Conceptual Presentations
|
Presentations
are becoming increasingly visual and less textual. Converting every concept
into an image is the challenge and, at the same time, the solution.
|
Presentations with
visual support, typically running under PowerPoint, have become ubiquitous.
All of us have been at some time in need of making one of them and they are, increasingly, a
part of our daily work.
Did I said with
visual support? Surprisingly a good deal of the presentations we have to
suffer are basically long strings of sentences and phrases that the presenter just
recites, maybe with some collateral explanation. The use of graphics, although increasing, is
rather scarce. (see also issue number 73on Information Graphics)
Why use graphics?
If you have already seen some boring presentations where all the slides
are textual, you already know: among other things, there’s no way to differentiate one from
another in our minds.
Visual elements:
Text slides all
have the same look
Visual elements
remain in memory
Pieces of two
different presentations (in Spanish)
Once upon a time
we had to show the ideas for the future of the R+D dept. We made a slide
with a sky- blue background with white clouds floating, each one with an idea. For a long time
after many people still remembered the “ideas in the sky”.
Basically there
are two types of graphic material to consider
-
Conceptual:
tries to illustrate the ideas and abstract concepts that animate our
projects or that show our discoveries and conclusions.
Quantitative, like the typical bar and pie charts, etc. that show, graphically, the
quantities that demonstrate how our projects are performing or, simply, they show
measurements of our interest.
The most unknown
is maybe the first one, since there are very few software programs that give
graphical support to ideas. The second one has become much more popular, since every
spreadsheet provides ways to present graphically quantitative data.
I’ve been
actively searching for information about the best way to represent ideas and concepts
graphically with discouraging results. There is very little literature on the topic.
Nevertheless it’s
possibly the most powerful way of expression in a presentation. Gene
Zelazny, in his book “Say it with charts”* divides these visual elements
into two groups:
-
Abstract geometric
figures, like arrows, triangles circles and the like, that can be
used to compose concepts. Arrows, one of the most expressive and ubiquitous
symbols give, for example, idea of movement, implication, connection and direction.
Circles can express, among others, ideas like cycle, closure, group or periodicity.
Visual metaphors, familiar figures that transmit an idea. For example a fish biting the
hook, two people playing tug of war, a chain with a weak link.
Zelazny gathers
almost 50 pages of symbols and figures that express ideas, but they aren’t that
much different from what you can find in the Clip Art that comes with PowerPoint or the
imagesyou
can find in Google.
The important (and
difficult) thing is how to convert ideas into drawings, diagrams or visual
metaphors showing the concept. For this there aren’t many established rules.
What I propose
to you is an exercise.
An imaginary
textual slide that classifies products. On screen appears basically the same
that the presenter recites. There's no visual reference to the structure (a pyramid).
Click on the image to enlarge it
The same slide
with much more visual contents. Some minimal texts are respected. The
visual impact of the triangle and the metaphor of the pyramid appear well reflected. The text of
the previous slide can be used as notes for the presenter.
Click on the image to enlarge it
I think you will
probably find that:
Switching to
visual presentations requires considerable effort, specially when the
graphics have to been mastered by ourselves. Nevertheless the impact and improvement in the
transmission of ideas is really noticeable and can make the difference between delivering
the message or showering the audience with difficult to assimilate words.
Review:
Gene Zelazny, Say it with Charts,
Chicago: Irwin Professional Publishing,
Third Edition, 1996. Pp. 198. $45.00
The charts which appear in this article are from Say it with Charts by Gene Zelazny
1996
and are reproduced with the permission of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
Pie,
bar, column, line,or dot? What determines the chart form you should use? The
answer is a question: What is your message?
The author of Say It with Charts, Gene Zelazny, believes that when charts are well-
conceived, they help us communicate more effectively and with greater clarity.
When charts aren't well conceived, they confuse us. He makes his point as he
demonst rates, often with humor, how to utilize high-impact charts that deliver your
message and how to avoid the use of unclear charts. For example, he shows what
can happen if the reader doesn't heed his caution to keep dot charts simple.
Zelazny, a director of visual communications
with more
Zelazny, a director of visual communications
with more than 30 years experience in
designing management reports and presentations, begins his book with a story
about a manager who knows his numbers but fails to get his message across. His
story reminds u s of the times we have examined impressive looking charts but
were unable to comprehend the mumbo-jumbo. While we all may be statistically-
challenged at times, sometimes our confusion lies at the feet of the presenters
who, through poor chart usag e, send obscure or clouded messages. The tow
charts that follow illustrate how to tun an obscure message into a clear one:
This useful and fun-to-read book provides
a portfolio of more than 80 sample charts
and practice exercises. The author shows us how to decide when a chart is
needed, how to choose the most appropriate chart, and how to transform raw data
into a chart. H is three- step process takes us from data to chart:
-
Determine your message, i.e., the specific
point you want to make. This is
very important as it is not the data or the measure, but the message that
will enable you to choose the correct chart form. The message title should
be as brief as possible and summarize what is to be shown.
To assist us in following this three-step
process, a matrix is provided which
illustrates the primary choices: down the side are the five basic chart forms; across
the top are the five types of comparison. For some charts, such as time series,
frequency distributions, and correlations, there may be several choices of chart
forms. Deciding which form to use is determined by the number of data points
being plotted. For example, to show time series or frequency distribution with say,
six or seven data poi nts, the column chart should be used while the line chart
should be used when there are many data points. For correlation comparisons, a
bar chart is used to show few data points while a dot chart is used to show many.
This book is packed with pointers and
tips to help the reader make good chart
choices, such as:
Charts are an important part of language.
It takes time and patience to learn the
vocabulary and lots of practice until the skill becomes second nature. But everyone
will know you are a master of your subject when you can present your thoughts in
charts that are clear, concise, and meaningful.
This book is an enjoyable read for anyone
interested in learning about charts, and a
wonderful resource for those interested in improving the quality of the reports they
produce.
1. McKinsey Research
