Professional Communication: The Corporate Insider

1
Professional Communication The Corporate
Insiders Approach

• Chapter Four
• Arrangement Ordering and Visualizing Business
  Information

2
Choices in Presentation

• The way in which we cause facts to have value is
  in the choices we make about their presentation.

3
Choices in Presentation

• Presentation involves
• How we group facts
• How we present facts
• How clearly, efficiently, and accurately we
  portray facts

4
Organizing Rationales

• Definition
• Type/ Classification
• Status
• Summary
• Description
• Chronology

• Process Analysis
• Comparison/ Contrast
• Causality
• Interpretation
• Assessment
• Consequences

5
Graphics Are Useful . . .

• To describe a complex or new idea
• To present abstract structures
• To convey spatial relationships
• To provide a meaningful context for unfamiliar
  information
• To assist in attempts to solve problems
• To detail steps in a procedure
• To reinforce information provided in text

6
Bertin on Graphics

• Graphical depiction of information serves to
  help the audience with
• Recording information
• Communicating information
• Processing information
• (Source Jacques Bertin, Semiology of Graphics)

7
Key Attributes of Effective Graphics

• Efficiency
• Using the appropriate graphical format
• Emphasizing critical information
• Minimizing extreme decoration and distractions

8
Text, Table, or Graphic?

• Consider three factors
• The amount of information
• The need to read versus the need to visualize
  pieces of data
• The relationship among the data

9
Key Attributes of Effective Graphics

• Legibility
• Using space effectively
• Providing clear and accurate labeling of all
  information necessary to comprehend the graph
• Making the data and data points clear

10
Key Attributes of Effective Graphics

• Accuracy
• Avoiding using images that are suggestive of
  impressions different from that supported by the
  actual data
• Ensuring the context of the data is clear and
  appropriate
• Establishing scales on the axes that are
  complementary to the information being presented

11
Outlining

• An outline helps ensure that each piece of text
  or graphic information will be targeted to
• Contribute to achieving the purpose
• Be an efficient expression of how that purpose
  can be achieved
• Be a clear statement of ideas, assumption,
  supporting data, and conclusions
• Be an accurate and precise statement

12
Achieving OrganizationThe Lessons
Plan Group related materials Develop an outline Establish a progression of thoughts Apply appropriate organizing rationales
13
Achieving OrganizationThe Lessons
Develop Use outline structure to guide and build Consider where graphics will help Consider how main assertions can form headings, subtitles, and thesis sentences
14
Achieving OrganizationThe Lessons
Evaluate Use audience perspective to check arrangement Assess balance among segments Reconsider where to use narrative versus graphics