way. It is the pictorial representations of many things that lead to the making understand the relation between the two or even more than two variables. The cyclic movements can be best explained with the help of the graphs. The mathematics also involves the trigonometric functions that can be one of the best explained by the graph due to its repetitive nature. The graphs, the tables and the diagrams are used in an organization presentation so that more can be told without the usage of fewer words. The way by which the share holders can explain the market position is the use of the graphs. The architects use the drawings and the diagrams to explain the map of the building. The three dimensional drawings are more effective to tell the exact situation of the object and explains the things in a better way. Hence these visual aids can be used to make the communication in the business more effective and lead to better exchange of ideas from one person to the other person. It is used widely among the big organization where the report making process is necessary to review the performance of the company.