Chelsi Nakano
April 11, 2017
Data-heavy presentations are the absolute worst. If you’re being presented to, all those percentages are hard to sit through. If you’re the presenter, you’ve spent precious time putting together something that’s hard to sit through. Bummer.
When sharing your facts and figures on stage or as part of a larger story, be sure not to treat the experience like it’s a report. Follow these three tips for delivering your data in a way that will resonate and be remembered.
Show it off
Don’t flip through your figures too quickly. When you pull up a chart or visual stat, leave it up and talk about it. This gives your audience a chance to let your message sink in. Explain what the chart says, then explain what it means for your audience. The longer you have your message up, the better chance you have of getting your audience to remember what you’re saying.
Avoid back-to-back charts
No matter how impressive the stats, too many charts can be overwhelming. Avoid sharing back-to-back charts and graphs when you present data. Instead, switch up the variety of your visuals to keep people engaged and curious.
Along that same vein, try to only show one chart at a time. The more data you display at once, the harder your audience has to work to comprehend your message, and the more distracted they will become. The last thing you want is for your audience to tune you out.
Use color to clarify visuals
We know you have a lot you want to share, but it doesn’t help anybody if your presentation is hard to read. Instead of jamming a ton of information into the same space, highlight one or two significant points, so people know exactly where to focus their attention right off the bat. Using color in your presentation is a great way to achieve this.
Ready to make your data-centric visuals and presentations more engaging? We’ve got just the thing: watch the recording of our live session with the design experts at Alimat on snore-proofing your data.
