Charts are one of the best ways to get your point across.. They are a great form of visual communication because they show the trend or pattern in data, along with the data itself. Because the data that leads to a conclusion is shown alongside that conclusion, they are highly convincing if done right.

1. CREATING CHARTS
FOR PRESENTATIONS
.

2. Charts are one of the best ways to get your point across.. They are a great
form of visual communication because they show the trend or pattern in
data, along with the data itself. Because the data that leads to a conclusion is
shown alongside that conclusion, they are highly convincing if done right.
Charts are an important aspect of most business presentations. But what
many fail to miss is that the charts you use to come up with your conclusions
aren’t necessarily the same ones you should include in your presentation.
.
PRESENT
YOUR DATA
THE RIGHT
WAY
VISUALIZE

3. 1 ANALYZE
To begin with, the process of analysis and data exploration often involves
creating many charts. Most of these charts probably won’t show anything
significantly interesting, so they should never be used in a presentation. You
should narrow down your selection of charts to just the few that convey an
SORT
interesting point. THROUGH
IMPORTANT
DATA

4. FOCUS
2
Charts used in analysis have a few differences from charts built for
presentations. Exploratory charts don’t have conclusions embedded in them,
but presentation charts make a point. The axes labels, title, and legends all work
together to help show the viewer the point. Its also a good idea to call out the
specific point you want your audience to focus on. MAKE A
FOCUS
POINT ON
THE CHART
of American adults
have a mobile phone
of American adults
have a mobile phone
Variations:
90%
90%

5. FILTER
Charts for presentations shouldn’t include as many data points as a chart
for analysis. Be responsible when deciding to remove data that isn’t part of
the point you are trying to make. Don’t just remove data because it
challenged your conclusion.
Increase between Q3 and Q4
Q1 - ‘13 Q2 - ‘13 Q3 - ‘13 Q4 - ‘13 Q1 - ‘14 Q2 - ‘14 Q3 - ‘14 Q4 - ‘14
*This would be unneccesary data if
the point you are making is only
about Q3 and Q4 in 2014.
$50
$40
$30
$20
$10
Millions of US Dollars
+181%
3CHOOSE
WHAT
DATA TO
INCLUDE

6. 4
MAKE ALL
CHARTS
AND TEXT
LARGER
Design your charts for the scale in which they’ll be viewed. Projectors are
notorious for reproducing color poorly, and distance can make text hard to
read, so increase everything. Fonts should be huge, line weights should be
thick, and color contrast should be high. A good check is to zoom way out on
your charts and see if you can still read them well.
INCREASE BETWEEN Q3 & Q4
Q3 - ‘14 Q4 - ‘14
$50M
$40M
$30M
$20M
$10M
+181%
SCALE
vs.
Increase Between Q3 and Q4
Q3 - ‘14 Q4 - ‘14
$50M
$40M
$30M
$20M
$10M
+181%

7. Overall, keep in mind that charts are powerful tools and they can work especially
well in presentations. With attention to design, and a focused scope, a chart can go
from the slide you skip over to the slide that drives your point home.

8. Let Visually's design and copy experts help create your presentations.
LEARN MORE
.