Skip to main content

Part V

PART V: Visual Communication

Once you know the message of each slide, the next question is: What is the clearest way to show it?

Visual communication is not about making slides look impressive. It is about reducing the effort required for the audience to understand your thinking. A strong visual helps judges see:

  • comparisons;

  • trends;

  • relationships;

  • priorities;

  • processes;

  • trade-offs;

  • and implications

faster than words alone. Part V focuses on two principles:

  1. Choose visuals based on the message you need to communicate.

  2. Make the most important information impossible to miss.

The objective is not decoration. The objective is understanding.

Chapter 9: Visuals Are Thinking Tools

Video: Building Better Slide Decks: 9 Practical Rules for Professional, Visual Case Presentations

Video: How to Make Financials and Implementation Visual in Your Case Deck

Visuals are not decoration. They helpare thethinking audience understand information faster.tools. The right visual can make a complexcomplicated idea obvious. The wrong visual can make a simple idea confusing.

Choose the Visual Based on the Message

Use:

  • BarThat charts:means Tochart compareselection categories.should not begin with: “What kind of chart would look good here?”
  • LineIt charts:should Tobegin showwith: change over time.
  • Pie/donut charts: Only when showing a simple composition with a small number of categories.
  • Maps: To communicate geographic differences.
  • Process diagrams: To show how something works.
  • Timelines: To show implementation.
  • 2×2 matrices: To compare alternatives across two dimensions.
  • Tables: When precise comparison matters.
  • Icons/images: When they communicate meaning rather than simply decorating the slide.

The Visualisation Question

Before choosing a chart, ask: “What relationship do Iwe wantneed the audience to see?” Then

Once you know the answer, choose the visual that makes that relationship easiest to understand.

Start With the Relationship

Imagine your analysis shows that three customer segments generate very different levels of profit. You could present that information as:

  • a paragraph;

  • a table;

  • a pie chart;

  • a bar chart.

All four may technically communicate the data. But if the message is: Segment A generates significantly more profit than the other customer segments, a bar chart may make the comparison immediately obvious. The question is therefore not simply: What information do we have? It is: What relationship in the information matters?

Match the Visual to the Message

Different visuals are useful for different communication tasks.

Don’tBar startCharts

with:
    “What
  • Use kindwhen you want to compare categories.
  • Examples:
  • revenue by product;
  • profitability by segment;
  • customer satisfaction by region;
  • alternatives by financial return;
  • market share by competitor.
  • A bar chart helps the audience answer: Which is bigger, smaller, stronger, or weaker?

Line Charts

  • Use when you want to show change over time.
  • Examples:

  • revenue growth;

  • customer retention;

  • market share;

  • operating margins;

  • adoption;

  • cumulative cash flow.

  • Line charts are particularly useful when the trend matters more than the individual numbers.
  • The audience should quickly see: Where are we going?

Pie and Donut Charts

  • Use cautiously when showing simple composition.
  • They can work when:

  • there are relatively few categories;

  • the categories clearly form a whole;

  • the differences are reasonably obvious.

  • For example: Where does our revenue come from?
  • They become much less useful when you have many categories or when precise comparison matters.
  • If the audience needs to compare similar values, a bar chart may be easier to interpret.

Maps

  • Use when geography is part of chartthe insight.
  • Examples:

  • market attractiveness by region;

  • store locations;

  • expansion opportunities;

  • customer concentration;

  • supply-chain exposure.

  • Do not use a map simply because the case involves geography.
  • Use it when location itself communicates something important.

Process Diagrams

  • Use when the audience needs to understand how something works.
  • Examples:

  • customer journey;

  • operational process;

  • supply chain;

  • proposed service model;

  • decision process.

  • A process diagram should wesimplify use?”the process—not reproduce every operational detail.

Timelines

  • Use when sequence and timing matter.
  • They are particularly useful for implementation.
  • Show:

  • phases;

  • milestones;

  • dependencies;

  • ownership;

  • decision points;

  • timing.

  • A timeline allows the audience to see: What happens when?

2×2 Matrices

  • Use when comparing items across two meaningful dimensions.
  • For example:
  • High Impact / Low Impact
  • against
  • Easy to Implement / Difficult to Implement
  • A 2×2 can make prioritisation clear.
  • But choose the axes carefully.
  • If the dimensions do not matter to the decision, the matrix may look sophisticated without producing useful insight.

Tables

  • Use when precise comparison matters.
  • Tables can work well for:

  • alternatives;

  • decision criteria;

  • budgets;

  • financial metrics;

  • scenario results;

  • implementation responsibilities.

  • But remember:
  • A table makes the audience read.
  • If the primary objective is to show a pattern or relationship, a chart may communicate it faster.

Icons and Images

  • Use when they communicate meaning.
  • An icon can help distinguish:

  • customers;

  • employees;

  • financials;

  • operations;

  • technology.

An image can help create:

  • context;

  • emotional connection;

  • product understanding;

  • geographic understanding.

  • But decorative visuals still consume attention.
  • Ask: Does this image help the audience understand something?
  • If not, it may not belong.

Visualising Financial Information

Financial slides deserve particular attention because teams often present them as spreadsheets. The judges usually do not need to see the entire model. They need to understand the financial conclusion. For example, instead of displaying twenty rows of calculations, you might show:

  • Investment $2.5M
  • Expected Annual Benefit $1.1M
  • Payback 2.3 Years
  • NPV +$1.7M

Then use a chart to show how the economics develop over time. The spreadsheet proves the calculation. The slide communicates the insight.

Visualising Alternatives

Alternatives also lend themselves to visual communication. Suppose three strategies are evaluated against:

  • strategic fit;

  • financial impact;

  • feasibility;

  • risk.

A comparison table may allow the audience to understand quickly why one alternative performs better. But be careful. The purpose is not to manufacture a table that makes your recommendation win. The visual should reveal the actual trade-offs.

Visualising Implementation

Implementation plans should help judges see: How does this move from recommendation to reality? Useful formats include:

  • phased timelines;

  • Gantt-style charts;

  • roadmaps;

  • process diagrams;

  • responsibility matrices.

A strong implementation visual might show: PILOT → VALIDATE → REFINE → SCALE with:

  • timing;

  • ownership;

  • KPIs;

  • decision gates

connected to each phase. Now the implementation becomes something the judges can see happening.

Don't Visualise Everything

Not every idea requires a chart. Sometimes the clearest communication is: 27% or: Customer retention has fallen for three consecutive years. Or a simple sentence with one supporting number. Teams sometimes create complex diagrams because they believe every slide needs a visual. It does not. The objective is clarity.

The Visualisation Question

Before creating any visual, complete: We want the audience to see that __________. Then ask: What is the simplest visual that makes that relationship obvious? Only then choose the chart.

Discover Your Mad Skills Principle

Don't choose the chart first. Choose the insight first.

The visual exists to make the thinking easier to understand.

The Bottom Line

Visuals should help the audience see:

  • comparison,
  • change,
  • composition,
  • relationship,
  • sequence, or
  • priority.

Start with: “What do we want them to see?” Then choose the visual that makes it easiest to see.

Chapter 10: Make the Important Information Obvious

Choosing the correct visual is only the first step. The audience still needs to know: Where should I look? Judges should not have to hunt for the insight.

  • If a number matters, make it visible.
  • If a trend matters, highlightmake it.it obvious.
  • If one category ismatters important,more than the others, distinguish it.
  • If a particularone point supports theyour recommendation, call itattention out.to it.

But don’t highlight everything.remember: If everything is important, nothing is importantimportant..

Attention Is Designed

Every slide creates a visual path. The audience's eyes will move somewhere first.

  • Then somewhere second.
  • Then somewhere third.

Your job is to decide where. A strong slide creates a hierarchy:

SLIDE MESSAGE → MOST IMPORTANT EVIDENCE → SUPPORTING EVIDENCE → DETAIL

The design should reinforce the logic of the argument.

The Visual Hierarchy

Level 1: The Message

  • What should the audience shouldunderstand?
    • naturally
  • Usually, notice:

    this is communicated through the slide title.
  • For example:
  • High-Value Customers Account for 72% of Lost Profit
  • The judge already knows what matters.

SlideLevel Message2: àThe Most Important Evidence

à
  • What proves the message?
  • Perhaps the slide contains a chart showing profit loss by customer segment.
  • The relevant segment should be easy to identify.

Level 3: Supporting Evidence

à
  • What additional information strengthens the conclusion?
  • Perhaps:
  • churn increased 14%;
  • lifetime value is three times higher;
  • acquisition costs increased 18%.
  • These numbers support the argument but should not compete with the primary evidence.

Level 4: Detail

  • Some information may be necessary for credibility but does not deserve attention first.
  • For example:
  • source;
  • assumptions;
  • definitions;
  • methodology.
  • Include it when needed.
  • But visually treat it as supporting information.

Use Contrast Deliberately

Contrast tells the audience: DetailLook here. You can create contrast through:

  • size;

  • position;

  • weight;

  • whitespace;

  • shape;

  • selective colour.

For example, if one bar matters in a chart, that bar may deserve greater visual emphasis while the remaining bars recede. The objective is not to make the chart prettier. It is to direct attention toward the insight.

Size Communicates Importance

A common mistake is making everything approximately the same size. If:

  • the headline;

  • chart;

  • supporting text;

  • source;

  • and footnotes

all compete visually, the audience has no hierarchy. Important information should generally receive greater visual weight. Ask: What should the judge see first? Then: Does the slide actually make them see it first?

Use Whitespace

Whitespace is not wasted space. It creates separation. It helps the audience understand:

  • what belongs together;

  • what is separate;

  • what is important.

Teams sometimes feel pressure to fill every empty area because slide space is limited. That often makes the slide harder to understand. A slide does not need to be full to be complete.

Highlight Selectively

Suppose your slide contains ten numbers. You highlight eight. What should the judge look at? Probably all eight. Which means none has priority. Instead, determine which number matters most. For example: +$4.2M NPV. That may be the only number requiring significant emphasis. The remaining numbers provide supporting evidence.

Label the Insight

Do not assume the audience will interpret a chart exactly as you did. A useful annotation might say: Churn doubled following the service redesign. An arrow or callout can direct attention to the relevant point. Again, do not annotate everything. Guide the audience toward the conclusion that matters.

Remove Visual Noise

Look for elements that consume attention without improving understanding:

  • unnecessary borders;

  • redundant labels;

  • excessive decimals;

  • decorative icons;

  • unnecessary legends;

  • heavy gridlines;

  • repeated headings;

  • redundant text;

  • excessive data points.

Ask: If we remove this, do we lose meaning? If not, remove it. This is the visual hierarchy.version of the focus principle from Chapter 2.

Make Numbers Judge-Friendly

  • Compare: $10,238,491.76 with: $10.2M If the exact number does not matter, the second is much easier to process.
  • Likewise: 37.284% may simply become: 37%. Precision is valuable when the decision requires it. Otherwise, unnecessary precision creates visual clutter and can imply a level of certainty your assumptions do not justify.

Titles Should Do Analytical Work

Compare: Revenue by Segment with: Premium Customers Generate 62% of Revenue

The first tells the audience what the chart contains. The second tells them what the chart means. Your title is some of the most valuable space on the slide. Use it.

The Squint Test

Step back from the screen—or reduce the slide significantly. Ask: What still stands out? Ideally, you can still identify:

  • the headline;

  • the dominant visual;

  • the most important number or insight.

If ten things compete for attention, the hierarchy may be weak.

The 3-Second Test

Show someone the slide for three seconds. Then ask:remove it. Ask: “What did you see?” If their answer isn’t close to the intended message,message was: Our recommendation generates positive NPV under all three scenarios, and they say: "There were three coloured bars and lots of numbers," the slide needs work. If they say: "The investment still makes money in the downside case," the slide is communicating. This test matters because judges are rarely studying your slides in isolation. They are also:

  • listening;

  • thinking;

  • taking notes;

  • evaluating;

  • preparing questions.

Your slide must communicate quickly.

The Visual Priority Test

For every slide, identify:

  • FIRST
    • What should the judge see first?
  • SECOND
    • What should they see next?
  • THIRD
    • What supporting detail should they notice after that?

Then look at the slide. Does the design create that sequence? If not, change the visual hierarchy.

Discover Your Mad Skills Principle

Do not make the audience search for your insight.

You already did the analysis. Your job now is to make the conclusion easy to see.

The Bottom Line

Good visual communication directs attention. The audience should naturally move through:

MESSAGE → KEY EVIDENCE → SUPPORTING EVIDENCE → DETAIL

Make the important information obvious. Remove what competes with it. And remember: If everything is important, nothing is important.

Part V: Practice Before Moving On

Before moving forward, conduct a Visual Communication Audit. Choose five important slides and ask:

  • What do we want the audience to see?
    • Write the answer in one sentence.
  • Does the visual show the right relationship?
    • Is this primarily:

    • a comparison;

    • a trend;

    • a composition;

    • a process;

    • a sequence;

    • a geographic relationship;

    • or a precise comparison?

  • What should the audience notice first?
    • Identify one element.
  • What can we remove?
    • Delete anything that does not improve understanding.
  • Does it pass the 3-Second Test?
    • Show the slide briefly to someone unfamiliar with it.

Ask: "What did you learn?" If their answer is close to your intended message, the visual is working. If not, redesign it.

The next step is to move from what the audience sees to ensuring they can actually read and process it under competition conditions—which sets up Part VI nicely if you're moving next into readability, slide design, and building for the back row.

Back to top