Your client wants a simpler presentation design. Are you willing to sacrifice data impact for visual appeal?

Visual clarity is not a sacrifice, in fact it should be the goal of all successful storytellers using data. I call this ‘visualization simplification’ using big words to describe making data easier to understand. Engineers and managers often overshare during a data presentation. This is usually a sign of the ‘Curse of Knowledge.’ Subject Matter Experts understand their work and data so well they struggle to simplify it for non-experts. Using a ‘sticky’ story with a simplified data model is the key to a successful presentation. Especially, if you’re trying to get your audience not to just understand but to also take action based on your findings. This successful storytelling with data is the best way to lead change in your business.

Data impact and visual clarity can go hand in hand depending upon the client's needs. Understand that the power point presentation is just a visual aid facilitator. You may have a simple visual design and still explain the important data points if the situation requires you to do that. It is you who needs to lead the core and visual design can depend on the audience.

Before delivering a presentation it is key to consider the audience, any barriers of understanding and their desired outcome. Tailoring presentations is vital in ensuring the audience takes away the correct information required.

I show people how to create simple stories to engage with their audience first before sharing their simplified data. What is a simple story? How about stories about you. Your stories are easy to remember and tell because they are your stories. These can be about where you are from or how you were raised. Maybe the lessons you learned from life or work can inspire others to learn from them as well. The nice thing about your stories is they provide you credibility when you share them because they are true since they are about you. Now this doesn’t mean you can’t exaggerate a bit to add humor or excitement to further engage your audience. Have some fun by making fun of yourself and the hard lessons you can laugh about now.

I suggest maintaining impact and focusing on the "so what?" will make the presentation impactful. Don't just present data; explain its significance and implications. Interactive elements: Consider using tools that allow the audience to explore the data themselves. Strong takeaways: End with clear, actionable conclusions derived from the data.