It is a hierarchy - not a flowchart!

I have just started using StumbleUpon, and literally stumbled upon a web site called The Toilet Paper. Each day they produce an amusing blog on something topical. One of their blogs was composed entirely of the following diagrams to explain U.S.A Federal Government expenditure:

It is a fun, interesting representation but it is also frustrating. The information is a hierarchy but it is being displayed in the style of a flowchart. The reader gets lost as they keep scrolling and scrolling. It is also full of distracting chartjunk. This is O.K. in a satrical blog but the problem is these styles are being used in business settings.

A more informative, though less visually exciting representation is:

We can now see some inconsistencies. The F22 Raptors do not have a second level breakdown. Department of State has an extra level breakdown for Israel. The breakdown for NASA is more of a commentary than displaying extra spending details.

The point is about the target audience. What is suitable for the audience of a blog called The Toilet Paper is not necessarily suitable for people in the workplace who need to quickly make informed decisions.

Brain Rules

I have just finished reading Brain Rules by John  Medina. It is a great book, full of insights on how to make your brain more effective.

In the Clear Messages Foundation Course we emphasis the technique of organising your ideas into a hierarchy. Medina's book back this up with brain research:

"... if you want to get the particulars correct, don't start with details. Start with key ideas and, in a hierarchical fashion, form the details around these larger notions" p84, Brain Rules

The book goes on to describe research on how to differentiate between experts and novices. The difference is that experts do not simply memorise a collection of facts, rather they organise their knowledge around key concepts and this guides their thinking.

More details about Brain Rules go here, or better yet buy a copy of the book.