The Right Visuals with the Right Words


2/14/2011

The Wall Street Journal ran an excellent article by graphic designer Nancy Duarte on the importance of using the right pictures with the right words when you're making a presentation.

Some of the points and tips she touches on are:

  • We do lots of presentations these days, but "few people are trained in visual thinking."
  • When pictures* and words are used well together it deepens the experience, "unifing mind and emotion."
  • *But, they have to be the right pictures.
  • "Keep slides simple."
  • "A slide's message should come across in two or three seconds."
  • "Think of each slide as a single word in a sentence ... and move through them as fast as you'd like."
  • "Unpack technical slides and deliver the information through a story."
  • Use slides to remind an audience how your message matters to real people.
  • Bar graphs and charts may be colorful, but don't make an emotional impression.
Read the whole article at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703954004576090053995594270.html.


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