Analysis #1

TITLE: The Use of Visualization in the Communication of Business Strategies: An

Experimental Evaluation

TOPIC: strategy visualization, bulleted list, visual communication

AUTHORS: Sebastian Kernbach, Martin J. Eppler, and Sabrina Bresciani

SUMMARY:

The researchers were seeking to the best way to overcome the information gap in middle

and lower management in regard to the companys strategy.

Literature review. A review of the literature about the problems of strategy

implementation revealed four dominant problem areas: (a) awareness of and attention to strategy

information, (b) understanding of the strategy, (c) agreement and support of the strategy, and (d)

retention or recall of the strategic content (166). One key for better execution of strategies is to

engage employees through a better way of communicating the strategy. It is therefore surprising

that researchers neglect the process of communicating the strategy. Visualization is frequently

mentioned by visual communication scholars to be important in business communication, but

bulleted lists are still dominating in corporate, governmental, and pedagogical settings (167).

ANALYSIS OF METHODOLOGY:

Participants. The subjects for the study were 76 experienced middle managers, of whom

58 were male and 18 were female, from various industries and organizational types with an

average age of 35 years and an average work experience of 11 years (171). All the subjects took

part in a business strategy class at a Swiss university within an executive MBA program with

students from around the world (171).

Data collection. The data was collected via survey after a distractor task and period of

one hour. The mode of data collection was a simple recall test of the information presented.
 Methodology. Participants were divided into three groups. Attempts were made to make

each of the groups equal. The focus of the study was on the difference visuals made in the

retention of the information the participants received. The presenter was the same for all three

groups. The information was the same. The fonts were the same. The seating was the same.

The screen was the same. The duration was the same.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS:

The results show a clear pattern and superiority of both visualizations for attention,

agreement, and retention compared to the bulleted lists. However, for the measurement of

comprehension, the temporal diagram is slightly superior compared to bulleted lists, while the

visual metaphor is the worst among the three conditions (174).

SOURCE:
Kernbach, S., Eppler, M. J., & Bresciani, S. (2015). The Use of Visualization in the
Communication of Business Strategies: An Experimental Evaluation. Journal Of
Business Communication, 52(2), 164-187. doi:10.1177/2329488414525444

Position Statement: The setup for the research was effective, but the sample size was

small, and the experiment was only performed one time. The authors did suggest replicating the

experiment with a larger sample size of a more diverse population. They had a strong hypothesis

with set parameters. Their hypothesis was only partially confirmed. I would have expected that

both of the visual options would have better results than the bulleted lists. The results only

showed an increase in retention when a temporal diagram was used. The question remains, is

this anomaly truly an anomaly or is something else happening. A larger sample size and multiple

experiments could help solve this question. However, when I looked at the materials used for

visual communication, a problem presented itself. Admittedly, the authors confessed that they

did not use strict design parameters for their visuals, but if the goal is to test the best method for
relating business strategies to middle managers and the hypothesis is that visual communication

is best, one might should follow, at the very least, the basic rules for visual communication. As

it is, the visual analogy the researchers chose had little to nothing to do with the information they

were trying to convey. Had an analogy or visual that was closely related to the subject matter

been used, I would expect the results to be markedly different, possibly with the visual analogy

resulting in the best recall of the information.

Consequently, the study confirmed in its results, as well as in what the researches did

wrong, that visual communication coupled with text produces greater retention than text alone.

Analysis #2
TITLE: Visual Communication in PowerPoint Presentations in Applied Linguistics

TOPIC: Applied linguistics, PowerPoint, visual communication

AUTHORS: Ayad Kmalvand

SUMMARY:

The researchers sought to study the semiotic purposes of PowerPoint presentations by

categorizing the utilized visuals with in the presentations according to their communicative

purposes (41).

Literature review. Literature reveals that processing of pictures takes place a lot faster

than text, since the brain processes the picture all at once, while it processes text in a linear

fashion (41). PowerPoint has made provision for the integration of various signs to create

meanings and transfer messages. Thus, it enables presenters to enrich verbal messages with

other modes of communication so as to pass the message to its addressee more efficiently (42).
ANALYSIS OF METHODOLOGY:

Participants. Seventy PowerPoints prepared and delivered by Iranian MA students of

applied linguistics to defend their master theses comprised the corpus of the study (42).

Data collection. The fundamental parts of a thesis, i.e. introduction, literature review,

methodology, results, and discussion and conclusion presented in the PowerPoint format were

analyzed visually for their visual features (42).

Methodology. The Rowley-Jolivets typology of visuals set the framework to analyze the

visual features of their presentations (42).

SUMMARY OF RESULTS:

A significant majority of the presentations belong to the scriptural category (43). In order

to restore equilibrium in PowerPoints the linguistic part of the presentation should synchronize

with it visual part. Design is the most important factor in multimodal communication (45).

SOURCE:
Kmalvand, A. (2015). Visual Communication in PowerPoint Presentations in Applied
Linguistics. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning,
59(6), 41-45. doi:10.1007/s11528-015-0903-5Of Business Communication, 52(2),
164-187. doi:10.1177/2329488414525444

Position Statement: This study was perplexing in its seeming lack of actual discussion of

the implications of the results. The author seemed to be more concerned about using a robust

vocabulary than with actually coming to any definitive conclusion about his study. What was

obvious is that the he did research his topic. There were many confirming morsels from what he

discovered in the literature. For example, the visually oriented brain necessitates the transfer of

information in non-linguistic capsules, and the ability of new communication technologies to lay

the foundations of combining modes will positively affect the interactivity in representational

actions (44).
Analysis #3
TITLE: When Less Is More: Meaningful Learning From Visual and Verbal Summaries of
Science Textbook Lessons

TOPIC: College Students; Higher Education; Instructional Materials; Learning; Recall

(Psychology); Sciences; Textbooks; Transfer of Training; Verbal Communication; Visual Aids;
Visual Learning

AUTHORS: Richard E. Mayer, William Bove, Alexandra Bryman, Rebecca Mars, and Lene
Tapangco

SUMMARY:

In a series of 3 experiments, college students who read a summary that contained a

sequence of short captions with simple illustrations depicting the main steps in the process of

lightning recalled these steps and solved transfer problems as well as or better than students who

received the full text along with the summary or the full text alone.

Literature review. During the last decade, researchers have increasingly demonstrated the

role of illustrations in improving the understandability of textbook passages (64). They have also

demonstrated the value of combining text captions with illustrations to create annotated

illustrations (64).

ANALYSIS OF METHODOLOGY:

The main focus of this study was on what the researchers called a multimedia summary:

a sequence of annotated illustrations depicting the steps in a process.

Participants. In each of the three experiments the participants were college students, 39

to 68 in number, who lacked experience in meteorology.

Data collection. The data was collected via response forms and written performance

tasks.

Methodology. In each of the experiments there were varying levels of instructional

materials given. Each subset focused on a specific criteria of the instruction.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS:

Mayer, et al. found that by reducing the load on the cognitive system, summaries enable

the students to carry out the cognitive processes necessary for meaningful learning (72). In

particular, the research suggests that a verbal summary is not as effective as a multimedia

summary that combines both visual and verbal formats and that a multimedia summary is more

effective when it contains a small amount of text rather than a large amount.

SOURCE:
Mayer, R. E., & And, O. (1996). When Less Is More: Meaningful Learning from Visual
and Verbal Summaries of Science Textbook Lessons. Journal Of Educational
Psychology, 88(1), 64-73.

Position Statement: I found this research especially intriguing. As a teacher, I often think

that more is more, but as the title of the article suggests less is often more. I discovered that

providing students with visuals and short annotations, using key words, can often produce

greater transfer of information and increased creativity over reading passages alone.

Reflection: In preparation for this assignment, I was surprised that I had trouble finding

research articles on the subject of visual communication. The problem may have been more in

the search techniques utilized than in the actual abundance of articles. However, I did employ

the help of a fellow student who has greater expertise in database searches than I do. She did not

produce any articles that I had not found on my own.

The research supports what I am learning in MEDT 7490. Mayers research was the

meatiest in disseminating what actually takes place when students are given visuals as a part of

their instruction. Mayer also discussed some of his previous research and findings, not the least

of which is his multimedia learning theory.