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.

  • Shapes on arrow sequence diagram; Issue #384 March 7, 2017

    Use a “shapes on an arrow” diagram to show steps in a process Continue reading

  • Celebrating 15 years; Issue #383 February 21, 2017

    Fifteen years ago I decided to start writing this bi-weekly newsletter. Back then it was more broadly focused on office technology. Over the years as my business has become more focused, so has the newsletter. Today I call it Presentation Insights and most of the topics deal with ways to effectively present data, which is…… Continue reading

  • Don’t Grab and Hope; Issue #382 February 7, 2017

    When I deliver a customized workshop, I always start the day spending at least 90 minutes talking about how to structure your message. During this time I don’t mention slides at all, even though I am talking about creating effective PowerPoint presentations. Why should all business presenters spend time on the structure first? Because the…… Continue reading

  • Replace the default legend; Issue #381 January 24, 2017

    When a column or bar chart has to be small so that other content can fit on the slide, the default legend can cause a challenge. The color chips used in the legend become so small that it may be hard for the audience to see which color represents which data series. This gets even…… Continue reading

  • FastCompany.com January 14, 2017

    In this FastCompany.com article, Dave’s survey on what annoys audiences about bad PowerPoint presentations is used as a starting point for the author giving some tips on using images in presentations. Continue reading

  • Axis that doesn’t start at zero; Issue #380 January 10, 2017

    If you read articles by data visualization experts on the topic of measurement axes that don’t start at zero, you will find one common theme: strong opposition to the idea. While I agree with them in most cases, I want to suggest an exception to this rule. Let’s start with the key issue. By default,…… Continue reading

  • Showing performance where we want to be below a goal; Issue #379 December 20, 2016

    Showing performance where the desire is to remain below a standard (vs. the usual above the goal) Continue reading

  • Focusing the message for variance analysis; Slide Makeover #86

    Focus your message with a visual that highlights important variances Continue reading

  • Order data to support your message; Issue #378 December 6, 2016

    When comparing values, make sure the order supports the message Continue reading

  • Monster.com November 22, 2016

    Dave is one of the experts quoted in this article titled “10 PowerPoint hacks to make your presentations look more professional”: https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/powerpoint-hacks-1116.   Continue reading