Exciting times in the visual communications industry - Published in BizCommunity, 24 January 2011

With the power of visual communication becoming increasingly acknowledged, its scope is getting broader every day. Here are the 11 trends that I believe will have the most significant impact on the industry in 2011.

1. Life after death by PowerPoint

As presentation technology becomes more sophisticated, audiences will come to expect high end, flashy presentations that utilise the full functionality of what today’s presentation programmes have to offer. Microsoft’s latest version of PowerPoint, for example, brings huge advances in video and animation capability which means the programme has more to offer than ever before. We’ll also see an uptake in the use of Prezi, a web-based, flash presentation tool that uses a single canvas instead of the traditional slide show as its mechanism and allows presenters to interact with their content.

2. Social media goes visual

Video and photo content will be the focus of social media platforms in 2011. YouTube is already the second most popular search engine after Google, and as far as searches go, posts with visual content most often feature at the top. It’s inevitable then that social marketers will use visuals as their prime bait in 2011.

3. Not lost in translation

With communicators taking heed of the multilingual dynamics that exist in many business environments, they will acknowledge the need to present their ideas in a universal medium. To ensure messages don’t get lost in translation, communicators will increasingly use visual means such as images to convey their message.

4. Smart videos

No longer will viewers be restricted to just watching visual material. Expect to see more online content where viewers can interact with the video and have a say in the outcome. It is this capability that will make interactive smart videos a hot viral marketing success in 2011.

5. Internal communication goes visual

Due to its ability to engage stakeholders in ways that other forms of communication cannot, visual communication will infiltrate further into the internal areas of business that were traditionally kept on paper. The use of visuals to engage staff in induction programmes, for example, will become more pervasive. We can also expect to see more visuals in high stakes scenarios, such as the launch of new projects or big board meetings, where employee and shareholder buy-in is key.

6. Simplicity

Just as consumers are seeking refuge in simplified design, so too are companies looking to unclutter their visual communication. Design across all forms of visual communication will revert to its core design principles – clean lines, use of negative space, appropriate use of imagery and colour, and no unnecessary decoration.

7. Instant gratification information

Here we see another extension of our personal lives into the business environment. People don’t want to spend time interpreting information. They want to understand now so that they can act immediately, if necessary. So, expect to see more text being replaced by appropriate imagery – because images require much less processing than text, helping audiences quickly digest and understand content.

8. The Creative Corporation

After years of economic pressure, consumers need some levity and will be looking for a sense of fun in their lives. This requirement will extend into their work as well. To satisfy this need, companies must inject creativity into their day-to-activities, especially in communication. As a result, we’ll see visuals being used daringly to grab attention and get employees talking and then acting.

9. Animation on the rise

If a picture’s worth a thousand words, what’s a moving picture worth? Animation will be used increasingly to bring information to life, especially in industries like IT where animation makes invisible concepts like Cloud Computing more tangible.

10. Visual stories

Visuals will be used to do more than just convey information. In 2011, visual storytelling will start to surface as communicators recognise the need to engage audiences.

Infographics was a big trend in 2010 and this year we can expect to see even more raw data being converted into powerful stories. Rather than just impart statistics, mediums like infographics will be used to make these statistics meaningful.

11. Email video

2010 did not deliver the much anticipated technology that would allow email to play videos seamlessly within the body of an email. If this happens in 2011, the realm of visual communication will enter a new era.

In the Moment

Happy New Year, everyone! I know we’re already half way through January but my work year has only just begun. Where traditionally in previous years I would have been in full swing by now thanks to anywhere-anytime online connectivity on holiday, this year, I made it my resolution to be more present and to connect with the moment. That means be on holiday when I’m on holiday and cherish every moment of family, laughter, good food and sunshine.

This focus on connecting in the moment in my personal life and the personal change I’ve already seen, got me thinking about the potential rewards and positive change this connection brings in the business environment as well.

I’d like this blog to become a place of sharing information around that connection and I invite you to participate in the conversation, regardless of what medium of connecting and engaging you are passionate about.

My passion in business is the effective use of visuals to create this connection. In today’s environment it is imperative we engage with our audience if the intention is to get them onboard, and, that’s not going to happen with the majority of communication that is delivered in business today.

In fact, in general, when subjected to most business communication, audiences yawn and remain unmoved. This is certainly not going to get customers buying. Yet, when communication such as a presentation, is developed and delivered well through the appropriate use of visuals, it has the ability to engage and transform audiences beyond any other form of communication. That’s what gets me ticking.

Consider for example, how Al Gore’s presentation connected with his audience in that moment to such an extent that he changed perceptions around climate change. Incredible. I’d like to see more of that, and I believe in 2011 we will.

I hope in 2011 you enjoy success and happiness. I also hope it’s a year that as business people, we engage more, with the moment and with each other.

Here’s to giving it horns in every flickering 2011 moment.

Keeping it festive but true to brand…

I love this from the team at Duarte. These guys are pure genius. Everything they do speaks their brand, their passion and their expertise. Look at how they tied it all together with some festive cheer. Click here.

Remember what???

A client made a comment the other day that got me thinking. More than thinking in fact. It got me fired up to start expressing myself on the power of visual communication in business. I think there’s a lot to be said that business people need to know about.

It’s the end of the year, I know, and most of my colleagues and clients are by now either sunning themselves or at least preparing to, but I’ve still got some stuff to share so that I can free my mind to absorb some light hearted fictional reading material over the holidays.

Welcome to our blog!

The comment made by my client was that his customers have forgotten his company’s PowerPoint presentation within ten minutes of seeing it. I diplomatically told him that he was lucky they had remembered it for that long - and that’s not because it was a bad presentation. It actually ranked quite highly compared to some that I’ve seen – and I told him that too.

So, why then, he asked, was his audience not retaining the information? Well, there is no ‘one size fits all’ response to this question (and I intend to cover these different variables in upcoming posts) but in that situation, it was a clear example of too much text, too much talking. It’s hard work for an audience to read a text-heavy presentation and be expected to pay attention to a speaker at the same time. Simply by the way we are wired, the audience will choose either to read or to listen and neither are effective on their own as far as retention of information goes.

I proceeded to explain to my client, who was looking more bewildered as I spoke (with the realisation that his presentations over the past ten years had made little impact) that had his presentation included less text and more visuals, his customers would have found it far easier to pay attention to and remember what he was saying.

As I explained how visuals enable our brains to create meaning and remember concepts, my client’s frown turned the other way as he digested the simplicity of my rationale.

Appropriate visuals such as imagery, animation or iconography require very little processing. This is why audiences remember and retain a lot more of what they see as opposed to what they hear. In fact, studies have shown that people only remember 10% of what they hear, 30% of what they read, but about 80% of what they see and do.

And that’s why I’m so passionate about why I do.

Communication that uses great visuals has the ability to change people, to persuade them, to move them, to inspire them. And yet this potential is generally overlooked in the day-to-day business environment.

Meetings, conferences, keynote addresses, roadshows, launches and presentations continue to take place day in and day out leaving audiences unmoved.

Sure, it’s not only about the visuals – if the content is rubbish then there’s no point in making it visually meaningful - but assuming the information is valuable, without visuals to tell its story and bring it life, the content will not resonate with an audience, let alone get them to act.

Looking forward to sharing with you, connecting with you and collaborating with you. Here’s to making an impact in 2011!