In many business settings,  non-textual material such as tables, graphs, charts, maps, drawings, and photographs can help support a persuasive argument or better inform your audience.

These visual elements can take many different forms, but they all have the same basic purpose: to help clarify information presented to an audience. They can help break up a text-heavy report, making it more visually appealing. Visual elements can transform a text-filled slide into a visually compelling image that sets the stage. 

When preparing reports and documents, the key concept to remember is that visuals clarify, illustrate, and augment your written text. They are not a replacement for written text. Similar to when you present facts from an outside source to the reader in your writing, you are responsible for interpreting your graphics for your reader.

The adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” can be applied to websites, reports, and slides. However, ensuring you’re using relevant, illustrative, and appealing figures and tables is essential to paint a picture of your primary purpose. Adding visuals may save you a hundred words of additional explanation and clarification. If you have visual elements in your document or presentation, they must be based on and supplement your written or spoken content. Throwing in “gratuitous graphics” just to decorate or take up space can confuse your audience.

Choosing the right visual to convey the story you want your reader to understand is essential. If visuals are poorly chosen or poorly designed for the task, they can confuse the reader and have negative consequences. For example, the first thing you noticed when you opened this page was likely the image above. Did you wonder why it is there? Has it distracted you? Our eyes are naturally drawn to visuals that stand out, so make sure the ones you pick for your reports are essential to your purpose.

Deciding Which Graphics to Include

As you review your research and consider possible visuals to include in a report, the first step is to think about which graphics are most appropriate given the data you wish to convey.

Table #1 below provides some general guidelines on the kinds of graphics most suitable for different types of information:

Table #1: General Guidelines for Graphics

For more specific reasoning for using individual types of graphics, see table #2 below:

Table #2 Common Types of Illustrative Graphics

Formatting Graphics

Once you have selected the correct graphic for your report, you will need to create it.  Unfortunately, there is no universal way to format graphics. However, your employer may have an in-house style guide that you are expected to use.

Tables and figures should be formatted according to the rules outlined in APA Style (7th Edition) in a communication class.

The key takeaway is to always aim for consistency, especially if you are in a situation without a style guide. This means that elements such as titles, numbers, and headings should be formatted the same across the entire document. Minor inconsistencies may not seem like a big deal, but they can imply to a supervisor or client that you are not thorough or detail-oriented.

Placement and Context

As you develop visuals for your report, you will want to also consider two things:

1. Where the visuals should be placed
2. What information do you need to provide in your report to prepare your readers for the message within that graphic adequately

While different requirements depend on the visual you choose, there are five main rules you should follow to integrate your graphics:

In addition, visual elements should be surrounded by sufficient passive space to emphasize the image and enhance its readability. If copying and pasting a picture, ensure all aspects are clear and the print size is readable. A visual that has been shrunk to an unreadable size does not help the reader understand your ideas.

Exercise #1: Examine and Compare the Figures

Examine Figure #1.1 below. Do you understand what the information conveys? What is missing? Use the five rules above to determine where this figure goes wrong.

 

If you look carefully, you might be able to guess what story the graph above is telling. However, the lack of a descriptive caption and labeling of axes makes it impossible to know for sure.

Compare that figure to Figure #1.2 below using the same five rules.

Figure #1.2 Water Consumption in Edmonton during the 2010 Gold Medal Hockey Game (Flowingdata).

Figure #1.2 has a numbered caption and a descriptive title, appropriately labeling the x and y axes and legends. It also cites the source from which the graph was retrieved in the caption using an in-text citation. The original image has not been distorted in any way. Thus, it follows the five key rules listed above.

---

Putting Graphics in Context

The following examples show how to introduce, present, and discuss a graphic in your paper. The first example is a pie chart created with information the writer obtained from an interview. Notice that the writer provides a name for the visual, includes introductory sentences to provide context for the graphic, lists source information at the bottom of the chart, and finally, includes some closing remarks to tie it all together.

Not all gardeners will experience success growing vegetables in Central Oregon, and the town of Sisters is especially challenging because of the varied temperatures all year and the chance of frost or even freezing temperatures during any month of the year. Central Oregon and Sisters resident Jane Doe had the most tremendous success with the following vegetables in 2015, as noted in the pie chart below.

Table 1: Vegetables grown in 2015

It is important to note that depending on the city’s hardiness zone, some vegetables may do better than others. Doe also commented that she protected her tomatoes inside a greenhouse or under a hoop house.

Here is a second example. This simple table conveys information about plant hardiness zones for growers in Central Oregon. Notice again that the table isn’t simply inserted and left on its own for readers to interpret; the writer introduces the table with some remarks and also provides follow-up commentary after the table.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes a Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which growers and gardeners use to help determine which plants, including vegetables and trees, will be most successful at a particular location. The table below shows the hardiness zone for four cities in Central Oregon. It includes the annual minimum winter temperature—vital information to remember when determining which vegetables to plant and how long the growing season may be.

Table 1: Hardiness Zones in Central Oregon

Central Oregon City	Hardiness Zone	Winter Temperature Range
Sisters	6a	-10 to -5 (Fahrenheit)
Bend	6b	-5 to 0 (Fahrenheit)
Redmond	6b	-5 to 0 (Fahrenheit)
Tumalo	6b	-5 to 0 (Fahrenheit)

Source information: “United States Department of Agriculture.” USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. 2012. Web. 05 May 2016.

Before purchasing any plants or vegetables for your garden, check the hardiness zone on the label to ensure that the item will grow successfully in your climate zone.

Now that you have learned about strategies for creating compelling graphics and examined some strong examples, let’s look at a few that could use some revision.

Exercise #2: Evaluating Graphics for Revision

As you look at the following visuals, note the possible strengths and weaknesses. Consider what advice you might give the writer on improving these graphics. You can use the five rules for integrating graphics as a guide. The five rules are below:

1. Give each visual a numbered caption that includes a clear, descriptive title.
2. Refer to the caption number within the body text and discuss its content.
3. Label all units (x and y axes, legends, column box heads, parts of diagrams, etc.).
4. Provide the source of the data and/or visual image if you did not create it yourself.
5. Avoid distorting the data or image.

 

 

---

Using Graphics Ethically

Like with everything we’ve discussed up to this point, the graphics you use can have an impact on your modes of appeal. If the graphics are misleading in any way, and your audience realizes this, it can negatively impact how credible or trustworthy they consider you.

Exercise #3: The Ethics of Graphics

Watch the video below on misleading graphics. After watching, answer the following questions:

• Why might a person trying to persuade you toward their point of view use a graph to present information?
• How can graphs present an opinion?
• List three methods of “cherry-picking data” and the advantages each provides.

Link to Original Video: tinyurl.com/spotbadgraphs

The next time you feel persuaded by a graphic representation of data, check the labels, numbers, scales, and context. Then, ask yourself what story the picture is trying to tell. As you edit your own reports, check to make sure your use of graphics is ethical and complete.

Key Takeaways

• Graphics can take many different forms, but they all have the same purpose: to help clarify information. They can also make reports more visually appealing by breaking up the text.
• Graphics should always clarify, illustrate, and augment your written text or presentation. They should always be explained to your audience in some capacity.
• There are five rules for integrating graphics into your document or presentation:
  1. Give each visual a numbered caption that includes a clear, descriptive title.
  2. Refer to the caption number within the body text and discuss its content.
  3. Label all units (axes, legends, column and row headings, diagram parts, etc.).
  4. Provide the source of the data and/or graphic if you did not create it yourself.
  5. Avoid distorting the data or image.
• Not following the five steps above can negatively impact your credibility. If the audience believes you have falsified your graphics or it seems you are misleading them, they are less likely to trust you.