Communication Tip 44: Include People in Your Visuals
Human-centered images help to bridge the gap between complex information and real-world applications.
As technical professionals, our discussions often revolve around pumps, pipes, facilities, and manufacturing processes. It’s easy to overlook the human element in these discussions because humans are not the primary focus. However, images that include people have the power to build empathy, humanize complex information, and enhance social media appeal. This means that as technical professionals, we have a significant role in influencing and informing decision makers by including people in our visuals.
Images Help Visualize the Human Impact
Leaders can better gauge their choices’ direct influence on employees, customers, or the general public.
Attaching people to the images of technical work is a primary lesson we teach as part of the FINESSE fishbone diagram. The personal element fosters empathy and can prompt more thoughtful, people-centered decision-making.
Images Help Humanize Abstract, Complex Information
Images with people allow decision makers to see themselves in a similar situation. Therefore, human-centered images help to bridge the gap between complex information and real-world applications.
Social Media Has Created a Preference for Images of People
Images with human faces or actions perform better on social media due to their relatability and emotional appeal. Beyond the embedded appeal to decision makers, including people in images make them readily available for the media and the public to consume and re-share your information.
Include People in Your Visuals
Images featuring people build empathy and humanize abstract, complex information. Social media has also embedded an expectation and an interest in people being in our visuals. Using this practice makes the work of technical professionals more effective.
JD Solomon served in executive leadership roles at two Fortune 500 companies before starting JD Solomon, Inc., just before the pandemic. JD is the founder of Communicating with FINESSE®, the creator of the FINESSE fishbone diagram®, and the co-creator of the SOAP criticality method©. He is the author of Communicating Reliability, Risk & Resiliency to Decision Makers: How to Get Your Boss’s Boss to Understand and Facilitating with FINESSE: A Guide to Successful Business Solutions.
