How do you design data slides that tell a compelling story?

I often find there are two consistent problems when designing data slides. The first is too much data. When you give the audience more data than is needed, you often allow the audience to start forming their own conclusions and then they miss your goal. Also, too much data can be very overwhelming depending on what audience you are presenting to. The second is the failure to actually tell a story. Be sure that your data has a beginning, a middle, and an ending. What did you discover with your data, what actions are available to take, and what is the anticipated outcome; or using the discovery, action, result method.

Profession: Are they experts in your field, or are they new to the topic? This will dictate the level of technical detail and jargon you can use. Interests: What are their motivations for listening to your presentation? What problems or challenges do they face that your data might address? Expectations: What kind of information are they looking for? Are they expecting a high-level overview or a deep dive into the data? Key message: What is the one most important thing you want your audience to take away from your presentation? This should be the focus of your slides.

Here's how my teams go about designing compelling data slides: Core Message: Start with a clear main message to guide your presentation. Storyboard: Outline your presentation with sticky notes or a whiteboard, ensuring each point supports your core message. Avoid Slideuments: Prevent clutter by focusing on one key point per slide, avoiding text-heavy slides. Reduce Cognitive Load: Simplify slides by using minimal colors, labels, and numbers. Visual Hierarchy: Use size, color, and placement to highlight important information. Tell a Story: Arrange slides to create a narrative, leading the audience through your argument. Practice and Refine: Rehearse your presentation to refine delivery and clarify data points.

Designing a presentation about your data or analysis requires careful consideration of your audience. If you are preparing a team or stakeholders with expertise in data or domain, it is perfectly ok to include technical terms about the topic as they will easily grasp these concepts. However, if the team or stakeholders are unfamiliar with the subject, it is crucial to use simpler language and focus on making the information easily understandable. Instead of diving into statistical jargon, you could explain the trends like "...customer engagement tends to fluctuate more during winter...". This way, your audience can quickly grasp the key insights without getting lost in technical details.

If the data describes people, also know them. Make sure the words and categories used to describe characteristics and groups respects the people they represent.

Avoid Data Overload: Don't overwhelm your audience with too much information. Choose a few key data points that effectively illustrate your narrative and leave out extraneous details. Relevance: Select data that is relevant and meaningful to your audience. Consider their interests, knowledge level, and the context of your presentation. Impact: Choose data that will resonate with your audience and leave a lasting impression. Consider what information will be most surprising, useful, or actionable for them. Be Selective: Don't feel obligated to include every piece of data you have. Choose the most relevant and impactful data points.

?? Crafting a compelling data story starts with a ruthless focus on what truly matters. ?? Every data point should earn its place, supporting your central narrative and providing essential context. ?? Resist the temptation to overwhelm your audience with a deluge of numbers and charts. ?? Instead, curate your data with surgical precision, ensuring each element adds value and clarity. ?? Consistency is key; your data should weave together seamlessly, free from contradictions or irrelevancies. ?? Finally, build your story on a foundation of credible, accurate, and up-to-date information. ?? With these principles as your guide, you'll create data slides that engage, inform, and inspire your audience. ??

In my views selecting data that is relevant to the presentation objective and supports your key message is crucial. Focusing on high-quality, reliable data sources and choose meaningful metrics can provide valuable insights. Along with this developing a narrative structure for the data slides that guides the audience through the logical flow of information can help to tell a cohesive story.

Match Visual to Data: Different types of data lend themselves to different visualizations. For example: Trends over time: Line charts or area charts are ideal. Comparisons: Bar charts or column charts work well. Proportions: Pie charts or stacked bar charts are suitable. Relationships: Scatter plots or bubble charts can be used. Geographic data: Maps are the way to go. Keep it Simple: Avoid overly complex or cluttered visuals. A simple chart that clearly communicates a single point is often more effective than a complex one that tries to show too much. Variety is Key: Use a mix of visuals to keep your audience engaged. Don't just stick to one type of chart or graph.

Understand your audience first and define the key message on the top. Tailor the complexity and depth of your data to the knowledge level and interests of your audience. Each slide should convey a clear, singular message. Avoid cluttering with too much information. Plan to use effective viz Tools. Focus on simplification. Do not miss out key things like graph scales and axis titles. Units play a crucial role. Double check the published number on the slides except those which should logically add up. eg ratios to add up to 1, Percentages to hundreds etc. Use Annotations and Labels Wisely. At times interactive hover over descriptions help audience to understand better, All the best!

Want your data slides to tell a compelling story? It's all about the visuals. Effective data storytelling means: ? Choosing the right chart type ?? Bar charts for comparisons ?? Line charts for trends ?? Pie charts for proportions ? Following design principles ?? Clear, consistent colors ?? Easy-to-read fonts ?? Descriptive labels ? Simplifying complex data ?? Highlight key insights ?? Create emotional impact By turning your data into appealing visuals, you'll engage your audience and drive your message home.

When presenting data, it is important to recognize that the different people in the audience will have different levels of familiarity with the topic - as well as different opinions. Order your presentation in a way that sets a strong foundation to align members of the audience and catch everyone up to speed. It often works well to start with broader, simpler, or less controversial statements and data, and then move into specifics and/or more complex analysis, synthesis, and recommendations.

Beginning, Middle, End: Structure your presentation like a story with a clear beginning (setting the scene and introducing the problem), middle (presenting your data and findings), and end (summarizing key insights and proposing a solution or call to action). Conflict and Resolution: Introduce a conflict or challenge that your data addresses, and then show how your analysis resolves or sheds light on it. Characters and Setting: If applicable, introduce the people or groups affected by your data to make the story more relatable. Describe the context in which the data was collected to give your audience a better understanding of its significance.

Provide appropriate context when storytelling. Provide a narrative that explains the significance of the financial data. For example, explain why a particular cost increased and what steps are being taken to address it. Also, use historical data to provide context for current financial performance. This can help in understanding trends and making future projections.

Also, your narrative should be centered around empathy. These days if you don’t approach problems and people with empathy, they will perceive you differently. Numbers don’t lie but people hate to be treated like numbers. Be different, be empathetic and tell them why it is important for them. Make those metrics their friend and help them see your perspective. Unless you do that what you are presenting will be taken wrongly. This will give you a chance to be on the same page with your audience. ?

Practice Out Loud: Don't just read your slides silently. Practice delivering your presentation out loud, paying attention to your pacing, tone of voice, and body language. Time Yourself: Make sure your presentation fits within the allotted time. Adjust your content or delivery as needed to stay on schedule. Record Yourself: If possible, record your practice sessions so you can review them later. This will help you identify areas where you can improve your delivery. Get Feedback: Ask a trusted colleague or friend to watch your practice presentation and provide feedback. Their insights can help you refine your delivery and identify any blind spots.

If possible, I suggest that presenters do a video recording of themselves. They will spot real "pain points", such as repetitive "errs" ...

?? Crafting compelling data slides isn't just about numbers, it's about telling a story. Here's how: ??? Start with a clear narrative structure. ?? Use visuals to illustrate key points. ?? Keep text concise and focused. ?? Use consistent design elements for cohesion. ?? Highlight insights, not just data points. Your slides should guide your audience through a journey of discovery. Let your data tell a captivating tale! ?? #DataVisualization #Storytelling #PresentationSkills

To design compelling data slides, craft a logical narrative flow by sequencing the slides to build towards a climax. Utilize data visualizations as the focal point, supported by clear titles and labels. Emphasize key insights through thoughtful use of contrast, annotations, or animations. Maintain context by carrying over relevant information from previous slides. Conclude with a punchy summary slide and a well-defined call-to-action. Moreover, strive to humanize the data by incorporating relatable examples or analogies that resonate with the audience.