An efficient workplace makes use of several different kinds of communication. Verbal and visual communication are just two ways that information and ideas travel from person to person and become integrated into the company's methods and practices. Businesses should strive for the most effective visual communication possible when looking for alternate ways of transferring data into digestible information for employees.
Staff members normally create slide presentations with computer presentation software to accompany the text of an important company meeting. Slide presentations offer a visual element to meetings that can help employees better understand the subject matter of a meeting and keep minds from wandering. When a sales manager is comparing last year's sales numbers with this year's, an effective way of making the comparison understandable is to use graphs and charts in a slide presentation.
Many employees produce memos as a form of visual communication electronically or on paper. In either form, the memo serves as a way to transport information back and forth between individuals and groups. Important information such as changes to company policies or procedures, updates on the company's financial status or department-specific messages can be effectively communicated using memos.
Videos can be effective as training aids and ways to introduce new products to an entire company. The human resources department can create an introductory training video as part of new employee orientation. Other departments can create training videos specific to their needs. When a company wants to introduce a new product to employees, a video is an efficient way of delivering the new product information to the entire company, allowing the company to see what the product can do and answering questions employees might have.
In some cases, hands-on training is most effective for employee comprehension. When a new employee is being trained on a complicated piece of equipment, it is more effective to show the employee how the equipment works firsthand than giving the employee books or manuals to read. Using product displays can also be an effective way for a company to show staff members the differences between their products and those of the competition.