1. Communications for Business
Lecture 6:
Visual Communication
NCC Education - Title Master

2. Learning Objectives Appreciate the use of visual communication
Communicate using discrete data
Communicate using continuous data
Make appropriate use of charts, graphs and figures

3. Introduction “A picture paints a thousand words” (Chinese proverb)
BUT we have to be sure they are the correct 1000 words!
In other words – we have to be sure we are conveying the correct message to the reader …

4. Interpreting Data Raw data is usually not very informative
We need to interpret data – make it meaningful and then communicate it
Statistics are used to make data informative

5. Manipulation of Statistics - 1
Data can be misrepresented
Governments “manipulate” data all the time – it is not lying just being careful with the truth
BUT – in business honesty is the best policy!

6. Manipulation of Statistics - 2
Sometimes data is “honestly” misrepresented. This is still not good enough in business
You need to learn how to safely draw conclusions from data and present them appropriately

7. Spreadsheets – 1
Manually constructed spreadsheets have been used in business for hundreds of years
They are used to organise and present business data - aiding in management decisions
Non-financial and non-numerical data can also be analysed using a spreadsheet

8. Spreadsheets – 2
Electronic spreadsheets are simply computerised versions of manual systems
Electronic spreadsheets provide features which make setting up the spreadsheet much easier in comparison to a manual system

9. Spreadsheets – 3 Cells – contain numbers, text & formulae Jan Feb Mar
Apr
Total
Sales
1750
1501
1519
1430
6200
Cost of Goods
964
980
932
943
3819
Gross margin
786
521
587
487
2381

10. Continuous Data – 1
Continuous data is used in many different aspects of business
For example, sales figures over a given period of time
We can represent this data visually to make it easier to understand

11. Continuous Data – 2 Graphs are used to represent continuous data
Sometimes we look for “trends”
We can also use graphs to predict what might happen in the future (extrapolation)

12. Graphs – 1 A graph has an X-axis (horizontal) and a Y-axis (vertical)
Variables are plotted on these axes
Sometimes we can compare the same data from more than one source to “tell a story”
For example: sales figures from factory A and factory B

13. Example Graph – 1
Here are some sales figures for our 2 factories … which one is performing better?
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Factory A
197000
195000
168000
172000
190000
185000
Factory B
100200
112500
115000
120000
130000
150000

14. Example Graph – 2
Seeing which factory is performing best is easier with a visual display of the data, i.e. a graph ……

15. Frequencies and Histograms – 1
Frequencies (tallies) are useful for recording the number of occurrences of key variables
For example – the number of students who enjoy mathematics, or who enjoy physics

16. Frequencies and Histograms – 2
Tallies can be represented on a histogram - where categories are recorded on the x-axis and the frequency recorded on the y-axis
Note histograms can only be used for recording continuous data, i.e. no “gaps”

17. Example Histogram
Source:

18. Class Activity Work in groups of about 5
What is the primary purpose of a graph?
10 minutes
Feedback to the class
5 minutes

19. Charts – 1
Charts are used to represent one genuine variable and one set of categories (e.g. rainfall in several different cities)
Thus charts are used to represent non-continuous (discrete) data
Consequently their “bars” cannot be touching

20. Charts – 2 All charts need: Title x Axis labels y Axis labels
x Axis title
y Axis title
Grid (for clarity)
Legend
Data represented as bars, or pie slices, or others …

21. Charts – 3 Here is a bar chart example
Note the use of things discussed on the previous slide

22. Charts – 4 Here is another example …
Note the bars are touching for each ‘category’ – but are separate between categories

23. Pie Charts
Sometimes we use a “pie” chart rather than a bar chart to represent data
Useful when there are only a small number of values (slices)

24. Pie Chart Example
Here is a pie chart for student “Ali” (data extracted from chart on Slide 16) – showing the percentage marks he scored for each subject

25. Class Activity Work in groups of about 5
What is the fundamental difference between a bar chart and a histogram?
10 minutes
Feedback to the class
5 minutes

26. Conclusions
Visual representation of data can clarify things for the reader
Data can be either continuous or discrete
Important to choose the correct visual representation to illustrate the data correctly
Visual data can be used for looking for trends and can sometimes be extrapolated to attempt to predict what might happen in the future

27. References
Payne & Whittaker “Developing Essential Study Skills”, 2nd Edition, FT Prentice Hall, ISBN:
Cameron “The Business Students Handbook: Skills for Study and Employment”, 5th Edition, FT Prentice Hall, ISBN:

28. Lecture 6 – Visual Communication
Any Questions?
NCC Education - End Slide Master