A picture’s worth a thousand words . . .

. . .or are a thousand words worth a picture?

Words or Pictures!

So which do you prefer – ‘A picture’s worth a thousand words.’ Or ‘A thousand words are worth a picture.’  I’ve been pondering this question after attending Speak Easy @ Martlesham, a speakers’ club meeting during the week.  The evening was all about how we progress in our speech development by way of focusing on different skills each time we deliver a speech. On this occasion we were privileged to hear four different speeches that varied in style, content, structure and performance.

I love listening to people’s stories and experiences and there was one speech that resonated with me the most because it included very descriptive and flowery language.  It was almost like being read a story.  When I was little I loved having a bedtime story read to me.  It always mesmerised me that I could conjure up pictures in my mind to follow the story.  It made the story come alive and I felt like I was a part of it.

Can you do this for work presentations or for social events as well?  My answer is – ‘Why not?’  If you are able to get your message across by building a story around it then people will remember you and the presentation more readily.  They will be able to relate and empathise with your words.

For example, I have a friend named Shane Allum who signed up for a charity fundraiser to Peru where the group of volunteers were going to build a school and provide access to clean water for the village. The hardest part for Shane was to explain to people why he wanted to go and why it was important to go.  This was even more difficult because he had no experience of the country. Not until he was able to paint a picture through imagery did he begin to connect with his audience.  This is an example of what I’ve taken away from him:

The only way to reach the village was to travel along bumpy dirt tracks that caused the coach to jostle and jerk throwing us against the sides leaving us bruised and battered.  After arriving at the destination we were hot, sweaty and covered in the dust from our journey only to be told it was time to start digging foundations for the school that would accommodate 30 local children.  These children were anxious to meet the teenagers from England who were coming to help them.  Their faces were full of smiles and twinkling eyes and their voices were squeals of excitement!  They knew that these young people from England were special even without meeting us.

Shane’s experience has changed him beyond words and when he tells his story of Peru he uses pictures to assist him. Shane is now preparing to head off to Tanzania and if you want to know more about this journey please visit his Charity Page www.charitygiving.co.uk/shanea

So which do I prefer – Picture or Words? I believe that we gain value from both media outputs – Words and Pictures.  The more we can bring our stories to life with descriptive words the more we can connect with those who are listening.  The pictures in our minds as well as on the video screen help us conjure up the full story!

NOTE: The History of ‘A Picture is worth a thousand words’. In fact, the literal translation is: A Picture’s Meaning Can Express Ten Thousand Words.  You will hear that most people believe it to be a Chinese proverb attributed to Confucius, however, it originates from an ad that appeared in the advertising trade journal then called Printers’ Ink (now known as Marketing/Communications) in 1921 and 1927.  Fred Barnard decided to make the ad more compelling by referring to the phrase as a Chinese Proverb. Paul Martin Lester, Professor, Department of Communication at Cal State University.

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Tags: descriptive language, imagery, language, pictures, words