VISUAL LITERACY 101 FOR CORPORATE CONSULTANTS

Visual Literacy 101 for Corporate Consultants

Beth M. Ruddock
Northern Illinois University
ETT 531: Visual Literacy
Dr. Rhonda Robinson
December 1, 2014

VL101: CORP CONSULTANTS

2
Introduction
I am interested in this project, Visual Literacy 101 for Corporate Consultants, because it
will expand visual literacy to a larger audience, who has little to no experience with visual
literacy, but could greatly improve their communications and work products with the use of
visual literacy principles. Why is this needed/whats the goal? It would be to improve
consultants communication skills, and specifically to do a better job of visually representing
concepts in the Power Point (PPT) presentations they create for their job. If youve ever seen a
PPT from a consultant, usually they are crammed with text and information. IS there any white
spaceno...none of it on their slides (and I would admit I do the same thing at times). Many
executives in the corporate environment want you to get to the point in as few slides as possible.
So the more you cram on a slide, the less slides it is and the executive is happier. Not the best
example of effective communication or visual literacy and a bad culture to keep reinforcing. Id
like to try and start to fix that. This workshop would bring awareness to consultants of their less
than stellar Power Point presentations that they create and once they have learned the concepts, I
hope that they will apply them to other work related communications. One thing that most
executives do like is stories, with pithy points and visuals. I would also like to start consultants
thinking about their digital story and that would be a portion of the workshop as well. The
Lambert book provides 7 steps of digital storytelling. These steps are 1) owning your insights, 2)
owning your emotions, 3) finding the moment, 4) seeing your story, 5) hearing your story, 6)
assembling your story, and 7), sharing your story.

VL101: CORP CONSULTANTS

3
Purpose Statement

The purpose of this project is to provide a half-day workshop for corporate consultants
about basic visual literacy concepts (encoding and decoding) as well as introduce them to
storytelling. I will use my current employer as an example.

Rationale
Right from the very first day of class, as we were encoding and decoding images, I
realized that more professionals need to be aware of visual literacy elements and principles. The
Framework for 21st Century Skills, talks about the 4 Cs, Critical thinking, Communication,
Collaboration, and Creativity. These are the skills that consultants need in order to be successful
on their client projects. Many of the projects that consultants are staffed on are not simple
problems that need fixing, they are difficult problems that the client company has hired them to
help improve or fix.

Critical thinking and creativity are needed immediately and most of the projects are large
with 200+ individuals that are cross-cultural and cross-country. If the consultants cant
communicate and collaborate effectively and efficiently in the team, then they arent doing their
job. Specifically, within the Framework for 21St century skills in the area of critical thinking and
problem solving skills, it says Use Systems Thinking. Analyze how parts of a whole interact
with each other to produce overall outcomes in complex systems (The Partnership for 21st
Century Skills., 2014). Corporate consultants mostly focus on helping their clients improve their
business processes or they install complex enterprise wide (business wide) systems to help
manage their processes, i.e., systems thinking. So the 21st Century Skills tie directly into what we

VL101: CORP CONSULTANTS

4
do as a business.

I also read that one of the founding organizations for the Partnership for 21t century skills
is SAP. My company has a strong business partnership with SAP as they install SAP at
businesses. SAP is an business/enterprise solution to running your business. By referencing and
using the framework in my workshop, having SAP as a founding organization provides a large
amount of credibility to the framework, even though it is targeted for K-12 education. Consultant
also like frameworks and structure. The well thought out structure and background that has
contributed to the framework makes is a valuable resource to share with consultants and have
them learn about these key skills in the 21st century. Our mission is to improve the way the
world works and lives the 21st century framework is one way that can be accomplished. In
addition this framework will be a good bridge as I have the consultants read Chapter 3 Visual
Literacy from Media Literacy in the K-12 classroom. This will be harder to convince consultants
that this is a helpful resource. However, the resource provides an initial taste of visual literacy
concepts, how photographs communicate, and how magazine covers communicate. Both
consultants see or read on a daily basis.

The visual literacy design elements/syntax that I would also want to introduce are, point,
line, shape, value, texture, color, emphasis, motion, direction, value, saturation, scale, and
dimension. I would also include the design principles of balance, perspective, harmony, unity,
movement, and variety. The Visual Literacy White Paper by Ann Bamford is another resource
that I would include. Its straightforward and to the point. The articles and frameworks provide
the content of visual literacy and then Id create activities to practice the visual literacy
competencies. One of those activities would be encoding and decoding pictures from the New

VL101: CORP CONSULTANTS

5
York Times What is going on in this picture? You can see a sample of some pictures that are on
the poster presentation for this project. The New York Times pictures will be perfect. Many of
my audience members would read the New York Times daily. This also gives credibility to my
workshop given its from the New York Times. I would also like to provide a group of pictures
and then they would have to select the picture that most effectively communicates a specific
message we are trying to say.

Finally I would like to introduce digital storytelling to the learners. Id show them some
existing stories, and the workshop would help to prompt them to start thinking about the story
they want to tell. Im thinking future sections of the class could be focused on digital storytelling
but this would get consultants started.

Detailed Description
Plan
Marketing/soliciting students
Students would choose to sign up for the class. It would not be a required class in our
professional development curriculum, but with the hopes of a successful pilot it would highlight
the need and make the workshop a required curriculum class. I would start with a pilot group of
15-25 students. In order to get those students, I would initially market and propose the workshop
to some existing sponsors/executives who are supportive of training for their people and who
also support visual literacy professional development. I would also highlight it on our internal
portal site that has ads for different events. That would allow for a further and more diverse
reach of learners/students.

VL101: CORP CONSULTANTS

6
Resources Needed
The largest resource will be securing students to attend the class. Creating, Piloting,
Rollout, and Managing the course I would take on the responsibility within our organization.
What would help would be for me to get an executive level sponsor for the course who can
champion the class, within our organization, as well as pay for the creation of the materials and
the pilot costs. We would need to secure individuals in the three regions I plan to pilot the
program to run it on my behalf. I have some individuals who run some of the programs I own,
but their availability is limited, but if we get this idea into the planning cycle for next fiscal year
it will have a much higher rate of success.
Obstacles and How to Overcome
One obstacle would be how to cover the cost of the tuition for the class. Our current
model for the consultants who would be targeted to take the class, would probably have already
allocated their training budget for the year for required training. One of the ways to possibly
overcome this would be to have a hybrid class that has some synchronous sessions and some
asynchronous sessions. As much as I would really enjoy a face-to-face class, they are very costly
and this program by itself would not warrant the expenditure. Another possible option would be
to have this visual literacy content woven into an existing professional development required
training class that is face-to-face. Lastly, even though we are utilizing visual literacy resources,
having an expert in visual literacy would gain credibility. I would potentially look into hiring
Dr. Robinson and Elizabeth Anderson as the experts in the field. Lastly, it would make sense to
have me as the project design lead for this initiative, however, I would need to negotiate with my
boss on the value this project would provide to my skill development.

VL101: CORP CONSULTANTS

7
Project timeline
I would plan to pilot this program in April or May 2015. Then hopefully actually
implement/rollout globally this program next fall and winter 2015. That is the time when
consultants have more available free time to complete training (given the holidays). It would also
allow me time to gain buy-in from my supervisor and our boss, as well as determine the logistics
of the class and manage the challenge of the budget. We would need to start design and
development of the course in January 2015, build the course between Jan, Feb, and March. Pilot
it in April or May. As I think through it, it would be helpful if we could have three pilots one in
each major region of the world we work (Americas, Europe, and Asia). Determine and make
modifications to the course in June or July. The Aug is when our new fiscal year starts. This
would out us right on schedule to roll it out in the fall of 2015. This timeline would also account
for time to secure resources to champion and run the pilot program. I would start those
discussions right away in January 2015.
The project timeline is tight but achievable with continued support from executive
leadership and with me continuing to gain buy-in from as many other important and influential
individuals in our organization. Visual Literacy will be coming to a classroom near you soon!

VL101: CORP CONSULTANTS

8
Appendix: Artifacts

New York Times: Whats going on in this picture? for Nov 24, 2014.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/?s=what%27s+going+on+in+this+picture

Portfolio: Beth M. Ruddocks Digital Literacy portfolio. Look under Projects, then Final Project.
http://bruddock.weebly.com

Artifact: Digital Storytelling Prompts organized by company Core Values. See the prompts
starting on the next page.

VL101: CORP CONSULTANTS

9
ARTIFACT

Prompts for Core Values Stories

The following are a number of Storytelling Prompts to help individuals think
about the story they would want to tell around one of the Core Values. For
additional questions, contact beth.m.ruddock@accenture.com

Stewardship:
Building a heritage for future generations,
Behaving as an owner of the company,
Speaking up if you feel a process can be improved,
Believing in the creative power of yourself and your team members,
Learning from what others are doing well,
Developing people everywhere we are, and
Meeting our commitments to all internal and external stakeholders.

Storytelling Prompts:

Are you a mentor for someone? What do you admire and respect about that
person and how have you been able to help them?
Think of something you did that you feel really impacted Accentures
culture/group of individuals/individual. Describe what you did. Behaviors/actions
you took that created that impact
Think of an example of where you went above and beyond your job description.
How did that make you feel?
Have you ever joined your Accenture colleagues in an event or project to support
your local community? What was it and what impact did you have?
Describe a situation where commitments werent met and how did you take
corrective action? How did that affect you personally and what did you learn from
the experience?
ANY - Whats the best urban legend you heard about Accenture? Do you think
its true?
What own thing have you done that most impacts the way the world works and
lives?

VL101: CORP CONSULTANTS

10

Best People:

Attracting and developing the best talent for our business,

Stretching our people and developing a can do attitude,
Taking time to help other team members,
Seeking opportunities and both internal and external knowledge resources to
develop your skills
Seeking formal and informal feedback
Sharing lessons learned with team members, both client and Accenture.

Storytelling Prompts:

Whats the hardest thing youve ever done at Accenture? Did you get a sense of
accomplishment when you were done? What did you learn from the experience?
Think of something youve learned from someone else at Accenture? Either
through something they told you or actions they took/experience. What was the
story and what did you learn?
How did you decide to join Accenture? Who influenced your decision?
Who do you most admire at Accenture? Describe one story why you admire
them?

Client Value Creation:

Improving our clients business performance,

Asking questions to clarify the objectives behind an activity or deliverable,
Suggesting better and more innovative ways to accomplish your own tasks and
to exceed expectations,
Creating long-term, win-win relationships and focusing on execution excellence.

Storytelling Prompts:

What project are you most proud of that youve worked on? Why? What impact
did it have for the client?
Were there any instances where you (or others you know) went beyond what the
client asked for to add value to their organization? What were the results? How
did that effort strengthen Accenture ties and trust for that client?

VL101: CORP CONSULTANTS

11

Whos your best friend as a client? Why? What characteristics do you admire
about them? How have you helped them in their job and how have they helped
you?
Have you ever had an idea that could significantly impact the clients value? Did
you see that idea implemented? And how did that make you feel?

One Global Network:

Mobilizing the power of teaming to deliver consistently exceptional service to our

clients anywhere in the world,
Actively developing your own internal and external network,
Fostering teamwork as a team member or team leader,
Openly sharing knowledge, insights, ideas, time, and resources with others,
Being open to different or innovative viewpoints,
Focusing energy on solving issues rather than blaming others.

Storytelling Prompts:

Whos your best friend thats an Accenture employee? Why? What characteristics
do you admire about them? How have you helped them in their job and how have
they helped you?
Has your Accenture network every helped you solve a difficult problem?
Whats the best team youve been part of? What did you and the team
accomplish? How do you feel about the people on your team?
Have you ever worked on a diverse, globally distributed team? What was that
experience like? What was the most interesting thing you learned from the team?
Have you ever figured out your degrees of separation from Bill Green. Tell us
about each of the people and how youre connected to them.
What Accenture friend do you live the furthest from? How do you know them?
And how do you keep in touch?
What about Accenture are you most proud of and how have you seen that trait in
action?

Respect for the Individual:

Valuing diversity,
Asking for and listening to the views and opinions of those around you,
Striving to create interesting work experiences for your people and expecting
them to maximize the opportunities that are provided,
Seeking and learning from opportunities to interact with people from other
cultures,

VL101: CORP CONSULTANTS

12
Asking colleagues and team members from other cultures how situations may be
handled differently in their culture,
Becoming more conscious of the many areas of difference that may affect your
own views of people,
Ensuring an interesting and inclusive environment, and
Treating people as we would like to be treated ourselves.

Storytelling Prompts:

Have you ever had a personal emergency that people from Accenture supported
you through?
Have you ever had a situation at Accenture where you felt part of something
big?
Have you ever gone above and beyond to help someone you lead?
Have you ever had to come up with a creative solution to help one of your
employees/team members reach life work balance?

Integrity:

Inspiring trust by taking responsibility for your actions and words,

Meeting your commitments, however small,
Turning mistakes into learning opportunities,
Voicing your opinions, even if they might be unpopular,
Acting ethically, and
Encouraging honest and open debate.

Storytelling Prompts:

When have you done something difficult rather than the easier alternative
because it was the right thing to do?
Who do you know, or have heard of at Accenture that you think exhibits a high
level of integrity? What have you seen in them that made you think that way?
Have you ever seen people who didnt act with integrity? How does that make
you feel?
Whats the biggest argument/disagreement with a fellow Accenture employee
and how did you resolve it?

VL101: CORP CONSULTANTS

13

VL101: CORP CONSULTANTS

14
References
Baker, F. W. (2012). Visual Literacy. In Media literacy in the K-12 classroom (pp. 41-71).
Eugene, Or: International Society for Technology in Education.
Crocket, L., Jukes, I., & Churches, A. (2011). Literacy is NOT Enough: 21st Century Fluencies
for the Digital Age. Corwin.
International Visual Literacy Association. (2014). IVLA.ORG | International Visual Literacy
Association. Retrieved from http://www.ivla.org
Lambert, J. (2012). Digital storytelling: Capturing lives, creating community. New York:
Routledge.
New York Times newspaper, What's going on in this picture? (2013, January 1). Retrieved
November 25, 2014.
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2014). Framework for 21st Century Learning - The
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=254&Itemid=120
Williams, R. (2004). The non-designer's design book: Design and typographic principles for the
visual novice. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press.