VISUAL COMMUNICATION

It includes gestures and facial expressions, tables and charts, graphs, diagrams, posters,
slides, film strips etc.
Visual communication alone is not enough. It can be used to transmit very elementary and
simple ideas, orders, and warnings among others. It can be effectively used only in
combination with other media. The diagrammatic representations combine the written with
the visual. Pie charts and pictograms also combine the two, for there is always a written
indication of what is shown in them. Such forms are very useful in the representation of
statistical data.
ADVANTAGES OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION
1. It is very fast in conveying a message. E.g. A graph showing company expenditure in a
financial year can be understood just at a glance compared to paragraphs of text or a
speech conveying the same information.
2. A picture is retained in our memory longer than words or quotes.
3. Impactful- A graphic of any kind can elicit a stronger reaction from the viewer.
4. It is a much more efficient way of communicating-time and effort required in relaying
information is less.
5. Ambiguities are more common with oral communication. A visual on the other hand
makes everything very clear.

DISADVANTAGES OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION

1. High cost- High quality images, pictures and graphics require additional resources to
procure and make, driving up the cost.
2. Making a graph or pie chart requires more time and effort as it involves selecting,
compiling and presenting a large amount of information in a visually-pleasing manner.
3. Only a small amount of information can be conveyed via a graphic. A very detailed visual
will look cluttered, overwhelm the reader and reduce its impact.
4. Visuals can be detracting, shifting the focus from the presentation itself. This is especially
true if it is poorly designed.
5. When using visuals, many concepts lose their complexity. This is especially harmful to an
organization as the viewers can miss out on crucial details and hinder the decision making
process. Oversimplification can also make the issue being discussed seem petty and
unimportant.

AUDIO-VISUAL COMMUNICATION
It is a combination of sight and sound. It may also make use of the written word. It makes use
of telecasts, short films on the cinema screen, video tapes and digital video disc.
Visual communication is not found to be adequate in itself. People will just casually glance at
it and let go at that. It is quite likely they will miss the message. However, if slides are
accompanied with explanation and narration, it will facilitate interpretation and ensure that
the message is driven home. Besides, information transmitted through audio-visual means is
retained much longer than through any other means.
Audio-visual communication is found most suitable for mass publicity (such as advertising),
mass propaganda and mass education. Large business houses frequently make use of this
technique to educate their workers and to popularize their products. Within an organization,
the workers can be educated by giving suitable demonstrations on the close-circuit television
screen.
For this technique to be effective, it is necessary to make the films and slides attractive and
interesting and the narration clear, precise and easily understandable. They should also be
short and screened at an appropriate time.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION
When we talk about electronic communication we refer to electronic equipment such as
computers and television.
Satellite communication via television and cable has now transformed the world into a global
village. Cable TV technology combined with satellite and digital technologies has led to a
profusion of broadcasting channels worldwide.
Many organizations use computers for efficiency. A computer can communicate with another
by sending tiny pulses of electricity along a cable. The coded pulses can represent any form
of information i.e. words, symbols, photographs, diagrams, moving pictures, speech or music.
The internet is an international network of computers and similar electronic machines, linked
by wires, cables, radio waves and satellites of the telecom system. The system converts and
carries signals between computers in the same way that it carries the sounds of a telephone
call.
The World Wide Web (www or the net) is part of the internet. It si made up of a huge number
of inter-linked documents containing pages of information. The internet service provider
(ISP) may provide browser software but it is also widely available elsewhere. With a
browser, the client can go direct to a known page address identified by its URL (unique
resource location) e.g. http://www.CNN.com.
If the page address is not known, the browser can connect to a search engine e.g. google to
look for pages that cover the subject being searched for or which contain specific words or
phrases.
ELECTRONIC MAIL.
Electronic mail (e-mail) is a process by which one person can exchange messages with other
people entirely on computers. You can send letters, documents and other information.
For business purposes, email may be considered at two levels i.e. internal and external.
INTERNAL EMAIL
Operates within an organization. This is usually on a local area network (LAN) based mail
system. Messages may be passed amongst network computer users e.g. as a replacement for
internal memos etc. However, such a system may only become sufficiently useful when the
user community is large and can be unsuitable for a small business.
EXTERNAL EMAIL
Enables individuals or organizations to communicate with other individuals or organizations
anywhere in the world. This is achieved using one of the external e-mail networks such as
CompuServe, MCI Mail, CIX and the internet (which is the most popular).
HOW E-MAIL OPERATES
There are three main ways of communicating by e-mail:
1. Messages can be sent to a specification address where they will be available when the
recipient checks their mail.
2. A second method allows messages to be placed in a central bulletin board where anyone
with access to that bulletin board can read them and respond.
3. Third method is conferencing: two or more people connect to the same message area
where everything they type is displayed on everyone’s screen as it is sent.
ADDRESSING E-MAIL
All e-mail addresses should be typed entirely in lower case letters. Each address identifies the
user and their domain. The user name comes before an @ symbol. Other parts of the address
are separated by full stops. The domain might include a truncated business name, the service
provider name and two or three letter acronym defining the type of company or organization
e.g. Edu-educational, ac-academic, com-commercial, co-company. Most Kenyan addresses
end with ke.
ADVANTAGES OF E-MAIL
1. E-mail messages can be sent to the recipient’s mailbox at any time, at the sender’s
convenience.
2. E-mail can be a very rapid means of communication. It takes few seconds to send the
message across.
3. Most e-mail messaging software allows the sender to request automatic confirmation of
delivery and/or reading of the message.
4. Telephone conversations may be misunderstood or forgotten, as there is no tangible
message. E-mail can be kept as long as it is needed.
5. E-mail with data file attachments can transfer large amounts of information in a form,
which the recipient can use straight away.
6. E-mail is cheaper to send than a fax and doesn’t waste paper.
7. E-mail is more flexible than faxing, as it is much easier and cheaper to send one message
to 10 people than fax 10 different numbers.
8. E-mail is one of the cheapest methods of inter-office communication and is an efficient
replacement for the memo.
9. Using e-mail requires minimal training.
10. E-mail can be used for consulting and developing ideas within a group or community in
an open forum. Bulletin boards provides a central area for the exchange of messages;
conferencing is ideal for holding on-line meetings with distant users.
11. E-mail provides proof of the sending of the message. In certain circumstances, written
details are essential to confirm a transaction such as order or agreement. They provide
evidence for legal disputes, if necessary.
12. A record of an E-mail message may be kept in electronic form, reducing filing problems
and administration costs.
13.E-mail may help the company prepare for the’ information superhighway’, as it is likely
that international communication will become more and more critical to business success in
the future. Having an E-mail address indicates to others that a company is forward thinking
and committed to new technologies.
DISADVANTAGES OF EMAIL
1. The initial outlay on the hardware and software necessary for e-mail may be expensive.
2. Managers may not have the time or resources to explore the benefits of different e-mail
systems.
3. Companies tend to overlook training on e-mail techniques, when to use e-mail and when it
is preferable to use another medium e.g face to face communication and how to write an
articulate e-mail.
4. E-mail has the potential to exclude people as well as include them e.g manual workers do
not normally use PCs at work.
5. Staff may waste time on non-productive e-mailing.
6. E-mail is not as private as an ordinary letter. Internet e-mail has leaky security and
although it is unlikely, messages may be intercepted.
7. Across the internet there may be clogged gateways, resulting in e-mail taking days rather
than minutes to arrive.
8. A mail server crash, either locally or on the internet, can lose a message without sender or
receiver ever knowing.
9. A slight error in an e-mail address can prevent delivery of the message although most
systems will bounce messages with certain address errors back to the sender.
VIDEO CONFERENCING (VC)
The basic idea in video conferencing is that users can see each other and share information in
various forms without having to be in the same location i.e meetings without travel.
It is useful when person-to-person contact is not possible and clear communication is needed.
BENEFITS OF VIDEO CONFERENCING
1. Reduced travel time and costs-meetings can be held without everyone being in the same
venue.
2. Remote access to expertise
3. Increased availability of personnel
4. Increased efficiency and productivity
5. Easier collaborative working.
A VC SESSION MAY CONSIST OF:
1. One-to-one meetings, involving two-way audio and video between two sites. This is also
known as point-to-point communication because several people at each site may be
involved.
2. One-to-many communications, or multicast, involving full audio and video broadcast
from the one main site with multiple sites receiving. The receiving sites may only send
audio.
3. Many-to-many conferencing or multi-point communications providing audio and video
between more than two sites.

USES OF VIDEO CONFERENCING

1. A solicitor could call upon the best specialist for a job regardless of their location without
requiring them to travel.
2. Desktop VC can help firms to keep in touch with home workers or a remote sales force.
3. Universities and colleges can use VC for distance learning, enabling specialist teachers
and minority subjects to be shared between more sites.
4. A loan company might install VC equipment in car show rooms in order to talk to car
buyers to arrange finance on the spot.
5. VC can allow companies to exploit new markets worldwide through interactions with
clients.

REVISION QUESTIONS
1. Give three disadvantages of using email to communicate. (3marks)
2. You have been invited to give a speech to the students of Daima High school. Explain five
non-verbal cues that you will use to enhance your presentation. (10marks)
3. Outline four instances when it would not be appropriate to use written communication in
an organisation. (4marks)
4. Outline three circumstances when non-verbal communication is used to pass information

5. State three disadvantages of oral reports. (3marks)

6. List three advantages of using audio-visual communication to advertise a service.
(3marks)
7. Describe four characteristics of effective oral communication. (8marks)
8. State four ways in which e-mail has made it easier for managers to communicate to
employees. (4marks)

9. Outline three reasons why organizations are increasingly using the television to market
their products. (3marks)
10. Explain three reasons why a manager may choose to call for a meeting to discuss issues
affecting the employees of an organization. (6marks)
11. State four types of visual aids that may be used when making a presentation. (4marks)

TOPIC SIX
SUMMARY WRITING
A summary is a shortened passage, which retains the essential information of the original. It
is a fairly brief restatement, in your own words, of the contents of a passage.
Precis, a French word, means a summary, an abstract.
A precis is a concise and clear statement of the substance of a longer passage in a connected
and readable shape. A precis must be accurate, brief and clear. It is about one third of the
original.
Summary is often used synonymously with precis but there is one distinction. A summary
can also be in the form of notes with just headings and sub-headings and numbered points
beneath them. A precis is in the form of a paragraph.
An abstract is a summary constructed by extracting the key sentences of a paragraph and
putting them together coherently.
Importance of summary writing
1. Saves time as one gets the essential facts as briefly and clearly as possible.
2. Summarizing improves reading skills
3. It also helps with vocabulary skills as one paraphrases the original text altering the
vocabulary and grammar.
4. It helps one understand the original text better.
5. A good summary tells readers enough about a topic that they can decide whether they
need to read more.
6. Summary writing provides brief information without unnecessary details.
QUALITIES OF A GOOD PRECIS/SUMMARY
1. Conciseness: A good precis should be just long enough to serve its purpose
2. Clarity: the writer of a precis must make sure to write what he means and write it
absolutely clearly.
3. Coherence: it should hold together. Each part must be related to the other parts of the
precis.
STEPS IN PRECIS/SUMMARY WRITING
1. Read the passage thoroughly. Try to get a general idea of the theme of the passage.
2. Read the passage again. If necessary, re-read the passage several times. Be sure that you
have grasped the entire meaning of the materials.
3. Underline or highlight all the important ideas
4. Write down a title which sums up the theme of the passage.
5. Rewrite in fewer words what the author has said. It is better to sum up the passage in the
form of points. Use your own language as far as possible.
6. Re-read the passage. Compare your points with the passage to ensure that no important
points have been overlooked and nothing insignificant has been included.
7. using your points, write down the sum and substance of the passage in a well-connected
and readable paragraph. This is your rough draft.
8. Count the words in your rough draft. If necessary, make alterations in your rough draft to
give it the required length.
9. Review and rephrase your rough draft wherever desirable.
10. Reconsider the appropriateness of the title and amend it if necessary.
RULES OF WRITING A PRECIS/SUMMARY
1. Determine the theme of the passage very carefully. It is important to find out the
central idea or theme of the passage and separate major points from minor ones based
on the theme.
2. Precis is not the reproduction of important sentences.
It is not about reproducing a few sentences and deleting others. It is the art of
remodeling.
3. Brevity is good but not at the cost of clarity. If addition or retention of a few words
adds to the clarity of your precis, they should be included. Excessive economy,
leading to ambiguity or obscurity, must be avoided.
4. Your precis ought to be intelligible even to a person who has not read the original
passage. He who has read the original passage can compare the two versions but
someone who has not read the original passage has to judge your performance only
from what you have written.
5. Use your own language
You cannot help retaining a few significant phrases or technical terms but be sure that
sentence structure is entirely your own.
6. Precis is always written in the third person.
If the author has used the autobiographical form of narration or description, you
should change the form. Additionally, avoid the use of direct speech in your precis.
 Indirect speech will make it more compact.
7. Use your discretion if the passage contains statistical information.
You can omit statistics if they represent generalized facts. But if the figures are basic
to the understanding of the general drift of the passage, they have to be retained.
8. Observe proportion
Each part of the original passage should be dealt with according to its relative
importance and not according to the space assigned to it.
9. No Comments
Do not give any comments, appreciative or critical, on the ideas expressed in the
passage. Your job is to interpret faithfully and not to evaluate the mind of the author.
10. Reproduce the passage to its one-third.
Unless otherwise indicated, you are supposed to reduce the passage to one-third of its
original length.