Graphics for Effective Presentations

Many presentations include figures such as sales increases, price developments, or statistics.

If you just read these out, you risk them sliding straight past your audience’s attention. Since such key figures can be extremely important for the future of the company and influence strategic decisions, it can really help to underline them visually.

A Picture Says a Thousand Words

We’ve previously discussed the critical role of images in presentations. The human brain has been scientifically shown to retain images much better than text, as images evoke an emotional response. To ensure that essential facts and figures stand out, combining them with images is the most effective approach.

Professionals understand that using plain text, even with formatting like underline or bold, lacks the impact needed to truly engage an audience. Therefore, they rely on visuals when it’s crucial to catch and hold attention.

We have created two examples to illustrate how much more effective a graphic slide is compared to straight text, and how to forge associations between business concepts and images.

Example 1: SMART Goals and Targets

This graphic effectively links goals, precision, and target setting. The image reinforces the associated content and makes it memorable for your audience.

SMART is an acronym representing the characteristics that define effective goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timed. Goals that meet all these criteria stand the best chance of success. Our slide visually emphasizes these characteristics, thus reinforcing the overall concept.

Targets can serve as powerful symbols when discussing goal achievement. As a company, your aim is to hit the bull’s eye and accomplish all your objectives, a concept that is graphically and clearly represented in this example.

Example 2: Mountain Infographics

Processes and multi-phase projects can be likened to a mountain hike: step by step, the team ascends toward the summit (the final product or outcome). The mountain graphic symbolizes milestones and progress, highlighting the essential planning, perseverance, and experience needed for long-term projects.

This mountain path graphic, similar to the target in Example 1, utilizes parallels between the concepts to anchor key facts in the audience’s memory.

These examples demonstrate the effectiveness of graphics in illustrating abstract processes and figures. By linking business ideas to tangible concepts like targets or mountain hikes, you create vivid images in your audience’s minds—images they will retain long after the presentation ends!