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GUIDANCE PLUS

“The lodging barometer is just a forecast, but it’s significant that we do it the same way every year. When you look at the graph, you can see the difference between this winter and the last couple of winters.”

— Riley Polumbus

Moreover, a graphic will present the matter in a more pleasing style. Some say that graphics is the language of the engineer, indicating thereby that diagrams help to convey technical information more easily than documents of words.

Graphics can portray information with clarity. We can add colours. We can use three-dimensional graphics or even photographs for added effect.

Reinforcement of an idea in the mind can be achieved by repetition. So, graphics can be used to ‘repeat’ an idea in a different form. Better comprehension will ensure better retention. Do not, however, go for graphics for graphics’ sake; they should add value to your text. The use of graphics will come in handy in different situations. For example, when descriptions alone cannot effectively bring out an idea with clarity, a graphic by itself can clearly convey an idea, a graphic will strongly emphasise a point, or it will add flavour to your document and make it more reader-friendly.

Irrespective of the type of graphics, you have to comply with certain norms for obtaining the best advantage.

Integrate the text and graphics. Ensure that the explanation in the text and the illustration in the graphics complement each other. Follow identical notations in both.

Give suitable legend and mark the parts, if necessary. For ease of reading, both text and the related graphic should be laid suitably close together.

The graphics should enhance the matter given in the text. It should not be too showy that it diverts the attention of the reader.

Choose an appropriate size for the graphic.

Some of the usual types of graphics, along with examples, are given below. You may try to compare the effects of these graphics vis-À-vis those of wordy texts conveying the same information.

Table: Give a title. Write column headings. If the table continues in the next page, again give the column headings.

If necessary, abbreviate words in column headings to fit the width of the columns. Provide white space between columns, for enhancing readability.

Bar chart: Choose appropriate units for the x and y axes, so that the chart gives fine visual effect enabling easy comparison of values. When different items are to be shown, use different colours or shading/hatching patterns to distinguish each item. The bars may be vertical or horizontal.

Pie diagram: Also known as pie chart. It illustrates different parts that make a whole. The full circle represents 100 per cent. The pie sectors indicate the percentages of the different components. Shading, hatching or colouring can be used to enhance the appeal. Label horizontally.

The angle subtended by each sector at the centre of the circle should be proportional to the share of the related component. The sector may be shown slightly moved away from the centre, for emphasis. Sometimes, you may not find space to write the labels in or near the segments. If it is so, give a key, using small squares, with each square showing the colour or type of shading/hatching in the corresponding sector. What each square represents can be conveniently written near it.

Graph: This is common in the study of mathematical subjects. The units and scales for the x and y axes should be so chosen that the trend is clear to the reader. The axes should be labelled. Different quantities can be shown in different colours, or in different kinds of lines — dotted, chain, bold and so on.

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