Gre analytical Writing issue essay Topic 101

GRE Analytical Writing ISSUE Essay Topic - 147 
"The most effective way to communicate an idea or value to large groups of people is through 
the use of images, not language." 
GRE AWA Analytical Writing ISSUE Essay Sample 
Solution - 147 
Why does the education system pay a lot of emphasis on visual training aids? This is because it 
is a well known fact that people absorb information better through the medium of visual images 
as compared to language. However, this may not always be true. There may be instances when 
language surpasses the effectiveness of images in conveying an idea to a large group of people. 
Therefore, ideas can be communicated to large groups most effectively through a combination of 
images and language. 
A large audience may not always be receptive to what is being spoken at the center stage. Take 
the example of a large gathering which is being addressed by a leader. Depending on the 
acoustics of the enclosure when everyone is seated and the public addressing system that is being 
utilized, the people who are the farthest from the center stage may not be able to even hear what 
is being said by the leader. If the organizers of the event plan to install a giant screen on which 
some images related to what is being said are displayed, the audience will be in a better position 
to understand what is intended to be conveyed by the leader. We all have been witness to popular 
award functions where you can see huge screens displaying what is happening at the center 
stage. Moreover, these screens are used to display short clips for showcasing a new movie or the 
lifetime achievements of an award winner. We all have observed that this is a much more 
effective way of communicating with the audience rather than reading out lengthy speeches 
related to the same information that has been easily conveyed by the visual images. 
On the contrary, there may be certain cases where images are bound to confuse the audience and 
it becomes necessary to supplement the images being displayed with spoken information. For 
instance, the person chairing a seminar on a new idea for help in quitting smoking may utilize 
certain images to highlight the side-effects of smoking, but he will have to resort to lengthy 
speeches to explain the same to the audience. Simply viewing the images may not have the 
desired effect on the audience. Additionally, the lack of spoken information may puzzle the 
audience as they will probably not be able to understand the message that the speaker is trying to 
convey. The use of language will assume greater importance when the speaker has to discuss the 
anatomy of the human body which is most likely to be affected by smoking. The audience may 
not be able to comprehend what is being displayed if they are not told what part of the human 
body it is. On the other hand, simply talking about the issue without displaying relevant images 
may make the talk boring and it is likely that the audience will lose interest in the talk that is 
being delivered. Hence, there is a requirement that the speaker works out a system where he is 
able to effectively utilize images to support the idea that he wants to convey to a large audience. 

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It is very difficult to generate interest in a large group. Lack of interest in what is being spoken is 
likely to make people drift away from the discussion and they may start talking amongst 
themselves or they may leave the discussion altogether resulting in the failure of the speaker to 
convey his idea. Utilizing images and other visual aids ensures that people are interested in 
knowing what is being discussed. If images were not all that important, then there would be no 
requirement of ad campaigns which are designed to reach out to the masses for conveying a 
message. An advertisement containing only text will probably not even be read by people, but an 
advertisement with an image with the accompanying text catches the attention of common 
people. Therefore, it is obvious that the best way to convey an idea to a large group of people 
would be to try out a combination of images and language in suitable proportions. 

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