Latest posts

Below are the most recent articles or resources I’ve published. If you are looking for help on a specific topics, it would best to look at the topics in my Articles archive as I have grouped my recent and best articles by topic there.

  • Comparing only one value to a standard; Issue #432 February 5 2019

    When you want to compare values to a standard, such as comparing output in various production plants to the goal, a dashed line on a column graph is a good visual to use. The dashed line runs across the graph and it is easy to see if each column is above or below the goal.…… Continue reading

  • Showing difference with diverging bars; Issue #431 January 22 2019

    To see how well we are doing in the current year, we compare this year’s results to last year’s results and to the budget we set at the start of the year. Too often presenters show a spreadsheet of the numbers and expect the audience to figure out the result. My latest slide makeover video…… Continue reading

  • Showing difference between this year and last year/budget; Slide Makeover #93

    Visually show variances: This Year compared to Last Year and Budget To see how well we are doing this year, we compare this year’s results to last year’s results and to the budget we set at the start of the year. Too often we show a spreadsheet of the numbers and expect the audience to…… Continue reading

  • Ten steps you can take to improve your PowerPoint presentations in 2019; Issue #430 January 8 2019

    It is the start of a new year and people often take this opportunity to consider what changes they will make to improve their lives. In this article I share ten steps you can take to improve your PowerPoint presentations this year. Step 1: Adopt a new philosophy Instead of doing things the way you’ve…… Continue reading

  • Making presentations more accessible; Issue #429 December 11 2018

    Last week I was working with an organization who has a library of graphics that they encourage their staff to use. This gives a consistency to the look of their presentations. Each graphic represents a specific role, service, or element of their business. When I was reviewing the graphics, I noticed that the graphics did…… Continue reading

  • Bar charts with long category labels; Issue #428 November 27 2018

    How do we create graphs with category labels that contain a lot of text? If you are comparing values to each other, a column graph can get tricky since Excel and PowerPoint will turn the text at an angle and cut off labels that are really long. This makes it very hard for the audience…… Continue reading

  • 2018 Gift List for Presenters and Recommended Products & Services; Issue #427 November 13 2018

    As soon as Halloween was done two weeks ago I started to see Christmas decorations go up in stores and on homes. When I was walking around Chicago last week the decorating was in high gear in the city. It is the time of year we start to think of gifts for others (and ourselves)…… Continue reading

  • FinancialViz Makeover: Comparing to an average with long labels; Issue #426 October 30 2018

    The latest FinancialViz makeover video I posted illustrates how to create an effective visual when dealing with two situations: first, values are compared to an industry average, and second, the company names are long. The original visual was published in the June 2018 issue of the Globe and Mail Report on Business magazine. This is the…… Continue reading

  • FinancialViz Makeover: Comparing to an average with long labels

    This makeover shows how using a dashed line as part of a graph allows easy comparison of values to an average and a bar chart makes long category labels easier to read. (this is a silent video and you can pause it to spend more time on any of the slides) Continue reading

  • Change indicator characters; Issue #425 October 16 2018

    The difference between two numbers is a common element of many presentations. It could be the difference between actual and budget, this year and last year, industry average and our performance, or any two numbers that measure an important metric. Visually showing whether that difference is positive, negative, or neutral in a table is what…… Continue reading