What are the best practices for presenting project sales data visually?

1 Know your purpose

Before you start designing your slides, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your presentation. What is the main message you want to convey? Who is your target audience and what are their expectations and needs? How do you want them to feel and act after seeing your data? Answering these questions will help you define your purpose and focus your data selection, analysis, and visualization.

2 Choose the right charts

Not all charts are created equal. Depending on the type, amount, and relationship of your data, you need to choose the most appropriate chart to display it. For example, if you want to show trends over time, a line chart is a good option. If you want to compare proportions or percentages, a pie chart or a stacked bar chart might work better. If you want to show correlations or distributions, a scatter plot or a histogram can be useful. Always consider the goal and the context of your data when selecting a chart.

3 Simplify your design

A common mistake in project sales data presentations is to overload your slides with too much information, colors, fonts, and effects. This can confuse and distract your audience, and undermine your credibility. To avoid this, you need to simplify your design and follow some basic principles: use a consistent and readable font, limit your color palette and contrast, align and balance your elements, remove unnecessary clutter and noise, and highlight the most important data points.

4 Add context and insights

Data alone is not enough to tell a story. You need to add context and insights to your charts to make them meaningful and relevant for your audience. This means providing titles, labels, legends, and annotations that explain what your data represents, how it was collected and analyzed, and what are the key takeaways or implications. You also need to use descriptive and catchy headlines that capture the main idea of each slide and draw attention to your data.

5 Use storytelling techniques

One of the most effective ways to engage and persuade your audience with your project sales data is to use storytelling techniques. This means creating a narrative structure that follows a logical and emotional flow, such as the problem-solution-benefit or the situation-complication-resolution frameworks. You also need to use transitions, hooks, and calls to action to connect your slides and guide your audience through your data story. Finally, you need to use anecdotes, examples, metaphors, and emotions to make your data more relatable and memorable.

6 Practice and rehearse

The last but not least tip for presenting your project sales data visually is to practice and rehearse your presentation before you deliver it. This will help you refine your content, design, and delivery, and identify any potential issues or gaps. You also need to prepare for any questions or feedback that your audience might have, and have backup slides or data sources ready. By practicing and rehearsing, you will increase your confidence and credibility, and improve your chances of achieving your presentation goals.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?