Speaking Visually:
Eight Roles Pictures Play in Presentation
Applies to: PowerPoint 2007, PowerPoint 2003
Including pictures in presentations is a simple and powerful way of expanding your expressive potential as a speaker.
Pictures communicate at levels beyond the descriptive possibilities of words and bathe the brain in much desired
visual stimulation. At the same time, not all pictures are created equally. Choosing the right images, and using them
in the right ways, can greatly impact your effectiveness.
Robert Lane is a US-based presentation consultant specializing in visually
interactive communication theory and is the author of Relational Presentation, a
Visually Interactive Approach. His Web site www.aspirecommunications.com
features free demonstration video clips, tutorials, guides, and other resources that
further explain the concepts discussed in this article. Contact him at:
rlane@aspirecommunications.com
Andre Vlcek is an Australian-based sales consultant and Managing Director of
Aspire Communications Australia. He and Robert are co-authoring the forthcoming
book Selling Visually with PowerPoint. Contact him at
andre@aspirecommunications.com.

Getting Their Attention
Josh changed the slide … and
you could hear a pin drop. No
question about it. The picture
he showed was powerful. It
said more than words or text
possibly could express. A red
Chevy pickup sat crumpled
around a large tree, the sad
final resting place of two local
teenagers out for a night on
the town.
Figure 1
Josh displays that picture regularly—along with 200 other concrete, simple, descriptive
visuals—while teaching his driver’s education class. He explains why. “If I just stand up there
lecturing, flashing bullet points full of crash statistics and road rules, people drift quickly and I
lose their attention. But let me tell you …when I use a lot of pictures, coupled with occasional
stories here and there, that’s when I’ve got them in the palm of my hand. They’re hooked!”
Josh is not alone in his excitement for visual expression. He’s part of an attitude revolution
that’s sweeping a new generation of PowerPoint presenters as they set aside text-heavy slides
in favor of picture-based content. For them, visual displays do more than just add color. Slides
literally ‘speak visually’, filling in details that are difficult, if not impossible, to communicate via
spoken words or bullet points alone.
Most will tell you, however, that this transition to visual communication doesn’t happen by
accident. Many struggle with the idea of retiring bullets points. It’s easy, after all, just to type
words on slides, but how do we translate our thoughts into visually rich displays—especially
while dealing with abstract concepts? What are the rules of the game? And for that matter,
what does any given picture mean and how is it best used?

The Magic of Picture Roles
Let’s address those questions by looking at a few ways pictures help presenters visually express
ideas. Over the years, we’ve observed at least 20 different ways people take advantage of
pictures in presentation, what are called picture roles. These roles are marvelous. They can
jumpstart creativity and at the same time provide templates for picture use. In this article, we’ll
explore eight roles in particular, but you also may wish to read full descriptions of all twenty
roles by downloading the free Picture Roles Guide available on the Aspire site.
Decoration: The most basic picture role is also the one most commonly used: adding
decoration to a slide. In Figure 2, the gentleman in the upper left corner is decorative. He isn’t
lending any significance to the slide’s message. He isn’t clarifying the data in any way, providing
context, or adding meaning.
His sole purpose is to stand
there looking business-like,
giving a touch of decorative
flare to an otherwise rather
bland and typical slide. If he
were removed, nothing about
the slide’s message would
change at all.
Applying pictures in this way,
for purely decorative effect, is
Figure 2
popular among novice visual
communicators, but it’s actually the weakest of all the roles. Decorative pictures essentially are
visual fluff—expendable and potentially distracting. They are problematic if used excessively.
That’s because our brain is wired to seek out and categorize visual stimuli. Numerous studies
have shown that pictures inherently, and automatically, attract attention, especially pictures of
people, animals, or anything that implies possible danger. Presenters who throw pictures onto
slides randomly, for no purpose other than to fill space or look pretty, risk unduly distracting
viewers and leaving them with a subconscious sense of, “Why are these pictures here? They
don’t mean anything.” It’s kind of like yelling “FIRE” over and over when there are no flames.
Eventually, audience members assume all your visuals are meaningless and try to ignore
them—a behavior you definitely don’t want.

Context: A more significant yet still basic use of pictures is providing context. A teacher, for
example, might display the slide shown in Figure 3 as a way of introducing a physics lesson
about forces. Next, she applies animations to mimic a ball spinning and arching across the
screen, eventually freezing its
motion as shown in Figure 4.
She then displays a set of
arrows (Figure 5) which can be
turned on and off in any order
and explains that these arrows
represent potential physical
forces acting on the ball at this
instant. Students and teacher
debate which forces really are
there until everyone
eventually understands the
Figure 3
correct answer.
Here, the baseball diamond
picture in the background is
mostly decorative, granted,
and therefore technically can
be deleted without
dramatically changing the
overall lesson plan. On the
other hand, that picture is
more than JUST decorative.
The teacher’s decision to start
Figure 4
with it immediately grounds
the abstract lesson in a real-life context her students probably already know well. Removing the
picture will take away a certain amount of depth (situational context) and possibly decrease
understanding.

These kinds of context-
providing pictures tend to be
helpful, rather than distracting
like purely decorative imagery.
Try to find scenes that frame
whatever information you’ll be
discussing verbally. As a
general rule, insert large
background photos that fill the
Figure 5
entire slide pane.
Example: Pictures contribute more substantially when they are actual content—when their
absence would destroy slide’s substance or meaning. Pictures acting as examples (of what is
said verbally) are the most common form of content imagery. Interactive speakers often gather
numerous example-type pictures into sections, for quick access to individual images as needed.
Paul Franklin, for example, is a lecturer of dentistry at the University of Leeds, UK. The
screenshot in Figure 6 shows one of his hyperlink-based switchboards that jumps to specific
example pictures and
illustrations on demand. He
can click any thumbnail to
reveal the appropriate full-
sized example image (Figure
7). Being able to show visual
examples this way, while
simultaneously describing the
concepts and equipment
verbally, helps his students
better understand the lesson
plan.
Figure 6—Courtesy Dr. Paul Franklin, University of Leeds

Example-type pictures might
represent available products,
show aspects of past projects
that have been completed,
give customers design ideas,
help students distinguish
correct situations from
misconceptions, and so forth.
If you can see a situation in
your mind—and want others
to see that information as
Figure 7—Courtesy Dr. Paul Franklin, University of Leeds well, without actually being
physically present—that’s a perfect picture example waiting to happen. Grab a camera and take
pictures, or find images from other sources.
When inserting pictures as examples, it’s a good idea to have the visuals appear as large as
possible on slides, and they should contain only a single focus each—a single product,
completed project, outcome, or whatever. That way, viewers can focus on each example in turn
and not waste time trying to decipher which aspects of a complex picture might be relevant to
what you are saying at the moment.
Reduced Learning Time: Australia’s Bryan Mendelson is one of the world’s foremost
authorities on facial reconstruction. His surgical techniques and perspectives have
revolutionized the way we think about facial operations. Needless to say, his expertise is
coveted and aspiring plastic
surgeons seek him out for the
richness of his knowledge
base.
Figure 8—Courtesy Dr. Bryan Mendelson

Fortunately for them, Bryan is
more than just an excellent
surgeon. He’s also an
accomplished teacher and
presenter—and a stunningly
good visual communicator. His
slides are packed full of
pictures and realistic
illustrations that depict
anatomical features and
surgical best practices.
Figure 9—Courtesy Dr. Bryan Mendelson
Displaying such imagery during lectures and teaching sessions not only fixates the attention of
audience members, it dramatically reduces their learning time, especially during discussions of
sophisticated procedures. Listening to one of Bryan’s talks creates the impression of being right
there in the operating room, helping with the surgery. You see what he see’s and get a visual
tour of what he knows. His slides are like biological road maps that quickly guide students and
peers through the mysterious workings of skin, bones, tendons, and nerves.
The good news is, you can emulate the same time-saving techniques with strategic use of your
own pictures. All you have to do is think to yourself, “How can I show them what I am saying
verbally?” When people see real imagery that dynamically expands upon verbal descriptions,
they grasp concepts much
more quickly compared to
listening (only) to someone
talk or listening while looking
at bullet points.
Comparison Contrast:
Another simple, yet valuable,
use of content images involves
comparing one image to
another—to highlight
Figure 10 differences, growth, contrasts,

projected outcomes, or any other shift from one position to another. Such comparisons can
take several forms.
We like to show one image
full-screen, such as the
‘before’ remodeling picture in
Figure 10, and then follow
with a full-screen ‘after’ image
(Figure 11). Viewers see only
one picture at a time; the
contrast between the two
occurs sharply—one and then
the other.
Figure 11
Another option is to place two
images side-by-side on the
same slide so that people can
see contrasts immediately
(Figure 12), or opt for a
modified side-by-side model
where the first example is
visible initially, followed by
fading in the second image
shortly thereafter. Similarly,
you might choose to contrast
several alternative proposals
Figure 12—Courtesy Dr. Bryan Mendelson
by displaying a single original
picture, accompanied by various alternative options. Be creative and explore different
possibilities. Showing contrasting images is easy, and the impacts of doing so can be dramatic.
Analogy: If you wish to explain abstract ideas with pictures, creating an analogy probably is
your best bet. An analogy is something known that helps clarify something unknown. If a
person is familiar with the “known” scenario, they will be able to apply it to the unknown
situation through comparison.

With a little creativity, you will be able to create visual analogies for just about any idea. The
general formula is, “To give you a sense of what I mean, think about this … “ with the ‘this’
being the analogy.
Here’s an example of how we apply visual analogy on a regular basis:
While introducing learners to interactive presentation techniques during workshop sessions, we
navigate around within a massive PowerPoint-based platform that contains many thousands of
slides. Viewers often take one
look at that navigation process
and think, “Are you kidding?
You think I’m going to get up
in front of an audience and
spontaneously jump around
like that? You gotta be crazy.”
Basically, the thought of
making similar on-the-spot
decisions, while already scared
to death behind the podium, is
too scary and unknown. They
Figure 13
can’t yet imagine themselves
in such a position.
We say, “OK. You’re right. This
probably does look a little
scary right now, but it really
isn’t. Presenting this way is
just about as easy as tying
your shoes. Here’s why.”
About that time, we show the
picture in Figure 13—a
standard Microsoft stock
photo, by the way. We
Figure 14 continue by saying, “The
reason all of us can tie our

shoes so quickly and easily,
without even thinking about
the process, is because we’ve
repeated the procedures
countless times and our
actions have become
automated. The same thing
happens while driving a car
(Figure 14) or pursuing a
favorite sport (Figure 15).”
Figure 15
“Automated responses allow
us to perform otherwise complex activities with very little thought or effort. The exact same
mechanisms are at work during interactive presentation. You eventually become so familiar and
comfortable with the way your slides are organized and linked that presenting dynamically—
even moving around within thousands of available slides—seems pretty simple. It’s not scary at
all.”
Stock photos often work well for visual analogy applications. Just make sure that the images
chosen represent concrete, well-known situations that truly do clarify the unknown information
you are presenting.
Demonstrating a Process: Stringing together a series of pictures that gradually walk
viewers through the steps of a process, from beginning to end, is a great approach. This kind of
incremental picture
progression is called a picture
story.
Let’s say you are a moving and
transportation company
specializing in corporate
relocation. Your services
probably follow relatively
predictable steps, such as
selling the prospect’s existing
Figure 16

house, locating and securing
another residence, physically
moving the family, exploring
school options, and so forth.
Each of these steps can be
illustrated with appropriate
pictures, perhaps even photos
you or your company have
produced directly, depicting
real situations (as opposed to
mere stock photography).
Figure 17
Process pictures usually help tell a story, one image at a time. While showing each picture, the
presenter fills in extra detail verbally, as needed.
Providing Visual Cues Back to the Speaker: Finally, think about this: So far we’ve
focused on pictures that are for the audience’s consumption, but pictures can aid the presenter
in multiple ways as well. The small images in Figure 18 are screenshots, a special kind ‘picture’
your computer takes of itself.
A screenshot is a
representation of your
computer screen, what it
happens to be displaying when
the image is made.
Here, we have incorporated
screenshots into this slide’s
navigation element. The
presenter can look at the
Figure 18
navigation thumbnails and see
instant visual cues for the content that will open once a link is clicked (figure 19). Screenshot
images on slides help a presenter stay oriented, remember upcoming content, find links, gauge
timing, and much more. We as presenters benefit greatly from our own visual communication
directed back at us!

Figure 19
Robert Lane is a US-based presentation consultant specializing in visually interactive communication theory and is
the author of Relational Presentation, a Visually Interactive Approach. His Web site www.aspirecommunications.com
features free demonstration video clips, tutorials, guides, and other resources that further explain the concepts
discussed in this article. Contact him at: rlane@aspirecommunications.com
Andre Vlcek is an Australian-based sales consultant and Managing Director of Aspire Communications Australia. He
and Robert are co-authoring the forthcoming book Selling Visually with PowerPoint. Contact him at
andre@aspirecommunications.com.
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