Visual Aids

VISUAL AIDS 

Visual aids are forms of supporting material, which provide all forms of intellectual, technical, psychological, emotional & sensory reinforcement of idea

Importance of Visual Aids     

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Transmit the message quickly & accurately Clarify & supplement the verbal analysis Confirm & reinforce verbal analysis Makes description more lucid & vivid Enable writer or presenter to present large data in less space & with greater precision Helps the presenter or writer to explain & summarize clearly & quickly the given information

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Helps reader to understand & remember verbal communication easily Creates more interest than verbal communication Enables the writer or presenter to present an integrated picture of no. of items or to compare various data Helps writer or presenter to present information in a condensed form Emphasize particularly important points

Guidelines for preparing Visual Aids  

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Each visual should have as few elements as possible to make its point clear Ensure that each visual deals with one idea to be self-sufficient & understandable itself Give each visual aid a suitable precise & succinct title which is centered and placed against or below the number and not longer than width of table or figure. If title cannot be accommodated in 1 line then run it into 2 to 3 lines with single spacing Visual aids are classified into tables & figures.  Give number to each visual aid [e.g. Table 1.1]  Every visual should have a title preceded by number When you refer to the visual use its number rather than its title 

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E.g. List of students present is given in Table 5.1

Specify the units of measurement & identify lines of graph Provide a description if needed for visual aids Only necessary mathematical equations should be included Select an appropriate visual aid to illustrate the material

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Explain the visual adequately Give directions for reading Indicate sources Do not crowd with unnecessary information If illustration must be presented on vertical plane of page then place in against the inside binding Visual aid must fit within the margins, if large reduce size.

Placement of Visual Aids 

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Visual aids should be placed where they are needed for emphasis, clarity, simplification, reinforcement, summary, interest, credibility or coherence. An effective process for incorporating a visual aid is: INTRODUCE

DISPLAY

DISCUSS

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If space permits, place the visual on the same page after its introduction, if it does not fits than continue with your discussion and place the visual at the top of the next page After introduction & display discuss it in interpretative and analytical manner In long discussions go for: Introduction Display Discuss In short discussions go for: Introduction Discussion

Display

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More points to be noted: 

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Insert visual aid close as possible to the explanation If visual aid has some bearing on conclusion then place it in the appendix and refer to it in explanation If the aid is small then place it right on the text page. If an illustration is to be consulted through out the report than better place it in the appendix If text illustration covers several pages, place it in an appendix If it is used for general purpose then place it in the appendix If it is less important to your explanation, place it in the appendix

Types of Visual Aids Illustrations Figures

Tables Numerical Table

Dependent Table

Verbal Table

Independent Table

Graphs

Charts

Photographs

Map

Drawing Icons

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Tables: 

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A table is a systematic arrangement of data setup in columns and rows classified as either informal or formal. The former is called ‘dependent’ and the later ‘independent’ It can be used for displaying either numerical or verbal information in an accurate, concise, logical & easily readable form. If the data is in form of words or phrases it is called verbal table If the data is in form of numerical data it is called as numerical table The first column is called subhead under which a number of items are listed; the other columns are called box heads

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Tables are further classified into two parts: (A) Dependent Table:-It is a relatively, brief, simple and clear. It is continuation of verbal analysis. -Often they have no title -It cannot be listed in list of tables -It has 3 to 4 columns & 8 to 10 lines utmost (B) Independent Table:- An independent table is separated noticeably from the text. It is self-contained and intelligible to the reader

Figures 

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A figure is, any visual aid that is not a table, a category that includes graphs, charts, drawings, diagrams, photographs, maps and icons. Graph:- Graphs are pictorial forms of tables. There are various types of graphs       

Bar graph Pie graph Single line graph Rectilinear graph Scatter graph Multiple Line graph Pictorial graph

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Diagrams:- Diagrams are sketches or drawings of the parts of an item or the steps in a process Photographs:- They are useful for giving a realistic & accurate view of your subject. They are used for 2 purpose:  

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To assist verbal description To prove the truth of assertions

Charts:- Graphs showing relationships between things by using two scales, whereas charts use only one. 

Tables & graphs show quantitative relationships, whereas charts in this section show non-quantitative information. E.g.; Organization Chart, Flow Chart

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Maps:- They are useful in depicting geographical & spatial distribution Icons:- Icons are visual representation of a danger or a distribution