As Forbes.com contributor Naomi Robbins says, Despite the fact that graphs are now ubiquitous in virtually every field of business, very few people have received any training on how to read or design a graph. Naomi ran a graph makeover contest in which she explains why the bar graph shown here is a much better choice than the original…
A couple of months ago, I summarized the available evidence on writing white papers. I’ve done more digging and want to provide a follow-up with a few more details on developing content, organizing it, and using an appropriate style. (See the earlier post for a description of the white paper as a genre.) The bottom line…
In honor of those folks preparing for thanksgiving feasts in the US, I’d like to share the food prep timeline created by the writer at Ideas Illustrated. Enjoy consuming the results of all that logistically complex labor!
Rule #1 from 7 Lessons from the World’s Most Captivating Presenters: Start with paper, not PowerPoint I couldn’t agree more. I’ve mentioned my colleague, Jean-luc Doumont, when offering help to those of you writing slides for a presentation. Jean-luc taught me that if you can’t make good visuals, you shouldn’t create them. Concentrate on developing content…
OK. I know the title of this post is a little strange because of the use of “right.” But it captures the lesson I try sharing with anyone who asks me how to be a better presenter. Getting the visuals right is the single biggest hurdle for most folks. (Read a little more before you dismiss this…
I recommend Gavin’s post about pie charts — especially for his “makeover”! Related articles I give up, I am embracing pie charts (simplystatistics.org)
Now that last week is over, and I get a breather from wearing a suit and listening to other people in suits talk at me using PowerPoint bullets (I’m not a “natural” administrator) . . . let me get back on track. Gavin’s post was a timely reminder about what makes a visual work.
Whew! The beginning of the academic year has kept me fully occupied this past week. I wanted to take time to share a few good discussions I’ve been reading about constructing graphs. Check out Nigel Lewis at Capgemini’s Business Analytic’s blog for some good examples of scale issues (as discussed in my Video Tutorial on Graphics). And Naomi…
A couple of days ago, I made the point that, although professionals today need to communicate visually in workplace documents, most amateur writers have little relevant experience. If you are working on online graphics, check out amCharts, a small Lithuanian company, which was featured in Smashing Magazine a few years back. The graphic above is a still version of a JavaScript sample. …
Written language is visual. So the history of writing, like the Sumerian cuneiform shown here, is part of the history of visual communication. To follow that history, check out The History of Visual Communication website created by Elif Ayiter, a professor at Sabanci University in Turkey. The “tension” between words and pictures is mostly a consequence of how…