Unlocking the Potential of Infographics: A Comprehensive Guide for Presenters

A post from our Presentation Skills blog

To get their points across to audiences, presenters seek ways to enhance their messages and keep people engaged. This growing demand for engaging presentations has led to the creation of presentation agencies that specialize in crafting visually pleasing presentations that get points across clearly. Presenters use infographics as a powerful tool to increase the engagement of their audiences.
Infographics come in various forms, such as charts, graphics, icons, illustrations and diagrams, and they may be made up of text and/or images.
By unlocking their potential, you can create memorable and highly engaging presentations that persuade people to see things from your point of view or understand complex concepts.

Why Are Infographics a Powerful Presentation Tool?

Infographics provide your audience with a visual representation of information and data, designed to make complex concepts easier to understand for audiences that may not be too familiar with the presentation topic.


Their power lies in their ability to do the following:

Simplify complex concepts

Infographics break concepts down into digestible chunks that allow audiences to understand the presentation topic. Without them, your presentation might be difficult for your audience to understand, meaning they won’t be able to engage with it fully.

Increase audience engagement

Visual content, such as graphics, illustrations, charts, tables and icons, are processed by the human brain significantly faster than text. This means that including infographics in your presentation will increase the likelihood that your audience stays engaged for the duration: no one enjoys trying to process big walls of text during a presentation!

Aid memory retention

Research has shown that people remember visual information, such as charts, graphs, images and graphics, far better than spoken information. One study found that after three days, an individual retained only 10 to 20 percent of written or spoken information they received but almost 65 percent of visual information!
So include infographics to ensure your presentation sticks in your audience’s memory.

Improve shareability

Infographics are highly shareable because they present complex concepts. Including them in your presentation (and sharing them on your social media channels and/or your website) and giving attendees access to the infographic means it’s more likely they will share it with others to reach a much wider audience.

How To Design Impactful Infographics

To harness the full potential of infographics, we recommend you keep these best practices in mind:

Clear messaging

Make sure the infographic is focused on a clear message. Identify the main point you want to communicate to your audience and make sure it focuses on that message. Avoid “clutter” with too much unnecessary information, as it may confuse the audience rather than aid comprehension.

Logical structure

Organize it to create a logical structure and flow, guiding your audience through the information step-by-step. Doing this will ensure people understand your main message.

Maintain visual consistency

Design elements such as color scheme, font and style must be consistent throughout (and the rest of the presentation), as it will create a professional, cohesive look. Use contrasting colors and plenty of white space to make it easy to read.

Balance text and visual elements

It’s essential to strike the right balance between visual elements and text. While visuals are the main element of infographics, a certain amount of text can help convey vital information.

Incorporating Infographics Into Your Presentation

Now that we’ve explored design best practices, let’s see how you can incorporate them into your presentation:

Support your narrative

Infographics should serve as visual aids that reinforce the main points of your talk, whether you’re making an informative, instructional or persuasive presentation. It probably goes without saying, but you must ensure that what you include in your presentation supports your narrative - and doesn’t distract from it. It’s important not to rely solely on infographics to convey your main points - they should complement your script.

Choose the right type of infographic

There are various types here, including but not limited to statistical, informational, timeline, process, geographic and comparison infographics. To ensure your presentation is as impactful as possible, you must choose the right option to support your main message.

Limit how many infographics you use

Finally, don’t use too many in your presentation, or you will overwhelm your audience!

Final Thoughts

Infographics are a powerful tool that help you convey complex concepts in an engaging way. They also increase memory retention and are highly shareable. They should contain clear messaging in a logical structure with consistent visuals and design elements.
So make sure you incorporate relevant infographics in your presentations to support your narrative and improve audience engagement and comprehension.