by Tony Vidler 
As advisers, we talk a lot. And when we aren’t talking we are writing. Visual aids, or graphics, tend to get overlooked by us but there is LOADS of research which suggests we should be using loads of visual aids, and perhaps less talk and less writing.
If you doubt the power of simple visuals to convey complex concepts then check out the work of Carl Richards and Behavior Gap.
Compunding the comprehension problem for clients is the language of our profession has its own vocabulary that not everybody else understands. And we have nno choice but to provide a lot of stuff in writing in order to be compliant. So some of the less effective communications stuff simply cannot be avoided, but that doesn’t have to mean it should be all that we use.
Not everybody out there learns the same way, and different people comprehend and absorb new information in different ways. For that reason alone you should be thinking about how to use visual aids, or graphics, to demonstrate complex topics in order to help consumers understand what it is you do, or are proposing to do.
In this quick video I explain how to use a very simple visual to convey the complexity of balancing a clients insurance or risk planning requirements with their wealth accumulation and ongoing portfolio management objectives – and where a good adviser adds value. Like Carl Richards I prefer the hand-drawn version in front of a client, but mocked up a simple graphic for demonstration purposes here.
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