So many presenters use spreadsheets, numbers, and tables in their presentations. When asked, the presenters respond by saying that the audience needs to see all these numbers and analysis to get to a conclusion. They think that the audience needs to see these details to make a better decision, but is this really true? Is it really like the “The more the merrier”? or is too much information actually hindering the decision making process?
What Are Numbers in a PowerPoint Presentation?
Numbers are measurements of different things that an organization deals with in their business. This could be sales, shipments, weight, etc. You need a number to measure anything. The numbers by themselves don’t have much value at all. It is when they are analyzed and compared that an expert can see patterns in the numbers and understand what that means for the organization.
Numbers can be Boring
Presenting numbers is simple enough. Just copy them in a PowerPoint slide and thats it. But, getting the main point across to the audience is your primary goal. And, in order to reach that goal you should tell people a story based on your analysis. This story is what really matters, and to support this story, you will need to use numbers.
How To Present Numbers
Make sure that the numbers are well organized. You should be able to show the audience the graph or data they want to see most. Anticipate and deliver content they came to see, and leave out extra details. It is when you realize that the numbers are not the focal point in a presentation that you start looking at it differently. The focus turns to creating a narrative. Make more visuals to make the data more visually appealing and to keep the audience’s attention.
Image Courtesy:
Illustration for an article published in Diario Uno. by Jorge Franganillo [CC BY 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons
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