Conversation Page 4
Visual Communication: Who, Where, and Why
Although visual communication is a powerful tool, it has the most impact for a few specific types of messages and can take a few specific forms. This mode of communication is most useful in condensing more complicated messages into bite-sized morsels easily digested by an audience. Knowing where to blast a message and what information to include is essential for effective visual communication.
One of the easiest, cheapest, and simplest ways to make use of this is through a slideshow presentation. In workplaces, these are used frequently. What do they accomplish? Slide shows are essentially a series of projections which include simple bullet points of the information wished to be conveyed and accompanying pictures and graphs (if they are necessary). Slideshows are effective because the information meant to be read tends to be simple and broken down to be clear and concise. The presenter of a slideshow often speaks alongside the display of his or her slides, presenting more complicated information about the topic of the slideshow through verbal information. The most important and core ideas, however, are in the slides to reinforce the points that the audience is meant to pay the most attention to. Slideshows are common in the workplace, but many fall flat and bore the audience. Often, they are disorganized and unclear in their wording, leading the audience to lose interest quickly.
One of the first things to consider when creating a slide show is what information you would actually like to convey. Gather up all of the information you wish to impart, and find a logical way to sort it. Consider the number of slides you want or how long you believe your presentation needs to be. Once you have sorted out all your points, create slides separated by subtopics of your larger message. For example, if you are creating a slideshow about pizza, perhaps you would like to have one slide about the history of pizza, one slide about the dough, a slide about cheese, and a slide about tomato sauce.
When adding information to slides, remember that slides are not supposed to contain all of the information meant to be shared. Rather, slides contain the most important information on a subtopic and serve to remind the audience of what to pay attention to. Verbal communication from the presenter to the audience provides fine details of the topic. In the slide for pizza’s subtopic of cheese, the words on the slide would be something along the lines of “most common cheese on a pizza” and “originated in Italy.” The presenter could include an image of mozzarella alongside this text and speak a few words about other recipes which include mozzarella or why other cheeses are or are not suitable for pizza.
In addition, choose slideshow images wisely. No one wants to see a pixelated, stretched image distracting them from the important information. Instead, go for images which aid the audience’s understanding of a slide’s content. In the mozzarella slide for our fictional pizza slideshow, an image of mozzarella being made or a picture of a caprese salad could add to the audience’s understanding of the information conveyed to them. Try to choose pleasant and informative images meant to add to the audience’s understanding.
Once you have perfected your slideshow, it’s time to practice! The best slideshows are given by relaxed, confident speakers who do not read directly from very detailed slides and appear knowledgeable about the topic at hand. One way to ensure you come off this way is by practicing what you will say. Rehearse until you do not have to refer back to notes infrequently or not at all.
Another form of visual communication that you may have to engage in is through posters. Posters are large pictures which often include images. They are great for combining beauty and information in one piece of paper. A good poster is attractive but simple; it is easy to read, and it sends a compelling message. Here are a few tips for creating an attractive poster.
The defining quality of a good poster is legibility and clarity. Create a poster with a headline in a fairly large font that is legible from a distance and with more written information somewhere else on the poster. Having a legible poster will increase the likelihood that an audience will keep reading your poster. In addition, keep your words simple. Use about five hundred words at most. Posters are meant to be quick and easy to read; an audience cannot be forced to pay attention to a poster which looks like a boring five-paragraph essay.
Another important part of a good poster is how visually striking it is. A poster advertising a vacation home, for example, will include stunning images of the house surrounded by a sunset perhaps. A poster for a social justice cause could include graphic images of suffering or terrible conditions. The point of the pictures included in a poster is that they catch the audience’s attention and draw them into reading the words on the poster. An important fact to keep in mind is that no message is communicated if the audience does not look at the poster and look at its content. Another way to make a poster more visually appealing is by including bright colors. Reds, oranges, and primary colors make a poster pop. Use borders in these colors, or include images containing them. If you are trying to sell a product, perhaps choose colors which compliment the product you are attempting to sell. Trying to sell makeup? Use pinks and pastels. Trying to sell power tools? You can use graphics in hard-hat yellow and black. Remember, posters are not about reading the text but getting its audience to look at it.
Visual Communication Through Advertisement
Most people are almost constantly flooded by advertising. In 2019, the price of a thirty-second advertisement during the Super Bowl cost at least five million dollars. Something so expensive ought to be valuable, right?
Companies spend vast sums of money on advertising. They want to spread the word about their products and services to appeal to as many people as possible. Advertisements frequently include images of people enjoying themselves, attractive people, families spending time together, sex, and humor. These themes are often appealing to many people, and using them in an advertisement makes it more likely that an audience will buy those products. A common truism of the advertising industry is that advertisements do not sell products; they sell dreams.
Here, we will cover how to create an effective and creative advertisement and also how to steer clear of false advertising and protect yourself against the sometimes harmful messages pushed by large companies.
The first step to advertising your product is to use every platform available. Create business accounts on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and use popular hashtags to generate buzz about your product. Use them a lot—remember, you want your message to reach as many people as possible. Create posts with fun descriptions of your products, and demonstrate how useful or attractive your product is. Good advertisements and social media presence for businesses make a product appealing while also being informative. Also, seriously consider paying for an advertisement in a local newspaper. If you are looking to take out a sign, make sure it is in a location seen by many people. Make sure that it is visually appealing or striking like a poster. Once you get the audience’s attention, they will continue to look at the advertisement and devote some time to understanding your message.
More likely than not, you will find yourself on the receiving end of visual communication through advertising. The average person is exposed to approximately twenty thousand advertisements per day. As stated previously, advertisements sell dreams, not products. This principle means that our hopes and dreams are almost constantly susceptible to the influence of advertisements. Knowing how to read an advertisement to avoid wasting money or feeling emotionally drained from constant bombardment will allow you to be a critical thinker when on the receiving end of a visual message.
One of the most common criticisms of advertising is that it creates unrealistic body images of men and women. Often, for an advertisement having little to do with health or beauty product, we see impossibly beautiful people living happy, perfect lives as a result of using the product advertised. Over time, seeing advertisements featuring such unusually attractive people may leave us feeling sad and inadequate. While cutting back on y
our screen time by using Instagram less frequently or turning off the television may be useful, these tactics may often not be feasible because advertisement is built into almost every entertainment experience we have. When presented with an advertisement with an impossibly muscular man or extremely thin woman, ask yourself whether the product in question actually requires such beautiful people. Advertising often uses only the best-looking specimens of the human race and implicitly or explicitly implies that you, too, may become beautiful, wealthy, and successful if only you buy the product. Watch out for these messages. Remind yourself that your purchase is about the actual product and not the pie-in-the-sky promises you saw on television.
Another important message in advertising to consider is whether you actually need to advertise. Advertising often fabricates a need where there is not one. Manufacturers of supplements tell people that they will stop being sluggish and detoxify the body of sickening chemicals. The reality is that fatigue may be caused by diet or lifestyle, and human beings have lungs, a liver, and kidneys to “detoxify” the body. Obviously, some simple lifestyle changes, such as having more sleep, are less expensive than supplements, but the makers of these products would much rather have you believe their promises and buy their product so that they can turn a profit. When viewing an advertisement, question whether the product addresses a real need or a fabricated one. A real need may be a home-repair product or a tax-filing assistance service. These are products and services which almost anyone will need at some point. An advertisement for these may address a real need of a person and inform him or her about a product that may be useful. An advertisement for a product such as an anti-aging cream or a countertop appliance which can aid weight loss are products which fabricate a need. For the most part, aging is a natural human process, and effective anti-aging products are usually found only in doctors’ offices anyway. A small cooking appliance whose advertisement promises that it will aid weight loss also fabricates a need. Most people need only the appliances already included in a house or apartment, and they maybe a microwave, blender, or toaster. These sorts of advertisements, however, convince viewers that they have a need that needs to be filled. These products could not survive without advertising because no one is aware of these so-called needs until they are presented in an advertisement that is invested in getting the target market to spend money.
An important fact to keep in mind about advertising is that all advertisements are designed to increase a company’s profits. Visual messages are powerful and persuasive—advertising agencies make millions of dollars helping companies find the best way to sell their products. Advertisements are designed to get you to part with your money. Knowing how to engage with such messages without falling victim to advertisements’ exploitative tactics can transform you into a smart media consumer.
Knowing how to engage in visual communication is absolutely crucial in this image-obsessed world, with abundant information constantly at our fingertips. Knowing how to send a message through visual communication can increase your wealth and can be a channel for effective and fulfilling self-expression. On the other hand, becoming a savvy recipient of visual messages can help you make informed decisions about your needs and finances. Knowing how to send and receive visual messages will aid you greatly in getting your message out efficiently. You will also know how to protect yourself from the mind games and persuasion tactics often used in advertisements.
Chapter 6: Public Speaking
P ublic speaking is a form of verbal communication given by a communicator to a large audience. Political speeches are a form of public speaking. Commencement speeches by guest speakers are also a form of public speaking. Public speaking is arguably a form of art—a good public speaker can move an audience to tears and even change a few audience members’ lives.
Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr., and the ancient Roman statesman Cicero are some of the best public speakers who ever lived. Each one changed minds, nations, and history using their exacting and talented use of language. Words were their craft, and they became immortalized masters.
The Basics of a Good Speech
The very first steps of a great speech are all about the speaker: not the words, not the audience—just the speaker. The audience looks toward the speaker, absorbs the ideas he or she espouses, and scrutinizes the message of the words. The speaker’s every move counts.
Knowing that a good speech starts with the simple presence of the speaker, there are practices that all good speakers engage in. A good speaker knows his or her audience. A good speaker speaks with the education level, concerns, and hopes of the audience in mind. A good public speaker does due diligence to the audience by learning a bit about them and about their circumstances. This principle “know your audience” is the backbone of any good political speech and often makes or breaks election campaigns. In fact, a politician derided for not being relatable or for being out-of-touch has made this mistake. This politician did not know who would be at political rallies or speeches and who needed to hear themselves reflected in the public speech.
When voters hear a speech tailored to their needs and experiences, they are more likely to vote for the candidate. The feel seen and understood. The same goes for any other public speech. The audience does not want to feel like an anonymous crowd of nobodies to the speaker. So, tailor your speech to reflect your care and consideration of the audience. Thank them for coming, address their needs, and be prepared to empathize with them.
Another essential part of a good speech is eye contact with the audience. It is not possible for a single speaker to make eye contact with an entire group of people all at once, but the impression of this is achievable. To make eye contact, pick a member of the audience, and make eye contact with them as you give your speech. Switch it up every now and then, too, and choose a different audience member. This trick is effective because if you simply look directly beyond the audience, it would be relatively obvious. A speaker who looks over the audience without making eye contact will often appear blank and expressionless. An engaged speaker, however, will actually be engaged. Making eye contact with one audience member at a time is a genuine, authentic way to be a speaker who is present at the moment and who can impact humanity. Eye contact adds a personal element to this slightly not intimate form of verbal communication. Eye contact makes the speaker likable and human.
The final component of the speaker’s person is composure and body language. A good speaker will wear well-fitting clothing and have good posture. A good speaker will appear clean and confident. A nice suit, for example, adds an element of authority and formality. A relaxed, open stance will make a good speech because a confident speaker is a believable one. The audience wants the speaker to empathize with them and also match the emotion of the speaker. Have you ever seen a speaker make a happy speech or a sad speech to a random audience and they all wind up laughing or in tears? The same principle goes for a speaker who appears anxious, timid, or unsure. The audience will pick up on this and feel uncomfortable with the speaker. Pick a tone and composure you want to impart to your audience, and stick to it.
Knowing the bare bones of a good speech is important. Knowing that a good speech starts with the speaker preparing accordingly lays the foundation for a good speech. Rhetoric, jokes, and emotions count for almost nothing if a speaker does not master the guidelines above. Now that the skeleton of a good speech has been delineated, it’s time for the muscle and flesh.
How to Make a Speech
A good speaker is prepared. This sounds obvious, but there is more to preparation than simply having the speech written and practicing it in the mirror a few times before delivering it to an audience. A good speaker not only knows his or her speech from memory, or at least without reading directly from notes, but they also understand the speech. The good speaker understands the content of the speech such that, if necessary, they could condense it into a more colloquial speech. The speaker should seem familiar with the material of the speech and
sound invested in it. Once again, the audience wants to match your emotion; appearing invested and very knowledgeable of the topic at hand is necessary for this.
A good speaker will also project his or her voice and pause appropriately. Stop a little bit longer at the end of commas, periods, and paragraphs. This allows the audience to keep pace and absorb the information they hear and prevent you, the speaker, from sounding like you are droning monotonously. A good public speaker will change up the tone and pitch of his or her voice when appropriate so as not to bore the audience. An overly consistent tone and pitch will also sound like droning to an audience. This is to be avoided at all costs; pauses and effective vocal variation can prevent this.
Functionally, the volume of the voice is also important in a good speech. Speak too softly, and the audience won’t hear a thing or will have to focus too hard to understand what you are actually saying. Speak too loudly, and those in the front row may find themselves annoyed or even develop a headache. Find a volume where the back of the room will be able to hear you loudly and clearly without popping the eardrums of those audience members in the front row.
Lastly, watch your audience. If they all have a blank stare while leaning back in their seats and looking around the room, you have lost their attention. If they lean forward and look toward you consistently, you are doing well. This means the audience is engaged and hanging onto your words.
Voice, style, and poise are all important parts of a speech, but one final piece is missing—rhetoric itself! Speeches are about words. The art and poetry of a sentence make a good speech into a great one. The next section will cover all the rhetorical and poetic devices you may find useful to include in your speech.