The purpose of a business diagram is to communicate complex business and financial processes and planning strategies easily to an audience. They should be instantly able to grasp what the consultant is trying to present. A business diagram will also help distill multiple of slides of related information into one neat, compact and comprehensive illustration.
Here are 24 point’s top tips about when, how and what type of business diagrams you should use in order to create effective PowerPoint presentations.
Tip #1: Use Org Charts to Depict Management Hierarchies
Org charts are among the most commonly used and popular business diagrams. Consultants use these in order to present the top-down hierarchy of a company or its departments in a manner that makes it easy for the audience to understand the reporting structure. Microsoft Visio can be used to create this, but for a more slick and professional feel, use PowerPoint 2007’s SmartArt>Hierarchy feature. Add text, change colors and add visual effects to customize it.
Management Hierarchy Diagrams
For a more innovative approach, use 24point0’s easily customizable org chart, available in a number of layouts. Colors can be changed and pictures of individuals added next to their names.
Editable Org Chart
24point0 has also created these fun, attractive hierarchical charts which can be edited to change colors and text. Pictures, along with the names and designations of management team members, can be incorporated into the diagram.
Editable Hierarchical Charts
Tip #2: Illustrate Management Processes to Facilitate Better Understanding
Management processes are complex concepts that can be better explained through the right illustration. For example, it can be difficult to explain the decision process about a particular product by only using text and multiple slides. This can make for dry and uninteresting viewing. Visio can be used to generate flowcharts, but if graphics with more polish are needed, use a process graphic from PowerPoint’s SmartArt feature.
Management Processes Diagram
Of course, flowcharts are not the only way to depict management processes. 24point0’s easily customizable Decision Tree is a convenient and easy to use solution that can represent the decision process. As the graphic presents decisions and their consequences, it can aid in-depth analysis as well.
Editable Decision Tree Diagram
For other sequential management processes, buy and download these editable process diagrams from 24point0. They are versatile and are a powerful tool for any consultant.
Editable Process Diagram
Strategies – whether management or financial – are difficult concepts that can take many slides to explain when just using text and tables. Instead, use a diagram to map out strategy. 24point0 has created this comprehensive, editable Strategy Map that will help consultants lay out the strategy to be followed for any management or financial initiative. Add or delete elements to suit individual requirements.
Editable Strategy Map
Tip #3: Add Visual Appeal to Business Analyses
Business presentations are peppered with various analyses about decisions and initiatives. These can often take the form of complex and hard to understand graphs which will require a lot of verbal explanation on the part of the presenter.
However, PowerPoint now comes packed with tools such as SmartArt that can present analytical data in a more attractive manner.
For example, to analyze possible scenarios after an initiative has been implemented in a company, the consultant can depict these pictorially in the form of a scenario matrix. 24point0 has created a customizable scenario matrix that can be a powerful aid in the management’s decision making process. Add colors to differentiate between quadrants and shift emphasis. Insert appropriate animation as well, in order to heighten the audience’s interest.
Scenario Matrix Diagram
Revenue analysis need no longer be confined to Excel sheets. These tend to be too complex for an audience to understand during the course of a presentation, so use PowerPoint 2007’s Table style gallery to better present this. 24point0 has created an editable table specifically for revenue analysis – an invaluable tool for the financial consultant pressed for time.
Other graphics used in analysis include Venn Diagrams, useful to show overlapping information and commonalities in the consequences of a business initiative. For a more solid graphical analytical tool that helps consultants chart the various steps in a business plan, use 24point0’s handy V-Diagram. Easily customizable, this helps in aiding immediate understanding and can highlight missing steps in a process.
PPT V Diagram
Another useful tool that aids analysis is the performance chart. These can be the run-of-the mill histograms or a more creative representation like 24point0’s Performance Chart. Insert appropriate text and this chart will help analyze the performance of the company as a whole or that of an individual.
Performance Chart
For depicting pros and cons of any decision, the safest route taken is usually listing these under different columns. However, consultants can incorporate graphics depicting dualities to showcase these in a more visually compelling manner. For example, use 24point0’s Heaven and Hell diagram to depict the negative and positives of a business initiative or use the Iceberg diagram to depict hidden risks that lurk beneath.
Tip #4: Go Beyond Flowcharts in Business Planning
It is necessary to present any plan for a business initiative clearly and concisely. The audience should be in no doubt about key dates and events and should be clearly able to gauge the time required from one quick reading of the planner. Consultants can use the Table tool in PowerPoint to create a quick calendar or embed a detailed Excel sheet in the slide. Excel sheets however tend to be aesthetically unappealing and have limited customization. 24point0 has created easily adaptable calendars and planning diagrams that are suitable for a range of planning requirements.
The various stages of a large project spread over a period of time can also be presented as a graphic rather than tables spread over multiple slides. Create a simple, attractive illustration by using shapes such as block arrows from PowerPoint’s Home>Shapes menu.
Editable Creative Shapes
Consultants who do not have the bandwidth to create such a diagram from scratch, can buy and download a customizable Chevron Diagram from 24point0. Modify the colors and text and add or delete elements as required.
PPT Chevron Diagram
Tip #5: From Concept to Prototype – Illustrate Roadmaps
Creating a product or solution involves many stages. Depicting these in a comprehensible and concise manner in a business presentation can be tough. For example, the best way to present a brainstorming session would be to use a mind map. A mind map comprises a central cloud depicting the root idea with all the other ideas generated in the brainstorming session placed around it. While Microsoft Visio can be used to create these, 24point0 has created readymade Mind Maps that have the basic shapes and commonly used symbols. Consultants can edit these easily to suit various scenarios.
PPT Mindmap Diagram
Also available from 24point0 are customizable Cluster Diagrams which can be used in place of mind maps to show inter-connected ideas. Multiple offshoots and new idea bubbles can be added according to the consultant’s requirements.
Cluster Diagram
To illustrate the roadmap of the product from conceptualization to prototype so that planning can be done better, use flowcharts created in either Visio or PowerPoint’s SmartArt Flowchart feature. Consultants can buy and download 24point0’s Product Roadmap which can be used to show the lifecycle of a product over a period of time.
Editable Product Roadmap
Need to showcase the design process to clients or senior management? Then use these smart Design Process diagrams from 24point0 that use flowchart symbols for various stages. Change text, add or subtract elements or use different colors for various parts of the diagram to make it part of the presentation.
Design Process Diagram
Tip #6: Visualize Key Features in the Human Resource Planning Process
Human resource consultants putting together a proposal on the staffing for a particular project to be presented to senior management will have to do this in such a manner that the audience is able to grasp quickly the requirements. To depict a recruitment process, consultants can go for a regular flowchart or series of block arrows. To save time and effort, buy and download 24point0’s handy Recruiting Process Diagram for this. The diagram can be used for planning or training purposes.
Recruiting Process Diagram
For staffing and planning, consultants need to analyze the current resources available. These can be depicted as a pie chart or for a more unique representation, use 24point0’s manpower resource diagram. It has specially designed icons and can be customized according to the consultant’s requirements.
Manpower Resource Diagram
Human resource consultants mapping the hierarchy of a department to convey the reporting structure to project teams or management can use the versatile Phone Tree Diagram from 24point0.
Phone Tree Diagram
These are some of the most popular instances in which business diagrams act as supporting tools that lend solidity to a consultant’s presentation. The audience is able to understand complex data and concepts better and respond intelligently, making such presentations highly effective.
Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in February, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.
Source: http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles/Top-Tips-for-Using-Business-Diagrams-in-PPT-210.asp
