Making the Case to Make Your Case – Presenting Data – Part 3

Part 3 – Visualize the Data

The first and second parts of this blog series examined audience considerations and case building. Part 3 of this blog series will explore the third step in the process – Visualizing the Data!

Now that you have your case outlined, it’s time to serve up your data so that your audience can easily understand its significance. But how? Think about the takeaways. Your story comes from the data – you just have to translate it.

1.  Don’t communicate too much information in a single view – simplicity is – so easy on the text boxes, people. Put yourself in the audience. What would you rather see?
   Words belong in the Notes section, where they should be used to enhance the conversation. Words on the slide will tempt you to read the slide when you present, and that’ll lead to a bored audience.
   In this example, your aim is to launch the successful test package to all audiences. Round out the slide with an “appear” animation to reveal your recommendation.

   

2. Charts are a great way to show related and comparative data.
   We can see from this slide that, for Effort 1, Response Rate is declining, but for Efforts 2 to 4, it’s going up. In your notes, write the reasons for each change. At the end of the discussion use an animation to bring forth the takeaway.
3. Data tables – don’t knock them! Sometimes it’s hard to find the most convincing and easy-to-understand visual element when there are multiple data points worth calling out. It’s possible to use data tables to great effect using simple, animated arrows and circles to call out each point you need to make as you tell the story.
4. Don’t forget about badges, icons, memes, and pictures – all of these things help to personalize the data and create the buy-in from your audience.

In the final blog of the Making the Case to Make Your Case, we’ll get over the public speaking jitters and inspire confidence! Coming soon: Step 4 – Tell Your Story!