The Value of Visuals

Have you noticed how televisions, computer monitors, even smart phone screens have continued to grow larger over the years? The reason behind it is simple. We’re a visual society. More and more, we are influenced by large imagery whether it is moving or still.

As director of web services for Southern Miss Gulf Coast, I encourage everyone who has input on our web presence to carry a camera or a photography-enabled smart phone with them at all times. You never know when a photo opportunity may happen in front of you. And SEEING something is so much more engaging than hearing someone describe it, isn’t it? That’s the whole point.

One of our geography students snapped away during one of Dr. David Holt’s classes in a recent mini-session. He posted the pictures on his Facebook page and suddenly the project the class was engaged in came to life. Rather than saying “this is how we took core samples from trees” and describing the process, the student held a core in his palm and snapped a well-composed image of it and captioned it, “what the inside of a tree looks like.” Because a picture is worth a thousand words (or more), why spend the thousand words?

I encourage everyone to take more photos of what they do every day. You’d be amazed at the uses you will find for them. We are working to put more photo galleries on the Southern Miss Gulf Coast website. You’ll notice very useful links on our site when you want to describe specific events or time periods we’ve all lived through. Approaching eight years post-Katrina, how do we tell people in words what we faced and have since overcome? Well, for starters, go to our “Before and After” gallery online: http://www.usm.edu/gulfcoast/about-southern-miss-gulf-coast/gallery/coming-back-katrina.

Research with first-time college students show that most prefer well-chosen visuals on the university website primarily to act as a portal into that particular institution.  (Sung and Yang 2008) They want to see if they can mentally project themselves into our world. Contact University Communications if you need advice on visuals.

Judy Day Isbell

Director of Web Services

Written Communication in our High-Tech World

Communication in the workplace should be clear and professional but today’s written communication is often scattered with pop culture references and jargon. The writer needs to be taken seriously and the use of proper grammar and sentence structure does influence your audience. Take pride in all communication while also allowing it to reflect some personality.

Dictionary.com defines pop culture as “cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses of people.” Often influenced by the media, society is swayed by these cultural trends and they become a powerful influence in our communication.

There are 3.1 billion email accounts worldwide and the corporate email user receives and sends an average of 112 emails per day (pingdom.com, 2012). Some key elements of effective written communication, including email, are:

• Know your audience and target your communication accordingly
• Use good formatting techniques (readable fonts and good layout)
• Use good grammar and proof your document
• Be clear and concise – get to the point
• Summarize lengthy correspondence
• Close with your contact information

Using abbreviations and acronyms can also have its place in written communication such as social media and email. While it may be understandable to use the three letters “lol” to abbreviate “laughing out loud” in a casual correspondence, some abbreviations can be confusing and your reader may wonder if you truly know how to spell. For example, email correspondence using the abbreviation “2” can have many meanings: two, to or too. Spelling the word “what” as “wut” may not leave the lasting impression you’d like. There is no need to confuse the reader or require that they determine your intent.

In the South we have our own culture and slang. For example most Southerners use the term “ya’ll” when referring to you or you guys and “ain’t” is often used for emphasis or in casual conversation. These terms may be common in verbal communication but consider the audience and setting when using Southern slang in your professional correspondence. First, you want to impress and then you can win them over with your Southern charm!

Shelia White,
Director of University Communications