Present your DATA with IMPACT and make it your HERO. Read our top tips here:
We have all sat through boring data presentations and may even be guilty of sharing a mediocre data story in the past. That’s because presenting data in a way that is compelling and memorable can be tough. Being a scientist I love facts and data but after sitting through numerous data presentations at a recent conference, overloaded with graphs, tables and figures, I questioned which presentations I had remembered and why.
I realised it was the presentations that I could relate to, which described a real-life scenario and how in reality the data would apply in the real world that I remembered the most.
At MediComm Partners, we are often asked to prepare or enhance slide decks or guide clients in presenting their data. It’s really important to us that you have the best chance to communicate your message to your audience in a memorable and engaging way, so we’ve pulled together our TOP TIPS to help you prepare your PRESENTATIONS with IMPACT:
1. ‘Be’ your audience
Try and ‘be’ your audience when preparing, as we gain more experience and knowledge it’s very hard to put yourself in the head of your audience, but it is so important. Just because you love the data doesn’t mean to say they will - they just want bottom line!
2. Tell a great story through the data
To truly influence someone, don’t just provide facts and data, instead tell a story. Once people experience a story, it becomes part of their emotional memory and they are far more likely to remember it. Data-driven storytelling is just like ordinary storytelling but there is one major difference…in a data story, no one needs a surprise ending! It’s usually more effective to give your audience what they want upfront and then keep them hooked.
In this TED Talk Nancy Duarte shares her learning from great storytellers to give some really useful guidance on how to create engaging presentations. Based on her studies of cinema, literature and world changing speeches, Nancy outlines the technicality of storytelling but underneath there are some really insightful messages about how to shape communications that have impact. Here are some tips to crafting your story:
Create a story with a beginning, middle and end
Establish the current state and describe the ‘what could be’ – describe a lofty idea and then amplify that gap to magnify the engagement
Keep the story simple
Keep it focused and stick to your goal
Be original and tell your own stories
Use facts sparingly just to help explain your story
And last but not least - show passion
3. Change the order and turn it upside down
Most scientists present in a structured way: present the background, then explain your message, findings and conclusions. By the time you get to the good bit- the results, you have lost half the audience. Dr Stephanie Evergreen (author of Communicating Your findings with Maximum Impact) encourages people to start with the action items, conclusions and findings – she calls it ‘giving the bottom line up front.’
4. Use words sparingly and ‘humanise’ numbers
Tell the story using images and use words as if they are gold - no room for wasted words. Pictures are interesting, words and numbers are boring. However numbers are necessary to fulfil our need for quantifiable information, but more importantly to ‘back the story up’. The data must relate to real life and or how it will affect the world we live in. Humanizing the data is key. Photographs next to graphs can be really effective.
5. Avoid unnecessary graphic features
This is especially true when using three dimensions for charts that represent simple datasets. Although software is available to easily produce three-dimensional charts and some people may consider them attractive, they often distort the data. The message is much easier to understand when presented in a simple two-dimensional format, as shown below.
6. Colour and size matters
Our eyes are attracted to colour –what we should be doing when we’re telling stories with data is using an action colour that will drive the eyeballs towards the part of the data where the story is being told, we use grey to de-emphasize everything else that isn’t totally essential at that point. The most important part of the slide should be the biggest.
7. Death by PowerPoint
PowerPoint is a great tool, but all too often it isn’t used to its full potential. Here’s a great TED Talk which gives some excellent points to consider. Follow these tips to make sure your message isn’t forgotten in seconds.
8. Don’t forget the basics
Are you clear on how much time you have and how much time has been factored in to the agenda for questions? Have you practiced your presentation? Out loud? Are you giving yourself enough time to have your microphone fitted?
We hope that this helps you in crafting a presentation that really engages your audience, but if you'd like more advice just let us know.