Visual storytelling is a catalyst for growth and innovation
How to get from ‘R U serious?’ to ‘ROI!’
Today, leading an organization is not as much about your ability to routinely operate your business as it is your ability to regularly adapt it. There’s a lot more “where do we go” than “what we do” these days.
Driving innovation and change — getting people from “no” to “go” — is not just a skill; it’s a necessity. As 21st century markets, policies, and organizations evolve, leaders are tasked with navigating complexities, rallying teams, and inspiring action through ever-larger, costlier, and messier business initiatives and larger and larger transformations.
In such a dynamic environment, one that is at times frustrating and exciting, visual storytelling bubbles up as a potent tool — one capable of transcending barriers, igniting passion, stabilizing understanding, and facilitating meaningful change.
So what’s the secret?
Clarity. It’s all about clarity.
Visual storytelling and persuasion
Research underscores the effectiveness of visuals in communicating complexity. Studies conducted by 3M found that presentations that include visual aids are 43% more persuasive than those without. When faced with intricate concepts or data-heavy insights, visual representations offer clarity and comprehension, ensuring that messages resonate with diverse audiences across the organization.
A caveat: That 3M study is decades old and was not peer-reviewed. It has been criticized, mostly because it over-promises regarding the power of visuals. The specific numbers may be skewed but the overall conclusions are not — and a follow-up study backs this up. From The Jury Expert:
“This second study never makes the “43 percent” conclusion. Its results are far more useful and specific, not to mention better substantiated, than those reported in the 3M Study.
This later study looks at a variety of factors relating to the use of visual aids and their effects on both ‘perceptions of the presenter’ and ‘components of persuasion,’ the latter of which it defines as:
- attention,
- yielding,
- comprehension, and
- retention.
Interestingly, the use of visuals does tend to produce a higher regard for the presenter on the part of subjects, which, in turn, correlates with improved attention and yielding.
“The use of visual aids alone appears to have no direct effect on the first two components, attention and yielding, but has a strong positive effect on comprehension and retention. Interestingly, the use of visuals does tend to produce a higher regard for the presenter on the part of subjects, which, in turn, correlates with improved attention and yielding. This, of course, begs the question of which presenter qualities (professionalism? conciseness?) most effectively dial up the attention and yielding levels of an audience. But the interesting thing is that good visuals contribute directly to two components of persuasion: comprehension and retention. Now that’s useful.”
The findings showed that visuals have a “strong positive effect” on comprehension and retention. On top of that, simply using visuals impacts how people perceive the presenter. And it turns out that, by proxy, using visuals also has a positive effect on attention and yielding (in this case think of yielding as meaning compliance or willingness). From bottom to top, visuals help you grab attention, create understanding, get buy-in, and improve the retention of information.
And we’re not talking about simple icons or cute clip art. We’re talking about charts (quantitative data and information) and visual stories such as infographics and explanation videos (qualitative and narrative information). Both are meant to share and increase knowledge, and enable understanding and decision-making. But while quantitative information is numeric and mostly objective, qualitative information is mostly subjective and can’t be numerically measured. This introduces potential for misunderstanding and misalignment.
What happens, then, is that leaders lean on the solid stuff — numbers! — to motivate the organization. This kind of information both available and critical, but it’s not as persuasive to everyone else as it is to you. Because where do people fit into formulas? In the least human way possible — as cold, hard numbers.
So it’s important to tell a story to your people. One that involves them as colleagues and treats them as human beings. You may never get everyone excited about the change, but you can get everyone to understand it and their role in making it happen.
the concept of a growth mindset: the idea that everyone can change, learn and grow
Visual storytelling and connection
Visuals possess the remarkable ability to evoke emotion and foster connection — a critical component in driving innovation and change. By weaving narratives through images and including your people in those stories, leaders can better tap into the hearts and minds of their teams, transcending mere facts and figures to ignite a sense of purpose and belonging. As ethnographer Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” Visual storytelling enables leaders to articulate the “why” behind change initiatives, galvanizing individuals towards a shared vision.
Countless business leaders have witnessed the transformative power of visual storytelling firsthand. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, emphasizes the importance of storytelling in driving cultural change within the organization. He notes, “We are moving from a group of people who know how to operate Microsoft to a group of people who are learning how to lead the transformation of Microsoft.” Nadella’s recognition of the role of storytelling underscores its significance in fostering a culture of adaptability and innovation.
Visual storytelling bubbles up as a potent tool — one capable of transcending barriers, igniting passion, stabilizing understanding, and facilitating meaningful change.
Visual storytelling and ROI
Beyond anecdotal evidence, the return on investment (ROI) of humanizing change through visual storytelling is compelling. A survey by Towers Watson found that organizations that effectively communicate change initiatives are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their peers financially. By humanizing change through compelling narratives and visual mediums, leaders can enhance employee engagement, foster innovation, and drive bottom-line results. Again, The Jury Expert sums things up nicely:
“First, respect the limitations of the brain. The eye receives 10,000,000 bits of information every second. The brain processes 40 of these bits (.0004 percent). We hear 100,000 bits of information every second and are able to process 30 (.03 percent).[3] The central organizing [principle] in creating visuals is to eliminate everything that isn’t necessary. Start at the macro level and remove all nonessential case themes, then all visuals that aren’t critical, and finally all unnecessary elements in each visual. Find the core of your message and focus your creative energy there.
Second, leverage the power of multimedia. Once you have determined your core messages, use words and pictures together to improve meaningful learning.”
Learning is what’s key here, not communication. You’re probably hearing a lot about “Intelligence Driven Organizations” these days. Typically, this refers to leveraging data and AI to innovate, grow, and thrive. It’s finally getting easier to make your processes smarter and more efficient… but what about your people?
Visual storytelling is a proven catalyst for understanding and transformation. By leveraging visual communication tools to convey complexity, and humanize change, leaders can better create engagement, inspire action, foster resilience, and drive sustainable organizational growth.
Illustration by Chris Roettger / Tremendousness
