Using visuals in business writing is the embodiment of the old adage, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Visuals consist of tables and figures which are used to visually represent information in a vivid, easily understood manner. Visuals emphasize material and can present material more compactly and with less repetition than text. Tables are numbers or words arranged in rows and columns; figures are everything else.
Creating good visuals depends on always following these rules:
Tables
Tables are used when the reader must identify exact values. Tables arrange data in a manner that makes them easy to read and understand. Table identification and title are placed above the table. Source information and any notes are below the table.
Table 1: 2000 Sales by Region (thousands of dollars)
North South East West 1st Quarter
25.56 30.04 45.55 53.21 2nd Quarter
34.55 42.31 59.44 68.67 3rd Quarter
45.56 65.44 84.22 87.23 4th Quarter
75.66 83.76 75.99 54.28 Source: Sales by Force: How to Sell Anyone Anything by Donna L. Shaw, 1932. Printed with permission.
Note: The above data and source are purely fictional and do not reflect reality.
Pie Charts
Pie Charts compare parts to a whole and can show percentages.
Figure 1: Regional Sales
Source: Sales by Force: How to Sell Anyone Anything by Donna L. Shaw, 1932. Printed with permission.
Bar Charts
Bar Charts compare one item to another, compare items to one another, compare items over time, identify values, or show frequency.
Grouped bar charts compare several aspects of each item:
Figure 2: Travel Expenses
Source: Sales by Force: How to Sell Anyone Anything by Donna L. Shaw, 1932. Printed with permission.
Deviation bar charts show negative and positive values:
Figure 3: Regional Sales
Source: Sales by Force: How to Sell Anyone Anything by Donna L. Shaw, 1932. Printed with permission.
Segmented, subdivided, or stacked bars sum the components of an item:
Figure 4: Regional Sales
Source: Sales by Force: How to Sell Anyone Anything by Donna L. Shaw, 1932. Printed with permission.
Bar charts can also show frequency:
Figure 5: Sales Representatives' Experience
Source: Sales by Force: How to Sell Anyone Anything by Donna L. Shaw, 1932. Printed with permission.
Paired bar charts show the correlation between items:
Figure 6: Show Attendance Comparison
Source: Sales by Force: How to Sell Anyone Anything by Donna L. Shaw, 1932. Printed with permission.
Histograms or pictograms use pictures or images to create bars:
Figure 7: Salary Comparison by Region
Source: Sales by Force: How to Sell Anyone Anything by Donna L. Shaw, 1932. Printed with permission.
Line Graphs
Line Graphs compare items over time, show frequency or correlation, or show trends.
Figure 8: Regional Sales
Source: Sales by Force: How to Sell Anyone Anything by Donna L. Shaw, 1932. Printed with permission.
A dot chart shows distributions or correlation.
Figure 9: Sales Rep/Sales Comparison
Source: Sales by Force: How to Sell Anyone Anything by Donna L. Shaw, 1932. Printed with permission.
Photographs, Drawings, Maps, and Gannt Charts
Photographs can show an item in use and create a sense of authenticity, and drawings show dimensions and can emphasize detail.
Figure 10: Writing Center Photograph
Source: Donna Shaw, Oregon State University, Writing Center
Figure 11: Example of a Drawing
Source: Microsoft clip art.
Maps emphasize location.
Figure 12: Example of a Map
Source: Microsoft clip art.
Gannt charts illustrate time lines for proposals and projects.
Figure 13: Time Line for Project Component Completion
Source: Sales by Force: How to Sell Anyone Anything by Donna L. Shaw, 1932. Printed with permission.
Some Rules of Thumb:
In a document, refer to visuals with their titles and numbers: Table 1. How the Sales Staff Allocates Its Time or Figure 3. The Rising Cost of Mistakes. Capitalize the word Figure, Table, Chart, etc. Under the visual include information about the source of the data used in the visual and any notes.
When creating tables, use common, understandable units and round off to simplify the data. Provide column and row totals or averages when relevant. Put the items you want your readers to compare in columns rather than in rows to help with mental subtraction and division. When you have many rows, shade alternate rows to help your reader line up items correctly.
When creating a pie chart, start at 12 o'clock with the largest percentage or the percentage you want to focus on. Make the chart a perfect circle; perspective circles can distort data. Try to limit the number of wedges to no more than seven. Label the wedges outside the circle; internal labels are very hard to read.
Bar charts should have the bars ordered by logic or chronology. Put the bars close enough together to make comparisons easy. Label both horizontal and vertical axes. You can label the bars either in the inside or on the outside. Make all bars the same width and use different colors only when the bars are representing different things. Avoid using perspective; perspective makes the values harder to read.
Line graphs should have both horizontal and vertical axes labeled. When time is a variable, make it the horizontal axis. Try to avoid more than three different lines on a graph. Avoid perspective.
Dot charts show correlation and large data sets. Label both axes. Keep the dots fairly small.
Color is often unnecessary in maps. Label the elements that readers must identify. Avoid using perspective; it makes the values and locations hard to read.
Gannt charts are often used in proposals. Customarily, bars are filled in when a task is completed, red outlines indicate critical activities that must be completed on time, and diamonds or other characters indicate progress reports, major achievements, or other accomplishments.
Be sure to refer to every visual in your text and embed your visual in the text as close to the reference as you can. You may summarize the main point of the visual in your text, but you must not repeat the visual's data (to do so makes the visual redundant and unnecessary). How much you discuss the visual depends upon your audience, the complexity of the visual, and the importance of the point it makes.
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