Question

"Some pictures may b worth a thousand words, but a picture of a thousand words is not worth much," says corporate executive Don Keough. Explain what this means in term of oral presentation>

Answer 1

Solution

People tend to understand complex or difficult matters when it is presented in the form of a simple picture. It facilitates more understanding of an idea or a concept as it is explained in a simple way with a few words. This is why people prefer going through simple flowcharts and diagrams rather than reading a number of paragraphs.

When corporate matters are considered, the financial position and financial performance of an entity can be better explained with the help of graphs and charts. The business process can be shown in the form of a flowchart. This would facilitate the users of the financial statements (eg: investors) to understand the business entity and its operations in a simple and easy way.

On the other hand, if the facts & figures of the business entity are presented in the form of paragraphs, it is less likely that the users of the information would go through each and every line and understand the content. There are chances that the information is interpreted in an incorrect way and this may result in making of inappropriate decisions.

This is what the corporate executive meant by stating that some picture may be worth a thousand words but a picture of thousand words is not worth much.