Although many writers readily think of using visual aids in long reports, such aids can also increase the effectiveness of short reports. You should use visual aids to emphasize, clarify, simplify, reinforce, and summarize information in both simple and complex oral or written reports. Further, visuals may be used to add interest, improve credibility, and increase the coherence of written messages. Further, visuals may be used to add interest, improve credibility, and increase the coherence of written message.
Emphasize
Reports often cover many points, but not all are of equal importance. Visual aids can be used effectively within reports to emphasize specific information. In addition, a visual aid on the report cover can draw the reader's attention to the main point of that report.
Clarify
A second purpose of visual aids is to clarify something that may be difficult to express clearly in words alone.
Simplify
Another purpose for visual aids is to simplify data. Simplification involves breaking a complex whole into its component parts while preserving the essential nature of the hold.
Reinforce
To reinforce to make stronger or more pronounced. Repetition is one form of reinforcement that helps people remember something important; but reinforcement is usually most effective when information is presented in more than one way, rather than through mere repetition.
Summarize
Visual aids can effectively summarize detailed information. A summary covers main points succinctly without providing all details. A good summary presents a reader with essential information and minimized the amount of reading required to obtain that information. If constructed accurately, a single visual aid, such as a table or chart, can summarize several pages of narrative.
Add interest
Visuals are effective tools to create interest and to relieve the tedium of a lengthy narrative. They make a report more attractive. Even in short reports, visual devices such as bullets, square, or pointers can provide interest
Improve Credibility
Visual aids tend to add a sense of credibility that cannot be conveyed through words alone.
Graphics and pictures create a sense of precision. Many readers tend to believe that a writer who uses well-designed, accurate visual aids is a confident, credible information source.
Increase Coherence
Effective reports are coherent-that is, all parts come together in logical relationships. The report writer may understand the relationships because of extensive exposure to the data but the report will not be effective unless those relationships are also made clear to the readers. Visual aids such as flowcharts, summary tables, or diagrams can show the relationships among different parts of a report.
Criteria for effective Visual aids
To use visual aids effectively in reports, you must be familiar with certain principles of graphics that apply to all visuals. In addition, you should follow guides for identification and placement of visuals in reports and adhere to criteria for ethical representation of information
Principles of graphics
- Simplicity
- Contrast
- Unity
- Balance
Identification and Placement
- Introduce
- Display
- Discuss
Choosing and constructing Visual Aids
Bar charts
A bar chart is a graphic that uses two or more rectangles along with vertical and horizontal axes to represent information.
Pie chart
A pie chart is a circle divided into segments. Pie charts are also called circle charts or circle graphs.
Line charts
A line chart consists of a vertical axis, a horizontal axis, and one or more plotted lines. Each axis contains a measurement scale that identifies the factors of comparison
Relationship charts
A relationship chart shows how several non-numeric factors act together. Two relationship charts that you may find useful in reports are the flow chart and the factor relationship chart
Other visual aids
Three visual aids that are especially effective to add interest to a report are pictures, pictographs, and statistical maps
Ethical Considerations
A final criterion for effective visual aids is that all visuals must be ethical representations of data. Although you may use visuals effectively to emphasize, summarize, etc., you should avoid distortion of data. Visuals can sometimes have more impact than their accompanying text for three reasons.
- Visual have an emotional impact that words lack.
- Skimmers of items will see visuals even when they do not read the text.
- Readers remember visuals longer.
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