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Overcoming communication challenges with visual content
Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text, in the human mind. So there is no doubt that visual communication is an extremely efficient tool and a great companion for other forms of communication.
Moreover, visual information is not only processed and understood faster; it also addresses the three main challenges in modern business communication:
In this article, we will focus on the first challenge and look at how visual communication can help us overcome it.
According to a study by Microsoft, the average human has an 8 second attention span – 1 second less than a Goldfish! And this window keeps getting smaller as years go by.
The reason? Recent research from the Technical University of Denmark suggests that there is too much information available, which divides our attention and makes us lose focus.
The good news is that visual communication is the perfect tool to help us transform our message into distraction-proof and eye-catching content.
Here are some tips to catch (and keep) your audience’s attention:
Guide your audience: If you are talking about processes, show it visually with numbers, process graphics or different colors - Make it easy for your audience to understand the whole picture by dividing it into steps
Simplify your content: Take only key information in your visual communication - Less is more!
Show your hook: If you are trying to attract an audience towards a study, article or other formats that require your audience's full attention, show them that their time will be worth it. Choose the most relevant, surprising or dramatic piece of data and show that FIRST to get your audience hooked.
Provide shareable content with value: Stunning visual communication that provides 0 value is not more efficient than 1000 pages filled with text. Before you present your ideas, findings or company news in a visual manner, think: Is it providing value to your audience?
Ready to take your communication to the next level? Remember: Make it visual!