CPABC Course: Hands-on Tools and Techniques for Creating Effective Financial Visuals in Excel and PowerPoint (July 14, 2015, Vancouver, BC)

OBJECTIVE

Anyone can create effective visuals. A background in graphics is not needed. This course will show participants how to create visuals such as: clear, effective graphs in Excel or PowerPoint; diagrams that show comparison of value in new ways; and time-based diagrams. Techniques for focusing the audience and breaking down complex tables will also be shown.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This seminar is designed for professionals who use PowerPoint to communicate financial information to others.

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

Too many financial presentations rely on huge spreadsheets or paragraphs of text copied onto slides. Audiences say these overloaded slides confuse them and executives don’t take action when they are unsure of the message. This seminar will help you create visuals that clearly communicate the message behind the numbers.

CONTENT

  • create graphs that are uncluttered and easy to understand
  • create graphs in either Excel or PowerPoint
  • add labels and other explanatory text to graphs to make the message clear
  • create diagrams that show comparison of values such as proportional shape collections and grouped item comparisons
  • create time-based diagrams to show financial processes or information about when certain financial events occur
  • add callouts to any visual to focus the audience’s attention (and make sure the callout shape or arrow can be seen no matter the background)
  • use builds to focus the attention while you discuss each part of the visual
  • use two methods for drilling down into complex tables so the audience understands your message even when you are forced to show the whole table on a slide (because your boss says you have to)

NOTE
This is a hands-on seminar. Please bring a laptop with Excel (any version) installed. You should have Office 2007 or higher loaded on a Windows laptop, or Office 2011 or later loaded on a Mac laptop. Bring your laptop, power cord, and external mouse if you prefer that to a trackpad.

PREREQUISITE
This is not an Excel or PowerPoint basics course. You need to come already being familiar with the programs and have intermediate level skills.

To register, visit the CPABC website here.

By Dave Paradi

Dave Paradi has over twenty-two years of experience delivering customized training workshops to help business professionals improve their presentations. He has written ten books and over 600 articles on the topic of effective presentations and his ideas have appeared in publications around the world. His focus is on helping corporate professionals visually communicate the messages in their data so they don't overwhelm and confuse executives. Dave is one of fewer than ten people in North America recognized by Microsoft with the Most Valuable Professional Award for his contributions to the Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams communities. His articles and videos on virtual presenting have been viewed over 4.8 million times and liked over 17,000 times on YouTube.