Using Microsoft Excel for Data Driven Presentations
The data was right. The slide lost the room.
The analysis was correct. The chart had eleven colors, a legend nobody read, and a title that named the data instead of the finding. The room nodded and did nothing. That is a communication failure, and the person who did the work absorbs the blame.
This workshop is the last mile. Not more analysis, but the translation from a correct number into something that changes a decision. It is a genuinely separate skill, and the people best at the analysis are frequently worst at it.
Finance, operations, and HR leaders use this where good work is not landing with executives or funders. It is the presentation counterpart to our Excel training, which teaches the analysis itself. The speaking side of presenting is Presentation Skills for the Workplace.
Content, datasets, and examples are built around your actual work before delivery. Most groups train live online, and on-site in-person delivery is available by request. This workshop is available by request only, with a three participant minimum, and sits alongside our other data analytics and data literacy workshops.
This course includes
- Live, instructor led workshop delivered in two 4-hour sessions
- Hands on rework of your own real charts and reports
- Chart selection driven by the question rather than habit
- Practice presenting a number so an audience acts on it
- Digital learning materials and take home reference guides
- Certificate of completion for every participant
Description
The day opens with the question, because the chart follows from it. Participants learn to name what they need the audience to conclude, then choose a form that carries it: comparison, composition, distribution, or change over time. Most discover they have been defaulting to one chart type for every purpose.
The middle is subtraction. Participants strip gridlines, legends, effects, and colors that carry no information, and learn why the default chart is designed to look busy rather than to communicate. They practice writing a title that states the finding rather than labeling the data, which is the single highest-return change most of them will make.
The last stretch is durability and delivery. Participants build visuals in Excel that survive being pasted into a deck and updated later, and practice presenting a number so an audience acts on it: leading with the finding, showing only what supports it, and handling the question about methodology without losing the room.
What You'll Learn at a Glance
- Name what the audience must conclude before choosing a chart
- Choose a chart form that fits comparison, composition, distribution, or change
- Strip decoration that carries no information
- Write a title that states the finding rather than labeling the data
- Build Excel visuals that survive being pasted into a deck
- Lead with the finding and show only what supports it
- Handle a methodology question without losing the room
Details
Duration
Prerequisites
Participants should be comfortable working with data in Excel and building a basic chart. Those without that foundation should start with Microsoft Excel Beginners (Level 1).
Your Data Analytics Training Goals, Customized to You
DWC provides expert data analytics and data literacy training aligned to your organization’s needs, your funding requirements, and your participants’ skill levels. With customization at every level, from content to scheduling to delivery format, DWC builds data analytics and data literacy training programs that produce measurable outcomes.
20,000+ Participants Trained | 90% Completion Rate | 1,500+ Organizations Served
Tuition
Using Microsoft Excel for Data Driven Presentations is available by request only, scheduled around your team.
- $495 per participant, with a three participant minimum
- Private training: request a custom quote. One on one sessions and teams below the three participant minimum are priced case by case
- Larger groups: request a custom quote. We price larger cohorts case by case based on group size, schedule, and delivery format
- Optional courseware: the Microsoft Excel Data Analysis & Visualization Student Guide (Logical Operations) is available at $65 per participant and is not included in the course price
Colorado state agencies, higher education institutions, cities, counties, school districts, and certified nonprofits may purchase this course directly through our State of Colorado Price Agreement. Request a quote and we will build pricing around your team.