How to Present Data in PowerPoint

PRESENTING DATA IN
POWERPOINT
Practical advice on slide design

22 June 2012

DIGITAL ◊ PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ◊ STRATEGY © 2012 Matt Hunter

What are we covering today?

• Slide design • Physical • Vocal delivery • Word choice
for heavy delivery
data • Vocal ‘tics’ • Directive
• Presenting language
• Slide design slides
for non-data • Active speech

• Answer first/ • Bad habits
Pyramid
Principle

This presentation is about one
important niche area
© 2012 Matt Hunter

Overview

• This presentation is a re-worked version of a
one-hour lecture presented at Tsinghua
University,Beijing (清华大学）for students on
the International MBA; with additional
explanations for Slideshare users

• Our objectives are to:
-Motivate you to improve your data slides
-Give you some clear guidance on how to improve
your data slides
-Turn you into a force for good in the world of
business & PowerPoint

© 2012 Matt Hunter

All third party information featured in the presentation slides remains
the intellectual property of their respective originators. All use of
information is done under the fair use copyright principal, and I do
not assert any claim of copyright for any quotation, statistic, fact,
figure, data or any other content that has been sourced from the
public domain. Whilst efforts are made to ensure accuracy, no
warranties can be given.

I do assert a claim of copyright for my domains, matthunter.com, my
site design, slide design, database design, look and feel, and my logo
(“the cube”).

The core material in this work is shared under a creative commons
licence [attribution 3.0 unported (CC by 3.0)]. Readers are free to
share (copy, redistribute, transmit) and remix (adapt the work),
including for commercial use; but must properly attribute the original
work to me. Such attribution should not suggest that I make any
endorsement of the user or their derived use of my material.

Further viewing of this presentation indicates your understanding of
and consent to these conditions.

DIGITAL ◊ PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ◊ STRATEGY
© 2012 Matt Hunter

AGENDA
Why Presenting Data in
PowerPoint matters

5 Principles of Good Slide
Design

Slide Dissection

Reflection

About
© 2012 Matt Hunter

Sometimes, you get to present unusual,
exciting stuff

© 2012 Matt Hunter

More often, you just have to present
stacks of data

© 2012 Matt Hunter

People make judgements about the quality of
your work based on just your PowerPoint

(You and a
handful of
PowerPoint
slides)

(Hundreds of
hours of
market
research,
Excel
analysis,
crunching
accounts, …)

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Poor PowerPoint can limit your career

• Your work is worthless
unless people act on it

• If your slides are
unclear, you force
people to think too
much

• The more effort people
must exert to
understand you, the
greater the chance
they will ignore you
•

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Remember your objectives when you are
making data slides
• Most presentations aim to achieve agreement on a
course of action
• By the end of the meeting, you want to have moved
people closer to making a valuable decision
• To do this, you establish credibility and build trust
• You string together a series of logical statements that
lead to your conclusion
• You use data as supporting evidence that the
statements are correct
• If the data is clear, reliable and agrees with your
interpretation, your audience believes your story
• Gaining credibility and trust, you persuade
your audience to accept your recommendation
© 2012 Matt Hunter

Our focus right now is on making the
“supporting evidence” do its job well

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Of course, not all presentations are exactly
the same

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Sometimes, the data might not be central

• A large audience (Conference, annual general meeting)
is probably there for entertainment, not statistics

• An initial chat with investors might focus on broad
concepts – not an illustrated business forecast

• A 500 word blog post probably doesn’t have enough
reader engagement to need heavy-duty data the whole
way through

© 2012 Matt Hunter

In these special settings, you can bend the
rules
Original alternatives to
graphs and charts can
amuse an audience &
express your

creativity
In a day full of corporate
presentations, being the
special guy can help you
to be remembered

© 2012 Matt Hunter

In the usual corporate setting, more formal
rules apply
• You want people to focus on your content
not your presentation

• Graphs and tables need to convey information,
not distract from your message

• Clarity and credibility are paramount

Follow the principles described
in this presentation
© 2012 Matt Hunter

5 Key Principles

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Principle #1:
Help the eye to compare the data

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Imagine…

After 100 hours of work, you’ve finally completed the
critical analysis your team needs to see

The results are amazing

You can’t wait to tell your team

You print out the spread sheet & call a meeting

© 2012 Matt Hunter

When you show your team, you feel the
evidence is clear

© 2012 Matt Hunter

But your team sees things differently

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Human brains aren’t designed for reading
spread sheets
Cognition happens in the
cerebral cortex at the
front of the brain
• Recently evolved
• Still in Beta
• Slow, with limited bandwidth

Seeing happens in the
visual cortex at the back
of the brain
• Pre-attentive visual processing
automatically occurs in the
brain prior to conscious
awareness

• Specialist neurons make us
receptive to size, colour,
intensity, shape, …

• And we remember pictures
better than facts
© 2012 Matt Hunter 2

So - present the data in a way which makes
the most of human capabilities
• Humans can visually
perceive 2D space well

• But humans struggle
with lots of other things
-Estimating depth
-Estimating colour intensity
-Measuring distance on a
curve

• And some things people
cannot judge accurately
at all

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Can you pick out the highest dot?
Can you pick out two dots close together?

Source: Juice Analytics © 2012 Matt Hunter

Can you pick out the highest dot?
Can you pick out two dots close together?

Judging distance in two
dimensions is pretty easy

Can you find the tallest? The shortest?


Judging relative height in 2D is pretty simple

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Which bars are widest? Thinnest?


Judging width is more difficult

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Which is the largest piece?

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Judging distance on a curve is difficult

© 2012 Matt Hunter

What values are shown in the graph?

3D Perspective • The chart on the left appears
Problems to show that:
Column A is a little under 1
3 Column B is a little under 2
Column C is a little under 3

2

1

0
Column
Column
A Column
B
C


What values are shown in the graph?

3D Perspective • The chart on the left appears
Problems to show that:
Column A is a little under 1
3 Column B is a little under 2
Column C is a little under 3

2 • However, the data in the graph
is:
Column A = 1
1 Column B = 2
Column C = 3

0
Column
Column
A Column
B
C


3 Dimensions can makes things needlessly
complex

© 2012 Matt Hunter

This has strong implications for how we
visualise data
Human capability Implication
• People can judge some things very • Bar charts and dot plots work with our
accurately: natural strengths
- Length of a line, position of
something in 2D space, …

• People judge some things semi- • Pie-charts and area graphs test our
inaccurately: abilities and should be used sparingly
- Width, area, length of a curved line,
…

• And some things people cannot • Never make 2D graphs into 3D graphs
judge accurately at all
- Three dimensions is tough


Let’s talk about colour

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Which dot catches your attention?

Colour guides the eye:
use for emphasis
© 2012 Matt Hunter

However, remember that the meaning of
colour is NOT universal

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Using a culturally inappropriate colour
scheme can confuse you audience

100% 100%

75% 75%

50% 50%

25% 25%

0% 0%
Stuff Stuff

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Generally, corporate presenters favour
conservative colour schemes

© 2012 Matt Hunter

This means gentle gradient colour schemes
are fashionable
Forecast Profit Before Tax, '07-'15
Profit Before Tax
(£ Million)
Historic data Forecast data
160
Legend: Product Lines
140 Other
120
Van
100
Energy
80
60 Travel

40 Personal
20 Loans

0
-20 07 08 09 10 11 F12 F13 F14 F15
Year

© 2012 Matt Hunter

are fashionable
But being “tooProfit Before Tax, '07-'15
Forecast gentle” can cause problems
Profit Before Tax
(£ Million)
160
140 Other
120
Van
100
Energy
80
60 Travel

40 Personal
20 Loans

0
-20 07 08 09 10 11 F12 F13 F14 F15
Year

© 2012 Matt Hunter

are fashionable
But being “tooProfit Before Tax, '07-'15
Forecast gentle” can cause problems

Readers can’t easily pick out each data
Profit Before Tax
(£ Million)
series
160
140 Other
120
Van
100
Energy
80
60 Travel

40 Personal
20 Loans

0
-20 07 08 09 10 11 F12 F13 F14 F15
Year

© 2012 Matt Hunter

And colour gradation has its own meaning

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Avoid excessive colour contrast

High contrast images can confuse
the eye, making static imagines
appear to move and pulse
© 2012 Matt Hunter

Strong (but inoffensive) colour clashes come
from opposite sides of a “colour wheel”

Source: Kingdom of Style © 2012 Matt Hunter

The brain is highly attentive to colour –
make conscious use of this
• Use differentiated colours to mark out different
series

• Use colour gradations to portray a general
trend in something

• Be aware of colour weaknesses
-Avoid very high contrast colour combinations which
can annoy the eye
-Around 1/10th of Western males over the age of 40 are
partially colour blind and struggle to discern the
difference between blue and green
-The colour red communicates different meanings in
different cultures (Danger Vs. Luck)

© 2012 Matt Hunter

What does all this mean for how we present
data?
• Bar graphs, line charts and scatter
plots work well with our natural
abilities – use abundantly

• Pie charts, bubble charts and other
area graphs are more troublesome
– use with reservation

• People are poor at judging
anything in 3D so never needlessly
add 3D effects to things

• And colour is hugely powerful - but
always consider possible cultural
bias before use

Image: Rollins College © 2012 Matt Hunter

Principle #2:
Tell the truth

© 2012 Matt Hunter

What is wrong here?

Sales ($US) Bamburger Department Store Retail Sales, 2008-2010
25

24

23

22

21

20

19

18
2008 2009 2010

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Because the Axis doesn’t start at zero, chart
“lies”

Sales ($US) Bamburger Department Store Retail Sales, 2008-2010
25

24

23

22

21

20

19

18
2008 2009 2010

2009 sales appear twice as tall (suggesting twice
as big) as 2008. In reality, they are just 10%
more
© 2012 Matt Hunter

Q: Which firm has the lowest level of
purchases?
Firm A Firm B Firm C
Annual Purchases, Annual Purchases, Annual Purchases,
'06-'15 '06-'15 '06-'15

US$ Billion US$ Billion US$ Billion
15 11 10

14 9
10
13 8

12 9 7

11 6
8
10 5
7
9 4

8 6 3

7 2
5
6 1

5 4 -

© 2012 Matt Hunter

They are all the same - All show identical
data but with different scales on the Y-axes
Firm A Firm B Firm C
Annual Purchases, Annual Purchases, Annual Purchases,
'06-'15 '06-'15 '06-'15

15 11 10

14 9
10
13 8

12 9 7

11 6
8
10 5
7
9 4

8 6 3

7 2
5
6 1

5 4 -

Mixing up scales on Y-axes means we can’t compare the height of
the line from graph to another. This is a common way to
“accidentally lie” to your audience
© 2012 Matt Hunter

Keeping Axes the same between slides sometimes means
leaving a lot of white space on one slide…

Scenario 1
Business Unit PBT (£M) NPV 08-15: £307M
£200 Axis maximum value is chosen to make
comparison with the values on the next slide
£180
easy
£160
£140
£120
£100
£80
£60
£40 Product 3
£20 Product 2
Product 1
£0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

© 2012 Matt Hunter

…but this ensures the change in values on the next
slide is properly understood

Scenario 2
Business Unit PBT (£M) NPV 08-15: £632M
£200
£180
Product 3
£160
£140 Product 2
£120
£100
£80
£60 Product 1
£40
£20
£0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Beware of truncated axes

• People lie with axes more than they realise
-PowerPoint & Excel will often automatically reset the Y-axis
to a number greater than zero
-When you are being lazy and copying and pasting other
people’s graphs into your presentation, the odds are every
graph will use a slightly different scale
-Shifting the Y-axis between graphs on different slides
makes it extremely difficult to compare data

• This breaks one of the most important rules about
being honest with data:

If a number is 2X as big as another, the bar
should be 2X as long (or the height of a line
twice as high)
© 2012 Matt Hunter

In an effort to make presentations “more
interesting” many lies are told

• Here a money bag is used • In this version, a single
to represent $1 million and icon has been scaled up.
two moneys bags to However, now it is roughly
represent $2m, a sum twice the HEIGHT & twice
which is twice as much. the WIDTH of the $1 million
Twice the sum = twice the bag: making it more like 4x
area the area for just 2x the
sum

Source: United Nations Statistical Commission © 2012 Matt Hunter

Finally, the triple threat: 3D, curves and
abuse of area
As described earlier, humans
struggle to judge angles or
distance on a curve, and struggle
to perceive things intended to be
in three dimensions. For these
reasons alone, 3D pie charts are
to be avoided.

However, there is another
problem. We’ve also established
that when we use area to
represent data, the amount of
area something occupies should
be proportional to the sum
represented. In the given chart,
the 3D angle and depth effect
used means segments at the
“front” of the pie chart receive
more visible chart area than those
at the back. This chart is hard
to read, and it lies to the
audience.
Source: United Nations Statistical Commission © 2012 Matt Hunter

Key lessons from this section

• The length of bars should be directly
proportional to the value they
represent (if a number is 2x bigger,
the bar should be 2x longer)

• When using areas, the area should
be proportional to the value
represented (if a number is 2x bigger,
the area used should be 2x as big)


Principle #3:
Take away the distractions

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Fundamental rule of chart design

Reduce Increase
chart junk data:ink ratio
(Anything repetitive, (Communicate meaning)
ornamental or distracting)

Source: Edward Tufte © 2012 Matt Hunter

What is the main problem here?

Total Sales Revenue Before & After
6,000,000
Total weekly sales revenue

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

0

10
11
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27

12
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

2
3
After 1
“Before” Hunter
© 2012 Matt “After”

The eye tries to make a line
– so give the eye what is wants

Total Sales Revenue Before & After
6,000,000
Total weekly sales revenue

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

0

10
11
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27

12
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

2
3
After 1
“Before” Hunter
© 2012 Matt “After”

Reducing the ink used in a graph usually
helps

Reducing the ink used in a
data slide

typically

reduces the cognitive processing
the reader has to go through

& helps the important information

stand out

© 2012 Matt Hunter

This is Tim Bray’s example in reducing “chart
junk” to a minimum

1 2 3

4 5 6

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Bray’s changes show how less can achieve
more

Before After

• Colour background lowers • With detail stripped out
the contrast between the the data sits in higher
bars contrast

• Gridlines cut across the • Simplicity frees the data
image adding confusion

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Let’s look at the most common distractions

• Colour backgrounds • Making people turn
their heads

• Over-powered
gridlines • Using too many
digits

• Repetition of
information • Overloading a single
chart or slide

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Avoid using strong colour backgrounds

White backgrounds increase the contrast of the data items on your slide,
making comprehension easier

Weak Contrast Strong Contrast
Strong
50 50
45 45
40 40
35 35
30 30
25 25
20 20
15 15
10 10
5 5
0 0

The main possible exception to this rule
is the use of gridlines
© 2012 Matt Hunter

Gridlines can aid reading – but use with
consideration
If gridlines are used, they need to be visible but easily distinguishable from
the main data line

Intrusive gridlines Assisting gridlines
Strong
50 50
45 45
40 40
35 35
30 30
25 25
20 20
15 15
10 10
5 5
0 0

• Use a faint colour that contrasts with
the main data
• Consider using a pale background to
lessen the contrast between the
gridlines and the background
© 2012 Matt Hunter

Don’t obsessively use titles, legends AND
axis labels
With a single series of data in your chart, you don’t really need to use an
axis label, title and a legend

Repetition High effect
Strong
Sales, $ Sales, $ $ Sales
50 50
45 45
40 40
35 35
Sales
30 30
25 25
20 20
15 15
10 10
5 5
0 0

Don’t repeat yourself

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Try not to make people “turn their heads”

Vertical labels aren’t readable. Use a mild angle, or abbreviate labels and
keep them horizontal (“Jan” or “J” vs “January”)

90 degrees 45 degrees
Strong
50 50
45 45
40 40
35 35
30 30
25 25
20 20
15 15
10 10
5 5
0 0
March

May
February

September
June
April

August
July
January

October

November

December

If it is hard to read,
assume people won’t try
© 2012 Matt Hunter

Use fewer digits wherever possible

• Which is the bigger number:

12,573,981 or 11,894,397?

• To process the relative size of these numbers, the brain goes
through the following steps:

• Help the brain – It’s easier to understand if they are written as:

12.6 million and 11.9 million
Source: United Nations Statistical Commission , OECD, Local Govt. Dept (Wales)
http://www.unece.org © 2012 Matt Hunter

The most common problem with “too many
digits” is on the axes of graphs

$ World Rough Diamond Production
20,000,000,000

18,000,000,000

16,000,000,000

14,000,000,000

12,000,000,000

10,000,000,000

8,000,000,000

6,000,000,000

4,000,000,000

2,000,000,000

-
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Additional zeros do
not help the reader
© 2012 Matt Hunter

Changing the axis to “billions”, and adding
totals to each bar, sets the data free

World Rough Diamond Production
$Billion
20
17.6
18 16.9
16.3 15.9
16 14.9
14 13.4 13.3
12

10

8

6

4

2

-
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Don’t overload a single chart with more
information than it should handle
Version 1: Two data series together

£Billion Sales & Profits (2004-2011)
5

4
Revenue
3

Net Profit
2

1

0

-1
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Often a “2 Up” slide allows easier comparison
than putting all the data in a single chart
Version 2: separate charts
Sales Profits
£Billion £Billion
5 0.4

0.3
4
0.2

3
0.1

0
2

-0.1
1
-0.2

0 -0.3
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Remember, you are (usually) allowed to use
more slides
• How many important points are you trying to make
for your audience?
-A rough guide is “one or two points to one
chart”

• Just because you can stick all the data in one graph
or one slide doesn’t mean you should
-Unless your boss has imposed some crazy limit
(“Jim, you can only present 5 slides”) remember
that extra slides are free! Use as many as
needed to convey your message without confusing
the audience

(If you do have a crazy boss, try to negotiate:
accept a time-limit on your presentation instead
of a slide limit)

© 2012 Matt Hunter

When to stop stripping away distractions?

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Sometimes you can get rid of charts
completely: tables have their place

• Graphs interact with our visual system

• Tables interact with our verbal/reasoning system
• We process information in a sequential fashion,
reading down columns or across rows, comparing
one number to another…

• Tables force greater mental engagement by the
audience, which can be both a pro (more attention) and
a con (more chance of audience giving up)

Use tables when:
• Readers need to look up or compare individual values

• Readers require precise values

• Values involve multiple units of measure

Source: Information Builders © 2012 Matt Hunter

However, bad tables are just as common and
destructive as bad graphs

Avoid the most pointless errors:

• Put data that readers must compare into
columns, not rows

• Right align data in columns

• Remove excess digits

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Comparison is easier in a column, not a row

Country Germany United Kingdom Luxembourg
Population 81,538,628 58,491,643 406,589

Working along the row, the eye must jump back and fore to compare the
digits, with the reader attempting to identify what the value of each digit is

Country Population
Germany 81,538,628
United Kingdom 58,491,643
Luxembourg 406,589

With the digits in a column and right justified, it is easy to compare digits
in the “tens of millions” column and see Germany is the largest, followed
by the UK, with Luxembourg far behind

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Right justification is the right justification
Slide designers often like to “centre align” tables because it gives a sense
of symmetry - however, it also makes it harder to compare digits. Here, it
almost looks as if Luxembourg has a “4” in the “tens of millions” column

Country Population
Germany 81,538,628
Luxembourg 406,589

Right justification keeps the digits aligned and sets the data free

Country Population
Germany 81,538,628
Luxembourg 406,589

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Tables also usually benefit from using fewer
digits
As described earlier, the brain struggles to digest long numbers

There are too Check the size of Right, let’s start
many digits to deal the numbers – comparing ….
with! both millions…

Country Population
Germany 81,538,628
Luxembourg 406,589

Cutting out digits saves on brain processing power
Country Population (Millions)
Germany 81.5
United Kingdom 58.5
Luxembourg 0.4
© 2012 Matt Hunter

Sometimes PowerPoint makes the news

PA Consulting prepared
the diagram on the next
page when working with
the US Army

It appeared in the New
York Times alongside a
piece that attacked the
military for falling victim
to “Death by PowerPoint”

© 2012 Matt Hunter

The New York Times have no idea what they
are talking about

PA Consulting’s counter insurgency diagram uses the principles of system
dynamics, developed by MIT’s Jay Forrester (pictured). This “influence
diagram” links together the multiple elements at play in the Afghan war. It
assists high-level strategists in identifying points of leverage where
positive or negative feedback allows a small action to have a great
impact. This is not a slide for public consumption by lay people.
But it’s a Powerful piece of work for those who know the tools.
© 2012 Matt Hunter

“Lot’s of complicated, difficult to
understand problems have
simple, easy to understand
wrong answers”

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Be as complex as you need to be

• PowerPoint users face pressure to be succinct

• There is a pressure to make things perfectly easy
for the audience
(“Keep it simple, stupid”)

• But PowerPoint is not a substitute
for thought or dialogue

Sometimes complexity
is appropriate

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Let’s play a game

• On the next page, I will give you some
numbers that fit a pattern I am thinking of

• When you think you know the pattern, turn the
page and check whether your answer is correct
or not

© 2012 Matt Hunter

What is the pattern I am thinking of?

• 1,3,5

• 20,22,24

• 1006,1008,1010

• 50,52,54

• 8,10,12

When you think the know the pattern,
turnover
© 2012 Matt Hunter

The pattern I am thinking of is…

• “Any three ascending numbers”

• Is this what you guessed?
Probably not.

• Most people will have guessed “numbers rising by
2” or something similar

• Why?

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Most people don’t assess all the options

• “Numbers rising by 2” is a pattern that fits all the
examples given - but not the only one

• Most people come up with an hypothesis early on and
then look at the other sets of numbers to see if the
hypothesis fits

• If it does, they believe in their first hypothesis – they
don’t generate more hypotheses, or notice that many
other hypotheses would also explain the data

© 2012 Matt Hunter

This is an example of “confirmation bias”

• Confirmation bias is a tendency of people to favour information
that confirms their beliefs or hypotheses

• People display this bias when they gather or remember
information selectively, or when they interpret it in a biased way

• Experiments suggest people are biased towards confirming their
existing beliefs

• People commonly tend to test ideas in a one-sided way, focusing
on one possibility and ignoring alternatives

• Confirmation bias is mostly driven by a combination of wishful
thinking and the limited human capacity to process information

© 2012 Matt Hunter

In a PowerPoint setting, the headline on a slide can
encourage confirmation bias in the audience

• A strong headline implants an idea in the minds
of the audience

• The audience then views the rest of the slide in
an attempt to prove / disprove this idea

• The audience is far less likely to generate their
own original interpretations of the evidence
provided on the slide

• In short, a strong headline controls the
audience and stops them thinking for
themselves
© 2012 Matt Hunter

Consider the same slide with a passive or strong
headline

• The passive headline tells the audience • An active headline changes the audience
what is on the slide, but not what it experience
means • This headline tells the audience to look
• The audience might generate several for a dip in emerging markets, followed
conclusions: by a strong bounce
“Emerging markets and the S&P 500 are • The eyes scan the lines and confirm the
highly correlated” interpretation they have been told to
“There’s little performance difference look for
between the emerging markets and the
S&P 500” • Most audience members will then
… not raise alternative data
interpretations
© 2012 Matt Hunter

Be aware of what you are doing when you use
strong headlines

Giving your audience strong headlines helps you. By pushing
the audience to focus on things you think are important, you keep a
presentation moving in the direction you have intended, and avoid
lengthy tangential discussions.

Giving your audience strong headlines can also help the audience.
Some of your audience may be uncomfortable reading data (no
matter how well presented) and the assistance a headline gives
removes stress.

However, promoting confirmation bias can also inhibit dialogue.
You can encourage the audience to become passive. You can even
deceive the audience into believing false conclusions.

Don’t use headlines for evil
© 2012 Matt Hunter

This section puts things into practice

• We capture some real world slides in the wild
and then dissect them

• These concrete examples demonstrate how
doing many small things right (or wrong) alters
the impact of a slide

© 2012 Matt Hunter

This slide is functional but could use basic
improvements to aid clarity
Axis has
excess units:
it is in millions
but should be
in billions

Headline is
too passive /
cryptic

3D effect adds
nothing and
makes graphs
harder to read

© 2012 Matt Hunter

This Zero2IPO chart makes several basic
errors
Axis has
excess units:
it is in millions
but should be
in billions
This is a two
It’s also not There are
axis graph but
clear what effectively two
is unclear
currency this chart titles,
which data
is, as the repeating
series goes on
currency themselves
which axis.
information is This can be
listed in the worked out by
legend looking at the
legend but
this is easily
missed

Bar totals
have
unnecessary
extra digits,
going to 2
decimal places

Overlapping data series makes it
hard to read individual totals. If all
of this information is actually
important, the author should place
this data on to two separate graphs
© 2012 Matt Hunter

This bubble chart loses impact because the
axes are unclear and the headline is passive
Passive headline

Rotated
axis is Circle colour gradients
hard to make overlapping objects
read easier to see

X-Axis label is
hard to find

© 2012 Matt Hunter

The below chart is ineffective and contains
area-lies
Size difference
between pie-charts is
misleading

The radius of the right
hand pie chart is 32%
greater than the left

This makes the area
74% greater

However, the value of
expenses/revenue =
only 59% greater

The area of the right
hand chart overstates
the difference by 15%
points

The slide repeats
colours in each of the
pie-charts but they
have different
meanings – confusing
the reader

Pie charts are
ineffective – using
stacked bar charts
would be superior
© 2012 Matt Hunter

This chart shows proportions within a category well
but misses comparison across categories

At a glance, the
reader see almost as
much dark purple as
light purples. This
leads to the
conclusion that there
are almost as many
VC-backed listings as
there are non-VC
backed listings.

However, when we
look at the values in
the charts we see
this is not the case:
Mainland China is by
far the single biggest
market and is
predominantly non-
VC backed

The marimekko chart
overleaf would have
been superior in
illustrating this data

© 2012 Matt Hunter

This chart displays the same information as a marimekko,
allowing the size of Mainland China to stand out

Choice of Listing Market: VC-backed Vs. Non-VC-backed
Total:
1,604 217 121 121 15 2,078
100%-

VC backed
75%-

50%-

Non
VC backed
25%-

0%-
Mainland China Hong
Kong
S’pore US
Other

© 2012 Matt Hunter

There are many features working together to
ensure this bar chart is readable at a glance
Axis label is clear, with Chart has no “black
units ($) and “Billions” frame” to distract
rather than 9 zeros attention content
Title in bold & centred
on the chart

Bars have values
clearly marked aiding
interpretation

Gridlines assist the
eye in reading the
height of bar. Gridlines
All bars have solid are faintly visible and
shape outlines in a unobtrusive. NB:
dark colour to increase Using gridlines & bar
background contrast totals is “overkill”

Axis units are double Years are clearly Coloured background
digits: E.g “20” not marked without is faint and does not
“20,000,000,000” excess detail (“2006” lower contrast with
Vs. “2006.01”) main data items

© 2012 Matt Hunter

This line chart is clearly readable and high
contrast with minimal distraction
Heading in bold & Chart has no “black
Axis label is clear centred on the chart frame” to distract
attention content

Legend marks two
series; with top-most
Series data is shown
series in graph at
using strongly
listed at the top of the
differentiated colours
legend
Gridlines
assist the
eye in
reading the
height of bar.
Gridlines are
faintly visible
and
Chart has no “black
unobtrusive
frame” to distract
attention content

Axis units are Coloured background Date periods are
appropriate: “100” not is faint and does not clearly market with no
“100.00” lower contrast with excess data (“Jul-
main data items 2011” Vs. “01-Jul-
2011”)
© 2012 Matt Hunter

A complex and unusual area chart, but clearly
labelled to be intelligible to subject matter experts
Chart uses 3D to display additional data
(rather than an embellishment on a 2D
slide) Gridlines aid reading
of height
Axis label is clear

Gradated colour
scheme gives a
perception of depth

Axis uses
appropriate
increments: “0.5%”
rather than the
default “0.1%”; Axis labels are listed
keeping detail at different heights to
under control avoid overlap

© 2012 Matt Hunter

3D may be used legitimately if it allows you to display
additional information (and is not just decoration)

Chart uses 3D to display additional data
(rather than an embellishment on a 2D Gridlines aid reading
slide) of height

Axis label is clear

Meaning of negative
numbers clearly
explained Axis label is clear, with
distance from labels to
aid easy reading

© 2012 Matt Hunter

Some final thoughts
For better or for worse, PowerPoint is a critical tool in most businesses. Most people
under-estimate its importance. You are judged on the work you present, not the work
you do. Therefore, always take time to deliver high quality slides.

Humans are generally weak at understanding data. Visualisations exploit the brain’s
natural hardware, making it easier for your audience to understand and remember
your data.

Good slide design works by exploiting human physiology and psychology. Use colour
to communicate meaning. Use height and area consistently. Remove unnecessary
detail to optimise contrast. Use strong headlines to control your audience’s
perception.

There are pressures to make all PowerPoint presentations into “sales pitches”: brief,
linear, simple and unchallenging for the audience. Often, this is the easiest path to
“get to yes” and persuade people to agree with us. However, remember that at times
creating understanding and encouraging dialogue is the more important
objective. This is especially true when presenting on issues around risk.
If critical matters are at stake, have the courage to ignore prevailing
conventional wisdom and to be as complex, wordy and detailed as you
deem necessary.
© 2012 Matt Hunter 1

How to Present Data in PowerPoint

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