Advantages of Visual Communication in Business
Visual communication is whereby messages such as advertisements are delivered using visual aids. Day by day, the level of technology has been increasing, and audio visual communication is the new mode of advertisement for businesses. The ability of human beings to receive, view and process images is the selling point of visual communication. In the business world, communication is very important, as it helps in marketing the products that a business is offering. Based on research, a combination of both audio and visual aids is more effective.
This article will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of visual communication in business.
Advantages of Visual Communication in Business
1. Emphasizes oral communication
There are several benefits of visual communication. Technology has allowed us to use visual aids in delivering important messages for business enterprises. Visual communication helps in emphasizing oral communication. When an individual is explaining something that the business offers, it is always vital to use demonstrations for better understanding. Visual aids come in handy for such situations. When an individual is reading about the portfolio of an organization, visual aids can help in explaining key features of the organization. Moreover, visual communication is more appealing as compared to oral communication.
2. More effective as compared to oral communication
Audio visual communication is more effective as compared to words. Some facts cannot be delivered in form of words, thus diagrams and pictures are used. Graphs and maps are self-explanatory and can be used to show customers on how the business is performing, rather than using oral communication. Visual communication is also attractive, and most people will focus on such communication rather than other modes of communication. ezTalks Cloud Meeting is an online platform which allows for different people in different locations to hold conferences and meetings. This form of visual communication is rather effective and appealing as compared to oral communication. People from different departments can relay information to one another easily, and the information can be understood easily.
3. Presentations in business workplaces
In a business setting, the workers at times may be required to perform presentations on how the company is performing. The information to be displayed can be difficult using words, and thus visual communication can be used in place of words. Graphs, charts, figures and other modes of visual communication can be used to represent mathematical data. It can be difficult for some people to understand data displayed in tables, but charts and graphs make the work easier. The figure below shows world population growth in 2006. Visual aids help greatly in displaying such information. When the Coca-Cola Company is displaying statistics on how the company is performing, as well as growth forecast, charts and graphs are used. This is easily understandable and self-explanatory.
4. Effective in decision making
Another main benefit of visual communication in businesses is that it is very effective to illiterate people. People may not have the ability to read, but they have the visual ability. Furthermore, the amount of time taken in understanding a visual communication set is less as compared to other types of communication. Exchanging information is made easier since the audience will view and interpret quicker. When the information is processed quickly, then people can make quick and correct decisions. Most businesses have realized that using visual communication attracts more customers when compared to other modes of communication. This can also be based on the fact that visual communication is self-explanatory. McDonald’s uses visual appeal rather than words or oral communication when displaying the products they offer. This helps the customers to make quick and efficient decisions.
Disadvantages of Visual Communication in Business
However, there are also several disadvantages of audio visual communication.
1. Costly
One of the main disadvantages is that it is costly. As compared to other modes of communication, visual communication is more costly. The process of coming up with a video, chart, diagram or map is expensive, and it requires the involvement of different stakeholders in the organization. In addition, the mode and area of the display are expensive. Hiring a television station, newspaper or magazine at times can be costly. It is such reasons why only large companies tend to use this mode of communication.
2. Insufficient and incomplete
All the topics cannot be represented at once, in a single visual communication set. This, in turn, means that the visual communication is incomplete and insufficient. The audience will require more time to understand the concept of the visual aid, thus leading to time wastage. Furthermore, when the audience does not understand what the message being portrayed, then the meaning is lost. In such a situation, the incorporation of oral communication is vital.
3. Time consuming
The amount of time needed when creating visual aids is considerably longer as compared to other forms of communication. This is due to the fact that different parties are involved, and the software used may be unavailable at times. In addition, it takes much time for the receivers to understand the message being conveyed. For example, visual communication that uses hand gestures and facial expressions may be complicating to normal or illiterate people.
Conclusion
The visual communication advantages and disadvantages have been discussed as above. In conclusion, audio visual communication has proved to be more effective as compared to other modes of communication. Although it may be costly. The main audience is captured, and the result is fruitful for the business. Technological growth has helped in reducing costs and increasing audio visual communication audience.