Communicating Quantitative Data Visually

Lecture and Resource slides
Business Communication, 16e, Lehman & DuFrene
© 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.
Chapter 10
Managing Data and Using
Graphics

Chapter 10, Business Communication, 16e, Lehman & DuFrene ©
2011 Cengage Learning
Communicating
Quantitative Information
• Classify, summarize, and condense data
into manageable size
• Make information meaningful to your
audience — why should the receiver care?
• Use common language or common
denominators to reduce difficult figures

Your Turn
What is the clearest way for an instructor
to communicate your overall performance
on an exam on which you scored 112
points out of a possible 150?
1. 112/150
2. 3/4
3. .746666666666666666666666
4. 75 percent

What does the idea “A picture is worth a thousand
words” mean from a business perspective?
1. Readers would rather look at colorful
graphics than black and white text
2. Graphics can add nothing but color to a
report or presentation
3. Graphics can express ideas that words
cannot, especially when dealing with
numbers
Your Turn

Using Graphics Effectively
and Ethically
• Contribute to overall meaning
– Reinforce and supplement written or spoken
words
─ Communicate ideas that cannot be conveyed
effectively in written form
• Have a simple, effective design that is
easy to understand
• Depict information honestly
A graphic should . . .

Types of Graphic Aids

Can a graphic figure be overly labeled?
1. Yes, because too many labels can
make the graphic cluttered and
difficult to understand
2. No, because more information is
always better
3. Graphics can express ideas that
words cannot, especially when
dealing with numbers
Your Turn

Preparing Effective Tables
• Number tables ____________
• Use ________ titles to clarify what is
included
• Label columns _____
• Indent second line of ____ _____
• Place __________ beside entry that
needs explanatory note
• Document the ______ of data with a
source note
consecutively
complete
clearly
row
superscript
source
labels

Effective Table Layout

Types of Bar Charts
GroupedGrouped
bar chartbar chart
SegmentedSegmented
bar chartbar chart
PictogramPictogram

Ineffective Bar Chart

Preparing Effective Bar Charts
• Begin quantitative axis at ____, divide the
bars ______, and make them the same
_____
• Position data _____________
• Use _____ _________ to distinguish
among bars of different data
• Avoid ___ formatting
• Include complete information for ___ and
____ labels
bar
equally
width
chronologically
color
3D
scale
zero
variations

Effective Grouped Bar Chart

Preparing Effective Line Charts
• Use vertical axis for amount and
horizontal axis for time
• Begin vertical axis at zero
• Divide axes into equal increments

Effective Multiple Line Chart

Preparing Effective Pie Charts
• Position largest or most important slice
in ________ position
• Label each slice and include information
about __________ size
• Draw ________ to one or more
slices for desired emphasis
• Avoid ___ formatting
12 o’clock
quantitative
attention
3D

Ineffective Pie Chart
Percentage of City Tax Dollars Spent

Effective Pie Chart

Using Presentation Software
for Graphic Design
• Realize that software products often
do not reflect good rules for graphic
design
• Edit options to arrange graphics
correctly
• Never assume the software
application will produce desired
arrangement automatically

What legal precautions should be taken when
scanning photographs and other artistic items for
use in a business report?
1. None because business reports
can use any data available
2. The source for the items should
be cited and credit given to the
author/publisher
3. Using scanned photos in a
business report is not advisable
Your Turn

Using Graphics in Text
• Introduce graphic, show it, then interpret
and analyze
• When possible, position graphic
immediately following text
introducing it
• Avoid only restating what graphic shows;
instead, interpret based on audience
interest

Discussing Graphics in Text:
What To Do and What Not To Do
Figure 1 shows preferences for shopping locations.Figure 1 shows preferences for shopping locations.
POOR because reader gains nothing more than figure
title.
About two thirds of the consumers preferred to
shop in suburban areas rather than in the city. (See
Figure 1.)
About two thirds of the consumers preferred to
shop in suburban areas rather than in the city. (See
Figure 1.)
ACCEPTABLE because it interprets data but puts figure
reference in parentheses rather than integrating into
sentence.
Continued

Discussing Graphics in Text:
What To Do and What Not To Do
As shown in Figure 1, about two thirds of the
consumers preferred to shop in suburban areas
rather than in the city.
As shown in Figure 1, about two thirds of the
consumers preferred to shop in suburban areas
rather than in the city.
IMPROVED but puts reference to figure at beginning,
detracting from data interpretation.
About two thirds of the consumers preferred to shop
in suburban areas rather than in the city, as shown
in Figure 1.
About two thirds of the consumers preferred to shop
in suburban areas rather than in the city, as shown
in Figure 1.
BEST for introducing figures because it talks about the
graphic and also includes introductory phrasing, but only
after stressing main point.

You have a paragraph of text that discusses four
visuals, each large enough for a full page in the
report. Where do you put the visuals?
1. Write a sentence on each page by itself
with the visual on the following page
2. Make the visuals small enough to fit all
on one page
3. Place the visuals in order in the four
pages after the text discussion
Your Turn

Advantages of Digital Conferencing
• Lower cost for participants than traveling
to conference
• Easier to schedule for both participants and
event coordinators
• Ability to archive sessions for later viewing
and to conduct instant polls without
influence from peers
Electronic Café

Disadvantages of Digital
Conferencing
• Lack of personal contact, particularly in
sales representative/client relationship
• Loss of sales or large accounts without
“human connection”
• Fewer opportunities for social
“networking”
• Lack of hands-on contact with product or
service
Electronic Café

Rapid Expansion of
Electronic Communication
• Created a context, demand, and requirement for
organizational use
• Created high priority for security of city, state, and federal
employees immediately after 9/11 disaster
• Suspended air travel for several days
• Used by everyone from the President of U.S. to president
of small companies to communicate at a distance
How did events of September 11, 2001 facilitate digital
collaboration use in business activity?
Electronic Café

Rapid Expansion of
• Organizations redeployed their electronic conferencing
technology in the days after the terrorist attacks to use as
an alternative to classes and meetings that had to be
canceled
• One of the most dramatic spikes in demand for digital
collaboration occurred in the use of virtual classrooms,
enabling real-time presentations and interactions over the
Web
How has digital collaboration affected delivery of education
and training in an era of high concern for security?
Electronic Café

Rapid Expansion of
• Learning that involves classes and e-learning components
• Videoconferencing and face-to-face meetings
• Business practices that allow advancing creativity and
support
What do you see as the future for digital
collaboration in your career field?
The future will include more and more blends of . . .
Electronic Café

Comparison of Number of Stores
Opened by Region, Fiscal Year 2011
Solution, Activity 3a
Chapter 10, Business Communication, 16e by Lehman and DuFrene ©

Profile of Online Customers
by Age, Third Quarter, 2011
Solution, Activity 3b

Factors Affecting Employee
Loyalty, 2011
Solution, Activity 3c

Employee Interest in Personal
Enrichment by Age Group
January 2011
Solution, Application 4

Scottsdale Fitness
Total Revenue, Fiscal Year 2011
Membership Type Monthly Fees No. of
Memberships
Revenue
Single $25.00 1,439 $35,975.00
Double 40.00 642 25,680.00
Family (3+ members) 50.00 543 27,151.00
Corporate 22.50 3,465 77,962.50
Senior 20.00 788 15,720.00
Total Revenue $182,487.50

KMPG Fraud Detection
Methods, 2008

Scottsdale Sports Connection
Activities Usage Rates, 2011

Phenomenal Growth in E-Commerce
Transactions Over Seven-Year Period
Projected data for 2010 – 2012

Sources of Total Revenue
Football Program, 2004 – 2010

The Walt Disney Company
Operating Income, 2010
Source: Walt Disney Company, Annual Report, 2010

Weekend Sales of Available Seats
by Genre and Screening Time, 2010
Possible Solution, Application 14

Communicating Quantitative Data Visually

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