Today we will be discussing some options for presenting numbers from Excel on PowerPoint. You can present this data using tables directly from your Excel sheet, but that is not the only way to show numbers. We’re going to be discussing 3 easy ways to make numbers from Excel look better in a PowerPoint presentation.

Use A Graph Instead of a Table

Whether you’re comparing two numbers to each other; a big number with other numbers; showing a trend in the data; or showing parts of a whole, etc. It is always better to use a graph rather than using a table. This is because it is a PowerPoint presentation and audiences rarely want to do the math themselves. They want you to show and tell them instead.

You don’t have to type the table into PowerPoint, just copy the data from Excel and paste it in PowerPoint instead. If you’re not sure which graph to use with your data, then please use this brilliant article by Dave Paradi to figure out what graph you need to use.

If You Must Use a Table Then Try This

It is easier to use a graph, but if you must use a table then you should make sure to only include as few numbers as you can. These numbers should represent a summary of the larger table of data. Showing the audience too many numbers can often overwhelm them. You can also try making important numbers more obvious by making a callout (a shape with text or a number in it) on the table.

Make The Presentation More Interactive

You can make the presentation more interactive by letting the audience provide their data for a formula. You can display the formula and show the results in real-time; to show how much this will benefit them. You can do this by linking an Excel spreadsheet to the PowerPoint presentation. While giving a presentation, open the Excel spreadsheet and input the data so that the audience can see the estimated benefit in front of them.

Using data right from an Excel sheet can put your audience to sleep. Try using these tips to make your presentations more engaging.