As smartphones increasingly penetrate the global population at every socio-economic level, communication has become more visual than any other medium. Do you prefer to read a piece of long form journalism or watch the accompanying 2-minute video? Do you read the instruction manual of a new appliance you bought, or watch a YouTube video explaining how it works? Would you rather read a textbook or take an interactive course online?

This workshop will build you capacity to get your audience’s attention, and keep it, in a world where people are seeing too much content in too little time. Learn how the message you send can be visually engaging, accurate, and aesthetically pleasing, whether it is a WhatsApp text or a full-size billboard. The workshop will take place on a single day for a duration of approximately five hours.

The objective of this workshop is to provide attendees with knowledge of visual communication and how they can use it effectively to be better understood in their professional lives.

Workshop Agenda

Module 1: Introduction (1 hour)

• What is visual communication? What is included in visual communication?
• What is the significance of visual communication today?
• How can effective visual communication help in getting your message across?
• Examples of effective visual communication.

Module 2: The Message (1 hour)

• How to construct your message for effective visual communication?
• Why is being clear, concise, and anchoring visual communication around a singular message important?
• How to boil down complex ideas and issues into a single infographic, tagline, or animated clip.
• What tools can you use to make your communication endeavors visually engaging?

Module 3: The Medium (1 hour)

• What are some platforms through which visual communication takes place on the internet and in real life?
• How to tailor visual communication initiatives to specific platforms and audiences?
• How can you use visual communication in everyday communication like emails and texts?
• How can descriptive language evoke imagination and mimic visual communication?

Module 4: Assignment, Discussion and Sharing (2 hours)

• Within one hour, read a short case study and explain the process/story in an infographic, video, chart, or formatted document.
• Share your work with trainer and fellow attendees.
• Discuss what challenges came up during the assignment.
• Questions, peer review and open discussion.

Teaching Tools

• Basic graphic design principles and free tools like Canva
• Basic video-editing tools like FilmoraGo
• More complex visualization tools like StoryMap and Timeline (Knight Lab)
• Content analysis and summarization
• Student’s assignments will be peer reviewed and reviewed by the trainer during the workshop. The power of the message, aesthetic sense, and technical use of the free tools will be used to assess what they’ve learned.