Visualization: tips and techniques for more success

Find out here how visualization can help your presentations and your personal advancement.

There is no one visualization, instead this term now stands for techniques from different areas:

  • meditation
  • Visual preparation of data
  • Motivational training / personal development

We'll show you here how you can use these techniques for yourself!

Visualization on the job

Do you have to present a dry topic or write it down? That quickly leads to leaden text deserts, which are firstly unmanageable and secondly bore the reader or listener! Fortunately, there is a suitable antidote for this: visualization. With this simple method, you can prepare even the most bulky topics in an interesting way, whether for a presentation, a document or in a brainstorming appointment. You can, for example, draw from these possibilities:

  • Visualization of Data: Tables, diagrams (bars, circles, curves), tree structure
  • Visualization of Ideas / goals / opinions: Pictograms, sketch notes, cartoon, timelines, red thread, videos and images
  • Visualization in Meetings: Sketchnotes, mind maps, pin board cards

Visualize in presentations

Why is visualization so important anyway? The so-called "Picture Superiority Effect" says that Images and photographs are better remembered, as text or audio alone. And who doesn't want their presentation to be remembered (positively) later ?!

So that the audience doesn't snore away or rather play around with their smartphone, the presentation definitely needs it exciting content and eye catchers. What you should pay attention to when creating the presentation – four tips:

  1. Attractive design: The design of the presentation should not distract from the content, but may support it visually. This could be the colors of the company, the product, the customer, etc. The same applies to the fonts: if you use a certain font, you can also use it here – as long as it is easy to read for everyone.
  2. Just write down the essentials: Even if you have invested a lot of time in developing a text, do not take it over one-to-one in a presentation. Only the most important points should be summarized briefly and succinctly. Explain the complex contents instead of writing everything down.
  3. Summary: With many slides or several presentations in succession, information can quickly get lost. Repetitions make them easier for the audience to remember, and a summary of the most important points at the end (of a chapter) also serves this purpose.
  4. Visual elements: Visualized representations are ideal for summaries, important messages, connections or data. They loosen up the lecture, attract attention and are better remembered by the audience. Depending on the topic, company and audience, humorous elements (e.g. gifs or memes) are also allowed!

Reading tip: You can find PowerPoint alternatives here!

Visualization for personal development and goal achievement

The visualization can also be used as a tool for your own development and the achievement of goals. That can be for professional, but also for other areas of life. Whether we are successful or not is also related to our inner beliefs. Let us assume that we e.g. B. Not getting the dream job because we are – consciously or unconsciously – convinced that we are not good enough for it, we will most likely not get the job – we are in our own way.

The visualization is a good help with which we can dissolve such negative beliefs or establish new positive ones. It can also support you in achieving certain goals by giving you a concrete picture of them every day color in your mind. As with affirmations, it should positive, to you (!) believable and with (positive) Emotions be connected.

In the job example, you could imagine how well prepared and confident you would be in job interviews. Of course, you also have to prepare yourself "real" for this conversation … Because: If we visualize a goal that has already been achieved, our brain could believe we have already achieved it. The result: We are no longer motivated or no longer take the necessary next steps – and that doesn't get us any further.

You should generally pay attention to this when setting goals:

  1. Formulate your goal fully concrete (e.g. "I want xy percent more salary").
  2. Divide it into Milestones up, be realistic! (Note down successes, ask for a negotiation, formulate your desired salary in advance, …)
  3. Keep a certain flexibility on your way to your goal, everything does not always go according to plan and we cannot influence all circumstances. (Even if things are going badly in the company, it might look different again in a few months …)
  4. stay tuned and overcome your weaker self.
  5. Do not forget you for Reward achievements.

Visualization is not a silver bullet with which we can influence other people and their decisions and actions. However, this technique can be a suitable way for you to motivate yourself and believe in yourself and your goals – give it a try.

By the way: Here you will find tips for salary negotiations ? and how you can find the right motivation.

In the BRIGITTE Community you can exchange ideas with others on professional topics.