Sometimes More Is Less
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| Sometimes you’re faced with a diagram that seems to take on a life of its own. Lines snake and swirl across the page, icons multiply faster than rabbits, text boxes bump against each other in never ending gridlock: you know you’ve lost control. Detail-heavy diagrams can get to be so complex that their message is lost in all the confusion. You want to simplify the message but every piece is important. Believe it or not, the best way to simplify your message is to add more content to your presentation. Rethink Your Diagram Take a look at the system your diagram represents – computer network schematics, manufacturing distribution chains – and label each of the main branches. Now redraw your diagram using only those labels. This simplified skeleton doesn’t tell the whole story, but it gives a good overview of the structure of your system. Make this your first slide. Break out the Details Now take each of those branches and make them a separate slide. Sales become On-site Sales, Telephone Sales Hubs, Internet Sales, Field Sales Offices and Sales Support. You have more room to show all the relationships in this branch. Lines linking to areas outside this branch can lead to icons representing the labels of the other branches. There may even be enough room to add more text to make your diagram more descriptive. Creating these additional slides breaks your diagram into pieces of information that are easier to comprehend. Make Your Diagram Work for You Your diagram is easier to understand in pieces, but it’s not a linear process. As a presenter you need the flexibility to discuss the complex details of the branches to match your audience’s needs. Why not make your diagram interactive? PowerPoint allows you to move from slide to slide in your presentation using hyperlinks and navigation buttons. Each of the icons on your main diagram can link to the slide detailing its intricate relationships, and a click of a button on those individual slides can take you back to the main diagram. Your presentation is suddenly more dynamic: engaging your audience in the message. With some planning and a strong navigational interface, you can even create an interactive presentation for a kiosk or your website which is totally driven by the user. Take a step back from your diagrams. Is the big picture clear at a glance? If not, try simplifying them by adding more content and more slides, with just a dash of interactivity. |
