The way you choose to present your data will have a significant impact on it’s effectiveness: done well, data-driven presentations will captivate and persuade your audience. But done badly, and the numbers will be lost on them.

“Good internal communications are really important in government,” says Catherine Hope, in a data presentation at the UK’s Department of Work and Pensions.

“Particularly if you’re presenting information to ministers or senior stakeholders who may not have as much detailed knowledge as you – using simple language, drawings, and graphs that actually help people to understand is a really important thing.”

Below are five principles for getting started with creating great data-driven presentations.

Try analog first

For non-experts, data can be intimidating, but don’t let the fact that you’re not a data scientist limit you. “Everyone can use data in their work – we face data of all kinds every day,” said Uta Hinrichs, professor of Data Visualisation at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Experimenting with small-scale, personal data is, according to Hinrichs, a great way to get started with data storytelling. Creating hand-drawn visualisations out of personal data is one of the first things the professor teaches her students. These can be basic line graphs, pie charts or simple pictures that represent anything from your monthly spending to your weekly sleep pattern or daily screen time.

When you’re starting out, digital tools can feel overwhelming. But communicating data doesn’t have to be a hugely technical process, and practicing analog visualisations (like this hand-drawn data visualisation book) can be a fun way of getting your head around the principles of communicating data.

“We’ve come to think of data as a primarily scientific, quantitative thing,” said Hinrichs, “when in fact it really takes so many forms”. There’s a reason why we’re all so excited about data: it’s a powerful resource for creatively approaching problems. Don’t be afraid of experimenting with it.

Keep it simple when you’re starting out

There are a number of great options out there for making impressive data presentations. Popular visualisation tools (like Tableau offer powerful ways to communicate data, but so do the programmes we’re all already familiar with.

Programs like Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, or Google Sheets, have everything you need to get started with communicating data. The Data Science team at the UK’s Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) use Excel to create their tables and charts. “It’s a very powerful tool,” said Ryan Dunn, Head of Data Science at the DWP.

“When you’re starting out with data, I think it's better to stick to tools that you already know and what you’re comfortable with,” said Adam Pearce from the DWP’s data science community. “There’s no need to work with complicated programmes if you’re only using data to tell a story in a presentation – rather use a familiar tool and learn how to use it really well.”

Become a storyteller

“Being able to effectively tell stories with data is one area that will give you that edge and position you for success in nearly any role,” writes Cole Nussbaumer-Knaflic in her book Storytelling With Data.

There is a big difference between simply showing data and telling a data-driven story, and all too often, presenters default to the former. Storytelling is a way of conveying information by harnessing narrative tools, and it’s been proven to stimulate far more areas of the brain compared to regular presentations.
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Nussbaumer-Knaflic suggests making use of narrative conventions by structuring a data presentation according to a beginning, a middle, and an end. Make it even more compelling by highlighting a conflict, incorporating a twist, and appealing to your audience’s emotions.

Things like metaphors, images, and repetition, she writes, can help take an audience on a journey and reinforce the importance of the message.

Make your data visual

Data visualisations are an incredibly effective way to communicate data insights: this is because our brains are known to respond far more quickly to visual rather than written information.

Charts (including infographics, maps, and all kinds of graphs) allow us to represent our most exciting and interesting data insights in clear and accessible ways, and allow audiences to extract and retain meaning from our presentations far more effectively.

There are many tools for visualising data to try out as you improve, but a handful of simple charts work well for most beginners’ needs. Points, lines, bars, and area charts can all be generated on common and familiar software like Microsoft Excel, while free sites like Canva and Visme are great for creating infographics.

It is important to note that visualisations can perform different functions and achieve different effects. In Good Charts: The HBR Guide to Making Smarter, More Persuasive Data Visualizations, Scott Berinato draws an important distinction between declarative and exploratory charts: the kinds that communicate information affirmatively, and the types of charts that encourage curiosity and further looking.

Optimise your slides

Slide presentations are your chance to pull all of your preparation together: this is when your story is told, your visualisations are seen, and your data-driven argument is delivered.

Ramp up the impact of your spoken presentation by designing a professional, unique, and engaging set of slides that communicates in the clearest possible way your most important findings.

The best data-driven presentations are easily legible, simple, and clear. The presentation guru Nancy Duarte’s ‘Big Idea’ model proposes that you distil your message into a single idea that guides all of your choices: what information to keep, what to leave out, which visualisations support your message, and how you tell your story.

The most important thing to remember when giving a data-driven presentation? Don’t leave the task of decoding your data to your audience. Data should help drive your point home – not confuse your message.

(Picture credit: Unsplash)

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