How Visuals Help - Microsoft Office 2010
Not too long ago, most business reports weren’t very exciting . They might have had a cover
page, a column or two, and maybe a page border . The title might have been in a larger font
(Times Roman, most likely), and the body text was probably your basic 10-point or 12-point
standard font . But it was just business communication, right? Better to focus on the facts and
leave the fancy stuff to the marketing brochures .
The affordability of color laser printers and the ability to design attention-getting materials
on the desktop have changed all that . Today we recognize that no matter what we produce,
our materials are competing for readers’ attention . And research shows us that documents,
presentations, notebooks, and worksheets that are clear, easy to read, and include visual cues
that help lead our eyes to the most important points capture our attention and reinforce key
concepts in the document or presentation .
By adding special artistic effects to text; formatting headlines, captions, and tables in an in-
viting way; and thinking through the way you use pictures, charts, diagrams, and more, you
can dramatically increase the power of your message and make sure your readers get the
point .
Benefits of Pictures in Communications
The images you add to your documents, worksheets, presentations, notebooks, and
e-mail messages serve several purposes . They not only add visual interest and give your
readers’ eyes a rest, they are also known to provide the following real communication
benefits:
Pictures linked to written text increase attention and help recall .
Pictures help improve your readers’ comprehension .
Readers’ emotional response to pictures can help or hinder communication .
Readers with lower literacy skills show improved comprehension when
pictures are used in documents .
Captions help readers make the connection between pictures and text .
Pictures showing outcomes, actions, or processes can help readers know what
to do after reading a document .
