ASSESSMENT 1

VISUAL & GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

One of the most powerful forms of communication that can transcend language and cultural barriers is visual and graphic communication. Of course while certain deviations in paradigm and culture will influence how each individual human will interpret these visual cues, there are of course many graphics and visuals that can be globally recognized, and understood, thereby executing a successful process of communication.

To have successful communication, a connection must be made in terms of the delivery of meaningful information and the receiving of the meaningful information. (Dwyer 2013, p. 4) As we all know, communication can include verbal, non-verbal and also graphic. Like the saying goes "a picture says a thousand words" - and so graphic communication is very powerful.

In a professional context, graphic communication is very useful; it can vary from graphic representation in the forms of graphs, flowcharts, and diagrams, to illustrate marketing concepts, management and sales. Some of these graphics function as aids in corporate advancement or for the simplification of formal communications. It allows people to organize information, illustrate relationships and even highlight trends. There is a certain level of clarity that can be achieved when using graphics appropriately such as with graphs and tables for numerical information. (Dwyer 2013, p. 396)

Corporate logos also are a form of graphic communication that are symbols of identity that are explicitly designed to convey and communicate an organizations identity to its members and the wider community (Colman, Norris & Wober 1995, p. 405)

All the symbols and visual elements that express the essence and image of an organization can be categorized under the term called Corporate visual identity (CVI) and there is a strong relationship between the CVI and how an organization communicates with the wider community and how the wider community responds. The CVI has been found to support a reputation of an organization in the dimensions of visibility, distinctiveness, authenticity, transparency, and consistency. (de Jong, Elving & van den Bosch 2005) To be able to communicate effectively in the professional world, having a reputable organization as support is very helpful.

There are many graphics that can be presented to the general population, and conjure up a lot of meaning. Essentially it is the conception of a profound human reality that encompasses ordinary people's daily experience of the world. Regardless of what purpose the graphical representation of the organization serves, colour remains very important. Colour has a mnemonic quality and is intrinsic to establishing long-lasting symbolic value. (Hynes 2008)

For example the Golden Arches that belong to fast food chain McDonalds. It is not just the shape that makes the graphic iconic, but the yellow colour as well.

(McDonalds, 2013)

Iconic graphics have the ability to proliferate very efficiently. On Monday the 25th of April 2013, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC, largest LGBT equality-rights advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the United States of America) changed their

facebook profile photo to a red and pink variation of their original logo to support marriage equality. Within a few days the image has become viral with the image becoming very iconic across many social media platforms.

This is how the logo changed.

An article has been publicized online about how the symbol found it's way onto the chalkboard sign of a coffee shop in New York City. (Tsoflias 2013)

(PIX11, 2013)

There are no accompanying words to communicate any other meaning aside the business' name and what the 2 rectangular blocks have already communicated.

A patron of the coffee shop soon after commented on the coffee shop's facebook page with the following words:

You just lost two customers with your politicized sandwich board. Alienating the majority of the population is a really irritating and dumb move. We will encourage others not to patronize your business.
From this example, it is obvious how powerful communication can be

through graphics.

To further tie into the recent pink and red equal sign phenomena, there are certain individuals reactions to the display of the image in both public locations and on social media platforms that indicate different levels of emotional intelligence. For the sake of privacy reasons, the individuals involved have had their identities hidden but the content of their comments really highlight an unsuccessful attempt at exercising emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence describes the recognition of what influence your emotions/feelings have on making decisions. (Dwyer 2013) It is possible to exercise our emotional intelligence through selfawareness and awareness of others, recognizing the thought patterns (and motivation) in yourself and of others and how it affects decisionmaking. In the situation illustrated above in the screencap personally taken from the first 2 comments made after a person changed their profile photo on social media networking site Facebook to the marriage equality image. From an objective point of view, it can be seen that both parties have made reasonably insensitive comments to each other. But firstly, to focus on the second comment made as a response to the previous comment quoting a verse from the bible, the comment shows that the person lacks the skills to interact affectively in different contexts. To be able to be aware and understand another partys reasoning and how it may differ from yours is a strong indicator of emotional intelligence. (Dwyer 2013) The basis of emotional intelligence, that is, emotional competence covers 5 aspects: Self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, social awareness and social skills. (Dwyer 2013) While it can be said that it is very difficult to argue whether there is a wrong or a right when it comes to a topic that is considered sensitive by many, it is still very important to be willing to regulate emotion in oneself when expressing your opinion. To show emotional competence, a person must be able to show how well their emotions and impulses can be controlled. (Lunenburg 2011)

Differing opinions within a workplace will inevitably occur, and if a person can regulate their emotions and impulses, it can prevent them from throwing a tantrum or when things dont go exactly as planned. Another area of emotional competence that can be addressed after looking at the screencap is the need for social awareness. Social awareness alludes to having sensitivity and understanding to the feelings and thoughts of others. In this circumstance it would be important to understand the persons background and how their views would reflect how they were raised and taught. (Lunenburg 2011) In the workplace, having social awareness allows for better collaborative skills where peoples strengths and weakness can be acknowledged and catered for wherever appropriate.

Professional communication is not difficult, but there are many aspects that a person should be aware of. The basic of professional communication can be applied not only in the workplace but in also in everyday life as it draws many qualities that a good person should have.

References:
Colman, A, Norris, C & Wober, J 1995, Sight bites: A study of viewers impressions of corporate logos in the communications industry, Journal of the Market Research Society, 37, pp. 405-415.

de Jong, M, Elving, W & van den Bosch, A 2005, "How corporate visual identity supports reputation", Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 10 Iss: 2, pp.108 - 116 Dwyer, J 2013, Communication for Business and the Professions: Strategies and Skills, Communication Foundations, pp. 3-8 Lunenburg, F 2011, Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace: Application to Leadership, International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, Vol 14, 1, pp. 1-6 McDonalds, 2013, McDonalds logo [image], McDonalds Australia website, viewed 10 April 2013, <http://mcdonalds.com.au/sites/all/themes/mcdonalds/images/logomcdonalds-trans.png>. Tsoflias, S 2013, Marriage equality symbol at uptown coffee shop sparks a buzz, PIX 11, 29 March, viewed 10 April 2013, <http://pix11.com/2013/03/29/marriage-equality-sign-at-nyc-coffee-shopsparks-buzz-2/#axzz2P0MYhex0>. Young, M 2013, Human Rights Campaign logo turns pink and red for same sex marriage, News Limited, 27 March, viewed 10 April 2013, <http://www.news.com.au/technology/why-youll-stumble-across-this-logotoday/story-e6frfro0-1226607463370>.