Workshops

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Storytelling with Data: Data Visualization in Excel

Summary

We humans love our data, and when we show that data effectively, it can make a huge difference in how it is understood. In other words, it helps us tell the story we want to tell.

In this half-day workshop, we will explore what effective storytelling and data visualization are by learning about:

The science of human perception. There is actual science behind why the pie chart is often not the best for understanding your data.

How to move from showing to telling. In other words, know the story you are trying to tell with your data, and then pick the chart that best tells that story.

Design. Just as there is science in how we perceive images, there are design principals that can enhance understanding of our data. You’ll reduce clutter, use font and colour to highlight important information, and add text where it belongs – not where Excel tells you it should go.

We have built in time for you to bring out your inner data nerd and practice working in Excel on your laptop. You’ll enhance your line charts, make bar and column charts that stand out and get ready to work dot plots when you go back to work

Learning Objectives:

  • Participants will learn about the science behind visual perception and data visualization
  • Participants will learn about the importance of storytelling, and how to select the best way to visualize data to tell the right story
  • Participants will learn some techniques for going beyond Excel defaults to modify line, bar and column graphs, and create charts that are not pre-packaged in Excel

Facilitators

Shelby Corley | Kristy Madsen

Kristy and Shelby are evaluators who emphasize a strong final product. As consultants, their professional existence depends on creating outstanding deliverables. They have taken their training in data visualization and storytelling and applied it to all aspects of their reporting, even internal progress summaries. Strong data visualization and reporting is a hallmark of their consulting firm.

 


Schedule | Saturday, May 26 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Language | English

Level | Intermediate

Prerequisites | Participants should already have basic Excel skills, and bring a laptop with Excel installed. Participants should know how to create a basic chart in Excel, and have an interest in better, more persuasive design.