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

 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
Cont…

 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
 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
 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
Cont…
 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
 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

Cont…
 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
Cont…
 More points to be noted:-
 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

Tables Figures

Numerical Verbal Graphs Charts Photo- Map Drawing Icons

Table Table graphs

Dependent Independent
Table Table
 Tables:
 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
Cont…
 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
 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
Cont…
 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:
 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
Cont…
 Maps:- They are useful in depicting
geographical & spatial distribution
 Icons:- Icons are visual representation of a
danger or a distribution