Articles
I have written many articles that are organized by topic below. Click on the topic heading to drop down the articles in that topic.
Presentation Planning
- 3 big mistakes professionals make when presenting financial or operational data to executives
- 6 ways to save time creating a presentation; Issue #403 November 28, 2017
- Are We Wasting $250 Million per Day Due to Bad PowerPoint?
- Audience with different levels of knowledge; Issue #360 March 29, 2016
- Avoiding “Are we there yet?”; Issue #345 September 1, 2015
- Change at a pace your audience can handle; Issue #351 November 24, 2015
- Confusing the message with supporting information; Issue #322 October 14, 2014
- Dealing with quad charts; Issue #348 October 13, 2015
- Dealing with requests for spreadsheet slides; Issue #341 July 7, 2015
- Designing and Delivering Non-Linear Presentations; Issue #156 April 1, 2008
- Determining the goal of your presentation is hard; Issue #270 September 18, 2012
- Discernment; Issue #320 September 16, 2014
- Document or Presentation? How to choose; Issue #401 October 31, 2017
- Don’t Grab and Hope; Issue #382 February 7, 2017
- Don’t judge a presentation by the number of slides; Issue #286 May 14, 2013
- Don’t start by copying previous slides; Issue #314 June 24, 2014
- Executive Summary slide; Issue #394 July 25, 2017
- Five Tips to Make PowerPoint Business Presentations More Effective
- Four places to find headlines in your slides; Issue #421 August 21 2018
- Handling requests for one slide only; Issue #377 November 22, 2016
- Headline template for result of analysis; Issue #372 September 13, 2016
- How to check your presentation outline with your boss before spending time creating slides
- How to get the audience to care about your presentation; Issue #374 October 11, 2016
- Ignore the advice to only use images; Issue #343 August 4, 2015
- Less isn’t more, Clear is More; Issue #375 October 25, 2016
- Lessons from TED talks; Issue #334 March 31, 2015
- Limiting the # of slides doesn’t work; Issue #342 July 21, 2015
- Make Deliberate Decisions; Issue #364 May 24, 2016
- PowerPoint Presentation Best Practices Audit; Issue #455 January 7 2020
- Prepare for questions or concerns; Issue #266 July 24, 2012
- Quality of conclusion, not Quantity of work; Issue #376 November 8, 2016
- Raise the average two slides at a time; Issue #282 March 19, 2013
- Redefining the KPI acronym; Issue #419 July 24, 2018
- Should you switch to 16:9 slides?; Issue #292 August 6, 2013
- Strategic approach for presenting to Boards and Senior Management; Issue #365 June 7, 2016
- Ten steps you can take to improve your PowerPoint presentations in 2019; Issue #430 January 8 2019
- The cost of executives redoing presentations; Issue #338 May 26, 2015
- The Top Ten Things You Can Do To Improve Your Next PowerPoint Presentation
- Top 5 PowerPoint Tips for Student Presentations in School
- Updating the three “Tell Them” statements; Issue #291 July 23, 2013
- What is the REAL Cost of Poor Presentations?
- What presenters can learn from how TV shows start; Issue #311 May 13, 2014
- What top leaders do when requesting staff to create a presentation
- Why you can safely ignore most advice for speakers; Issue #373 September 27, 2016
Slide Design
- 5 Good reasons to use your corporate PowerPoint template; Issue #448 September 17 2019
- Capitalization of Headlines; Issue #413 May 1, 2018
- Choose a boring font; Issue #260, May 1, 2012
- Choosing Colors for Your Presentation Slides
- Creating a style guide to keep the look of slides consistent in an organization
- Creating slides that print well in B&W; Issue #309 April 15, 2014
- Design advice corporate presenters can ignore; Issue #390 May 30, 2017
- Getting Designer ideas without Office 365 at work; Issue #422 September 4 2018
- How to create a consistent look when many sources are contributing slides to a presentation; Issue #210 May 18, 2010
- How to determine if the font on your slides is big enough; Issue #152 February 5, 2008
- How to make slides that are accessible for those with hearing or sight impairments; Issue #151 January 22, 2008
- How to Select and Use Fonts on Presentation Slides
- Make slides easy to see; Issue #267 August 7, 2012
- Making presentations more accessible; Issue #429 December 11 2018
- Should you switch to 16:9 slides?; Issue #292 August 6, 2013
- Testing how a slide looks to someone with color deficiency; Issue #330 February 3, 2015
- Three steps to reformat a presentation with a new slide design; Issue #187 June 16, 2009
- Using your organization’s template; Issue #410 March 20, 2018
- Why do presenters change the organization’s template?; Issue #214 July 13, 2010
Slide Creation & Editing
- 5 Good reasons to use your corporate PowerPoint template; Issue #448 September 17 2019
- 6 ways to save time creating a presentation; Issue #403 November 28, 2017
- Capitalization of Headlines; Issue #413 May 1, 2018
- Creating some of the new graph types in older versions of Office; Issue #362 April 26, 2016
- Dealing with quad charts; Issue #348 October 13, 2015
- Four places to find headlines in your slides; Issue #421 August 21 2018
- Free training videos; Issue #447 September 3 2019
- Getting Designer ideas without Office 365 at work; Issue #422 September 4 2018
- Headline template for result of analysis; Issue #372 September 13, 2016
- Highlighting an area with a mask; Issue #451 October 29 2019
- How to add the Draw ribbon to PowerPoint so you can use Inking features
- Making presentations more accessible; Issue #429 December 11 2018
- New graph formatting interface in PowerPoint 2013/2016; Issue #363 May 10, 2016
- PowerPoint Presentation Best Practices Audit; Issue #455 January 7 2020
- Protecting Slide Content
- Speed slide creation and enjoy the summer; Issue #442 June 25 2019
- Ten Secrets For Using PowerPoint Effectively
- Testing your slides; Issue #281 March 5, 2013
- Using published research results; Issue #385 March 21, 2017
- Using your organization’s template; Issue #410 March 20, 2018
- Videos to Create Effective Presentation Visuals using Google Sheets/Slides
- Visibility of slide elements; Issue #337 May 12, 2015
- Why it costs so much to professionally “fix up” or “clean up” a PowerPoint presentation
Data & Graphs
- “But they want ALL the data!”; Issue #418 July 10, 2018
- “Torn paper” look for non-zero axis; Issue #436 April 2 2019
- 25 Advanced Excel Chart Tips and Tricks (video)
- 3 Alternatives to axis breaks; Issue #398 September 19, 2017
- 3 Steps you can take to spend less time updating Excel charts each month (Hint: use a strategic approach to your Excel chart worksheet)
- 3 Tips for making column graphs even clearer; Issue #304 February 4, 2014
- 7 Steps to make a professional looking column graph in Excel or PowerPoint
- 7 steps to make a professional looking line graph in Excel or PowerPoint
- 8 steps to make a professional looking bar chart in Excel or PowerPoint
- Accurate Design Ideas-like Timeline; Issue #424 October 2 2018
- Adding a watermark to an Excel or PowerPoint chart/graph
- Alternative to Excel conditional formatting; Issue #389 May 16, 2017
- Another option for diverging bar charts; Issue #400 October 17, 2017
- Automatic Updating of Excel Tables in PowerPoint Slides
- Axis or data labels; Issue #346 September 15, 2015
- Axis that doesn’t start at zero; Issue #380 January 10, 2017
- Bar charts with long category labels; Issue #428 November 27 2018
- Big Data Tools and Executive Reporting; Issue #445 August 6 2019
- Change indicator characters; Issue #425 October 16 2018
- Chartmaker Directory; Issue #407 February 6, 2018
- Clearer line graphs; Issue #352 December 7, 2015
- Column Graphs vs. Bar Charts – When to choose each one
- Comparing actual to budget with explanations; Issue #444 July 23 2019
- Comparing only one value to a standard; Issue #432 February 5 2019
- Comparing to two standards; Issue #388 May 2, 2017
- Creating a Gantt chart with Milestones using a Stacked Bar Chart in Excel or PowerPoint
- Creating a graph in PowerPoint from data in Excel
- Creating a Monthly timeline Gantt chart with Milestones in Excel or PowerPoint
- Creating area graphs with Charticulator; March 17, 2020
- Creating some of the new graph types in older versions of Office; Issue #362 April 26, 2016
- Deciding on how to label column, bar, and line graphs
- Diverging Stacked Bar Charts; Issue #310 April 29, 2014
- Extracting data from a linked Excel graph; Issue #367 July 5, 2016
- FinancialViz Comparing common elements; Issue #417 June 26, 2018
- FinancialViz Makeover Change in sectors over time; Issue #423 September 18 2018
- FinancialViz Makeover: Comparing to an average with long labels; Issue #426 October 30 2018
- Focus by using an All Others category; Issue #396 August 22, 2017
- Graph labelling techniques; Issue #331 February 17, 2015
- Graph using Excel Data Bars; Issue #420 August 7, 2018
- How animating a graph makes it easier to understand; Issue #243 August 30, 2011
- How one character in a file name can mess up linking Excel cells or graphs to a PowerPoint slide
- How to Present a Balance Sheet
- How to Present a Cash Flow Statement
- How to present an Income or Profit and Loss Statement
- Index line graph instead of dual-axis graph; Issue #369 August 2, 2016
- Inserting a MATLAB SVG image into any version of PowerPoint by converting it to a vector EMF image
- Launch of FinancialViz.com; Issue #414 May 15, 2018
- Lining up related column graphs at the horizontal axis
- Linking a graph in PowerPoint to the Excel data so the graph can automatically update when the Excel worksheet changes
- Makeover Monday Challenge April 10 2017
- Makeover Monday Challenge February 15 2016
- Makeover Monday Challenge February 29 2016
- Making table criteria explicit; Issue #356 February 2, 2016
- Matching Excel charts to a PowerPoint color scheme; Issue #434 March 5 2019
- Math errors; Issue #350 November 10, 2015
- New graph formatting interface in PowerPoint 2013/2016; Issue #363 May 10, 2016
- Order data to support your message; Issue #378 December 6, 2016
- PowerPoint table alternative to SmartArt; Issue #357 February 16, 2016
- Professional looking graphs; Issue #450 October 15 2019
- Proportion visual using characters; Issue #395 August 8, 2017
- Proportional Object Collection Calculator; Issue #301 December 10 2013
- Re-emergence of donut charts; Issue #347 September 29, 2015
- Replace stacked column graphs; Issue #393 July 11, 2017
- Replace the default legend; Issue #381 January 24, 2017
- Selecting Dataviz based on message; Issue #441 June 11 2019
- Show the difference; Issue #366 June 21, 2016
- Showing component and total variance to budget; Issue #438 April 30 2019
- Showing future differences; Issue #433 February 19 2019
- Showing performance where we want to be below a goal; Issue #379 December 20, 2016
- Small multiples makeover April 8, 2015
- SWD Challenge September 2018
- The “last mile” in data analysis; Issue #453 November 12 2019
- The correct use of a pie chart; Issue #327 December 23, 2014
- The correct visual to show a trend; Issue #332 March 3, 2015
- Total on stacked columns/bars; Issue #397 September 5, 2017
- Treemap Diagrams; November 12, 2013
- Universal Indicators; Issue #312 May 27, 2014
- Using Excel Data in a PowerPoint Presentation
- Using visuals in case studies; Issue #408 February 20, 2018
- Visualizing Net Income from Inflows and Outflows; Issue #443 July 9 2019
- Visually presenting financial statements; Issue #409 March 6, 2018
- Visuals that indicate performance; Issue #333 March 17, 2015
- Waterfall Graphs; Issue #308 April 1, 2014
- When gridlines help on graphs; Issue #387 April 18, 2017
- Will replacing presentations with interactive visual dashboards help executives make decisions?
- Zooming in on a column graph; Issue #446 August 20 2019
Diagrams
- Accurate Design Ideas-like Timeline; Issue #424 October 2 2018
- Clues to indicate diagrams; Issue #439 May 14 2019
- Create professional looking diagrams by using techniques that line up things perfectly; Issue #164 July 22, 2008
- Creating a Gantt chart with Milestones using a Stacked Bar Chart in Excel or PowerPoint
- Creating a Monthly timeline Gantt chart with Milestones in Excel or PowerPoint
- Creating non-standard shapes; March 3, 2020
- Download free Timelines & Calendars; Issue #371 August 30, 2016
- Free Pre-Made Diagrams; Issue #317 August 5, 2014
- Getting Designer ideas without Office 365 at work; Issue #422 September 4 2018
- How to add the Draw ribbon to PowerPoint so you can use Inking features
- How to select information for a Gantt chart; Issue #416 June 12, 2018
- Minutes/seconds on clock visual; Issue #386 April 4, 2017
- Process/sequence diagrams with many steps; Issue #415 May 29, 2018
- Shapes on arrow sequence diagram; Issue #384 March 7, 2017
- Show steps in a process; October 29, 2013
- The quickest way to create a timeline; Issue #358 March 1, 2016
- Timeline Visuals; Issue #278 January 22, 2013
- Use a Venn diagram to show overlapping relationships
- Why SmartArt is often misused; Issue #326 December 9, 2014
Pictures
- Alt Text on images; Issue #336 April 28, 2015
- Building an image by breaking it apart; Issue #405 January 9, 2018
- Capture part of a PDF document for use on your PowerPoint slide; Issue #135 May 29, 2007
- Creating universal icons; Issue #249 November 22, 2011
- Finding and Using Vector icons in PowerPoint; Issue #325 November 25, 2014
- Finding high-resolution logos and research graphics for your presentation; Issue #224 November 30, 2010
- Getting Designer ideas without Office 365 at work; Issue #422 September 4 2018
- Government Photos you can use; Issue #195 October 6, 2009
- Highlighting an area with a mask; Issue #451 October 29 2019
- Inserting a MATLAB SVG image into any version of PowerPoint by converting it to a vector EMF image
- Overview of Using Copyrighted Material in Your Presentation
- Use a map to show geographic relationships; Issue #138 July 10, 2007
- Using Infographics on Slides; Issue #225 December 14, 2010
- Using the Snipping Tool for screen captures; Issue #368 July 19, 2016
- Why You Shouldn’t Use Google Images to Find Photos; Issue #236 May 24, 2011
Multimedia
Text on Slides
- Capitalization of Headlines; Issue #413 May 1, 2018
- Don’t put yourself in a cage of text; Issue #290 July 9, 2013
- Formatting bullet points; Issue #355 January 19, 2016
- Formatting text in a table; Issue #234 April 26, 2011
- Group text in shapes instead of bullets; Issue #391 June 13, 2017
- How to Write Powerful Bullet Points
- Jargon and Acronyms; Issue #319 September 2, 2014
- Making text look better; Issue #340 June 23, 2015
- Organic highlighting using ink; Issue #353 December 22, 2015
- Presenting legal/regulatory quotes; Issue #272 October 16, 2012
- Reduce the words in each point; Issue #283 April 2, 2013
- Showing key phrases in social media posts; Issue #454 December 10 2019
- Text formatting tips; Issue #232 March 29, 2011
- The grammar of text on slides; Issue #293 August 20, 2013
- Using quotes effectively on your slides; Issue #215 July 27, 2010
- What to do with text on your slides; Issue #335 April 14, 2015
Linking & Incorporating Other Content
- 2 Big Mistakes Professionals make using Excel data in PowerPoint
- Alternative to Excel conditional formatting; Issue #389 May 16, 2017
- Automatic Updating of Excel Tables in PowerPoint Slides
- Breaking links to Excel; Issue #359 March 15, 2016
- Capture part of a PDF document for use on your PowerPoint slide; Issue #135 May 29, 2007
- Creating area graphs with Charticulator; March 17, 2020
- Extracting data from a linked Excel graph; Issue #367 July 5, 2016
- Fixing the Excel Rounding Error; Issue #329 January 20, 2015
- How one character in a file name can mess up linking Excel cells or graphs to a PowerPoint slide
- How to automatically play a Vimeo or YouTube video full screen in a browser from a PowerPoint slide
- Linking a graph in PowerPoint to the Excel data so the graph can automatically update when the Excel worksheet changes
- Matching Excel charts to a PowerPoint color scheme; Issue #434 March 5 2019
- Updates to the PowerPoint Document Inspector may save your job
- Using Excel Data in a PowerPoint Presentation
- Using published research results; Issue #385 March 21, 2017
Animation & Transitions
- Building an image by breaking it apart; Issue #405 January 9, 2018
- Context Before Conclusion; Issue #285 April 30, 2013
- For complex topics, give context first; Issue #437 April 16 2019
- How animating a graph makes it easier to understand; Issue #243 August 30, 2011
- Showing key phrases in social media posts; Issue #454 December 10 2019
- Using Animation and Slide Transition Effects on PowerPoint Slides
- Using Exit animation to reveal a graphic; Issue #233 April 12, 2011
- Zooming in on a column graph; Issue #446 August 20 2019
Delivery & Handouts
- Adding a PDF document to OneNote in iOS
- Best Practices for Creating Handouts for a Sales Presentation
- Best Practices for Increasing Interaction During Sales Presentations
- Breaking the habit of speaking to the screen; Issue #240 July 19, 2011
- Creating slides that print well in B&W; Issue #309 April 15, 2014
- Current view on paperless handouts; Issue #411 April 3, 2018
- Don’t start with an apology; Issue #273 October 30 2012
- Handling mistakes on slides; Issue #180 March 10, 2009
- Have a backup story ready; Issue #321 September 30, 2014
- Learning from a video of your presentation; Issue #404 December 12, 2017
- Options for speaker notes; Issue #406 January 23, 2018
- Organic highlighting using ink; Issue #353 December 22, 2015
- Paperless handouts; Issue #318 August 9, 2014
- Presenting from someone else’s computer; Issue #241 August 2, 2011
- Presenting when you are not allowed to use a handout
- Save time with Custom Shows; Issue #370 August 16, 2016
- Three uses for a black slide; Issue #294 September 3, 2013
- Using a tablet or e-reader for Speaker Notes; Issue #238 June 21, 2011
Web & Standalone Presentations
- An alternative to using video in a web presentation; Issue #220 October 5, 2010
- Best Practices for Delivering Sales Presentations on the Web
- Best Practices for Designing Sales Presentations To Be Delivered over the Web
- Conference call presentations; Issue #277 January 8, 2013
- Converting written content to a SlideShare deck
- Stand-alone presentations; Issue #274 November 13, 2012
- Sway is not replacing PowerPoint: The real story
- Visual documents vs. Presentations; Issue #349 October 27, 2015
Presentation Equipment & Technology
- 2017 Gift ideas for presenters; Issue #402 November 14, 2017
- 2018 Gift List for Presenters and Recommended Products & Services; Issue #427 November 13 2018
- Be prepared: VGA is going away; Issue #287 May 28, 2013
- Five Common Problems With Poor Display of PowerPoint Presentations
- Should you switch to 16:9 slides?; Issue #292 August 6, 2013
- Six Common Problems With Displaying Your Presentation
- Sway is not replacing PowerPoint: The real story
- Videos to Create Effective Presentation Visuals using Google Sheets/Slides
Free mini-course: Presentation-Ready Excel Charts That Are Easy to Update and Re-use
Guided Self-Study Course
This course is ideal for those who want to learn how to improve their presentations but don’t have the opportunity to arrange an in-house customized session.