Presenting Data

Before presenting any data, you must establish a solid foundation for your message:

Decide if you are leading the audience to a specific conclusion (explanatory) or if you’re providing them with neutral information to discover their own insights (exploratory).
Tailor your message to their specific issue, data literacy, time constraints, and required level of detail. Use the “Elevator Pitch” test: can you explain your core finding in 30–60 seconds?
Structure your presentation using a framework, like:
- What? → So What? → Now What?
- PREP (Point, Reason, Example, Point)
- AMEN (Audience, Message, Examples, Negatives)

Command attention by breaking passive listening patterns and establishing immediate relevance.

Break expectations by first creating them and then revealing data that runs counter or surpasses the expected.
Create narrative tension with alternative hypotheses or unanswered questions keeping the audience engaged.
Gain trust from the audience — by explaining your personal participation or concern about the topic at hand — this reduces reservations and thereby complexity.

A major barrier in data presentation is information overload. Use these techniques to maintain focus:

Get to the point quickly to keep the audience engaged.
Add detail sparingly, gradually or only on demand.
Use a visual hierarchy and clean designs. White space, short paragraphs, alignment and other Design Principles help with information processing and respect the recipient’s time.
Turn math into something memorable. E.g. tangible things and common knowledge. → Memorable Math
Make your graphs with consideration for your audiences time and attention. → Charitable Charts

How you deliver the data is as important as the data itself:

Timing and pacing of speech can be used to explain complex ideas (slow, “think time”) or create a rhythm according to the narrative.
Strategic silence also helps to emphasize key points, allow listeners to process information, and build anticipation.
Refrain from ‘hedging’ with excessive use of “maybe” or “I think”.
Body language, eye-contact, expressions and gestures all make or break your speech.

Make your presentation a two-way transaction. Facilitate sense-making and exploring the topic for your audience.

People grasp data better when it is described in terms of situations they can imagine or people they can relate to. → Memorable Math
Provide a high-level overview first, then allow the audience to zoom and filter, and finally provide details on demand. → Schneiderman’s Mantra
Induce critical thinking with Socratic questions, undermining expectations or even using hard-to-read fonts.

Don’t let the presentation just “fade out.” Finish with a resolution that changes behavior.

Do one or more of the following:

Conclude by summarizing your main points.
Reveal a final stunning statistic (encore) the audience can ponder about.
End with a clear call to action or next steps, answering the “Now What?” question.