I just had the opportunity to review a presentation a colleague will show at a meeting tomorrow. He’s a visual artist, and it shows. He took a concept (a simplified content development process) and presented it using words and charts. It is powerful in its simplicity.

Why? Because of the visual impact of the simple, clean design. The choice of font and spacing makes a difference. The simple lines of the chart are more powerful than 1000 words.

This is exactly why the current educational system must move to teaching visual literacy as well as traditional literacy. Writing a five-paragraph has merit – to a point. But it must go further. The essay teaches how to format an argument. But now, just delivering an argument or content in words isn’t enough. Society has changed to rely on visuals more than just words. Our kids deserve to learn how to deliver content visually as well as with words.

Think about it. The content from this presentation will be delivered very effectively  in perhaps 5 minutes. What would happen if it was presented in a written form? Would you read it???