How Infographics Can Help Educate (And Engage) Your AudienceNot only do infographics hone in on the most important information, but the use of visuals actually help to increase retention of that information.
ByCarla Saliba•
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Whether you're a teacher, a marketer, or have pretty muchanyjob that involves working with people, there are going to be many times where you are going to have to communicate complex or large amounts of information toengage and educate your audience.
The average human attention span lastszzzzzzzz……sorry, we meant to say eight seconds! The point is, by the time you reach the end of this paragraph, most people would already have lost interest. Not great if you're looking to persuade them to buy your product or learn a new topic.
Enter infographics:a visual presentation of your informationthat is digestible, easy-to-understand, and can communicate your key messages more effectively than regular ol' text. Here's how.
1. It highlights the important bitsOf course,everythingin that 50-page report you wrote is important. But let's face it, some things are more important to know than others - and these are things you'll want your audience to take home.
Using an infographic instead of paragraphs of text means you canget straight to the point, and shed the word count in the process.
2. It increases information retentionNot only do infographics hone in on the most important information, but the use of visuals actually help to increase retention of that information.
This is because humans can remember up to 80% of what they see, but just 20% of what they read. Our visual memory is so strong that at times we can even identify incomplete visual elements (we love playing guess the logo game!).
Using appropriate icons or imagery with text therefore helps with memory recall.
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3. It makes statistics understandable圣atistics presented in tables or text make it difficult to analyze data or read trends (and, frankly, are a complete snoozefest).
This is where infographics really shine, as you can show multiple statistics together in a way that is really clear and simply laid out. You're still presenting a lot of information, but it'smuch easier to identify trends and outliers.
4.分解困难的概念Using an infographic format can help toexplain difficult concepts like big data really simply, and also works well for visualizing processes or timelines.
Infographics make a powerful tool when it comes to communicating with your audience, so next time you find yourself working on a report or presentation, cut down the writing, and start visualizing!
