Is less really more? Annoyed, we have always been, by the tons of spam emails that we get in our mailbox everyday. Not to mention popup ads that obstructs our surfing experience, robbing our time and requiring our extra efforts to close the popup ads or clear our mailbox from unwanted emails.
Now, let us relate this to information we received during a presentation session. Are we getting thrown with information on slides that we can't read? Are these extras necessary or are they there to clutter the screen? Let's examine how we can effectively present information using charts.
Most of today's presentation software can easily generate a variety of charts from tabled data. Copy and paste raw data from a spreadsheet for charting is easy and many of us take it for granted. The challenge lies in the summarising of raw data for the chart. Charting from raw data often produce charts representing information that might not necessarily important.
Summarise raw data
To create effective charts, it is important to analyse detailed data and group them appropriately. Show only important numbers in chart and eliminate or regroup the less important ones into others.
Select chart type
Once we have identified the information we want to use, select an appropriate chart type (i.e. bar, pie, line, etc.). In general, use pie chart to represent data of proportional relationships at a point in time where data is expressed in percentages. Bar charts to represent small data set from observations over time or under different conditions. Expression of trends are usually presented using a line chart or sometimes a combination of both line and bar charts.
Use plain background
To ensure clarity in the presentation of our chart, it is recommended that we use a plain background on our slides. The background can be in either light or dark colours, or a nicely gradient texture. Avoid backgrounds with pictures or patterns that might distract the presentation of the chart.
2D or 3D charts
Depending on who we are presenting to, we have a choice of either a 2D or 3D charts to choose from. 3D charts can create the Wow factor but not necessary give us the clarity all the time. When we have too much that we want to put on a single slide, 3D charts can look rather cluttered. This brings us back to the earlier point that we need to simplify and re-categorise raw data.
Beyond imagination
The varied ways that we can express information in a chart is only limited by our own imagination. We do not need to be constrained by the charting features of the presentation software that we use. We can import charts created by specialised charting tools or draw them on our own using external graphic tools.
What you see here is only a glimpse of what is possible. In future stories, we will explore more advanced techniques. In the meantime, here are some examples of tastefully created charts.
Happy creating Amazing Sticky Presentations.
Examples
