Women in Data is an international non-profit organization started in 2015 whose mission is to bring women together for career advancement and an opportunity to uplift one another. They have chapters throughout the world and each hold quarterly symposiums that include enlightening talks, expert panels and networking opportunities. 

Co-presenter Rebecca Pop is the founder of Vizlogue, a data visualization and storytelling lab that offers training and consulting services. 

Watch the Recorded Panel 

What’s Inside 

Here are some of the topics addressed during the panel. 

• Can you share your personal journey and how you got started with data visualization? 
• How do you approach data visualization problems? When you are working on a dataset, do you have standard steps/best practices that you follow every time? Are there any key focus areas one should be mindful of? Ann said, “Something so important to know in advance, is whether your audience is technical or non-technical. Technical audiences are people who like data, who love opening a spreadsheet, and are in a data career on purpose. Non-technical audiences are the opposite. They’d rather hire a consultant or let another staff member handle it. It’s probably the last thing on their to do that they want to tackle (and they probably procrastinate!)” 
• Important aspects to keep in mind while working with data are data integrity and data ethics. What is your take on data integrity and data ethics?  
• For someone just getting started in data visualization, it can be overwhelming with the number of tools and courses available these days, what is your advice for beginners? Can you also share some resources? Ann said, “At first, learn the one-hour version of about 10 different tools, but then take a 10-hour training on just one tool and go deeper and specialize. There’s a lot of great courses out there.”  
• What is the future of data visualization? How do you anticipate data visualization to differ in the coming years? 
• Data visualization is a very competitive field, how can one stand out from the crowd and make an impression? Ann said, “Don’t worry too much about having to be the best at everything, I don’t think it’s even possible. Just pick one and play on the strength that you already have and make that public in some way… For example, if you like Tableau post a lot of visualizations on your Tableau public profile. If you like R, post to your code on Github and connect with other people.” 
• What are the key skills required to be successful in data viz? How important is the tool? Ann said, “Chart choosing [is so important]. Are you going to use a pie chart, bar chart or something else altogether? It’s very difficult to take a table, rows and columns of summary statistics and figure out what chart that is going to be. I think a lot of people go to the standards like pie charts or bar charts.” She added, “One activity that you can try for yourself is find a table of data, set a timer for 10-15 minutes and see how many ideas you can come up with in that time period. When I started doing this, I could only come up with a couple of ideas in a 15-minute brainstorming session. Now I come up with 15 ideas in that same time period.” 

Learn More 

Here are some of the resources we mentioned during the panel: 

• The 3-step process for sharing data with users through data placemats: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ev.20181  
• Ann’s favorite dataviz podcasts, which were mentioned in the Q&A after the recording ended: Explore Explain with Andy Kirk, Data Stories with Enrico Bertini and Moritz Stefaner, Data + Love with Zach Bowders, Data Viz Today with Alli Torban and Storytelling with Data with Cole Knaflic.

Now, I design reports that people actually want to read. Fewer paragraphs. More graphs. My audience can understand the information, so the data actually gets used.

Reports aren’t supposed to feel daunting.

We’ll walk through my Report Redesign Pyramid, a step-by-step process that you can apply to your own projects.

You’ll learn how to:

• match your dissemination format’s complexity to your audience;
• follow the 30-3-1 approach;
• design a one-pager with my seven ingredients;
• set up your Theme Colors and Fonts inside Word;
• use landscape for on-screen reading;
• add a 20-minute cover;
• visually chunk content with dividers;
• apply a text hierarchy;
• start with the “so what?;”
• aim for 1+ visual per page;
• add 15+ styles of visuals using my checklist;
• go beyond the bar chart;
• lower the reading grade level of your writing; and
• tell a story through dark-light contrast and takeaway text.

What’s included in this training program?

I’m going to transform you into the report-redesigning hero that your organization needs. Here’s what’s included to make that happen.

• 30+ video lessons that you can watch anytime (the equivalent of my two-day Report Redesign workshop)
• Step-by-step process to transform Dusty Shelf Reports into reports that actually inform decisions
• 2 Office Hours sessions every month to talk about your projects and hear from guest speakers
• 6 additional Live Trainings just for participants in this program
• 60-page Report Redesign ebook with our checklists and case studies
• Discussion boards to ask questions and post your own work
• Private Facebook community of fellow participants
• Weekly emails to cheer you on
• Lifetime access so you don’t feel rushed
• Examples from a variety of industries (public health, juvenile justice, museums, and more)
• Behind-the-scenes Word and PowerPoint magic tricks guaranteed to make your jaw drop

Who This Training is For

This training IS for those of us who work on reports and one-pagers ourselves. This course is NOT for supervisors who delegate all their report production to someone else. (Supervisors, enroll your staff. Ask me about group rates.)

This training IS for people using everyday software like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. This course is NOT for graphic designers who exclusively use Adobe Illustrator or Acrobat.

30+ Video Lessons

You’ll get instant access to 30+ lessons–the equivalent of a two-day training. You can watch these lessons anytime around your own schedule.

Office Hours Twice a Month

We’ll even provide feedback on your projects. You’ll get instant access to recorded lessons that you can watch anytime and two live Office Hours sessions every month to get targeted feedback on your reports.

Guest Speakers in Office Hours

Sometimes we invite guest experts to speak with us during Office Hours. You’ll be able to access recordings from our sessions with Elizabeth Grim (about Connecticut’s COVID-19 response), Ione Farrar (about Tennessee’s COVID-19 response), Brenna Butler (about user experience), Chris Lysy (about using data for social action), and Sara Vaca (about visualization qualitative data).

By Popular Demand! 6 Live Sessions

Office Hours are open to everyone who’s taking online courses with me. By popular demand, we’ll also hold six additional Live Trainings just for the participants in this course.

1. Tuesday, August 25, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST: Orientation Session & Self-Assessment
2. Tuesday, September 29, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST: Emily Mills, author of The Art of Visual Notetaking
3. Tuesday, October 27, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST: Kathleen Oh, breathwork session
4. Tuesday, November 24, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST: Redesigning your reports together (first 5 participants to register will be eligible to have their reports used as case studies)
5. Tuesday, December 29, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST: Redesigning your reports together (first 5 participants to register will be eligible to have their reports used as case studies)
6. Tuesday, January 26, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST: Graduation Party

The sessions will be recorded in case you can’t make it live.

60-Page Report Redesign Ebook

You’ll get a license to download our 60-page ebook, which contains our 7 Ingredients for Designing One-Pagers, Checklist of 15+ Ideas for Visuals, and additional reporting case studies. This ebook is only available for participants in the Report Redesign full course and is not available anywhere else.

Discussion Boards to Ask Questions

Every module includes discussion boards where you can ask questions, comment on the lessons, and share your own tips with the community.

Private Facebook Community of Fellow Participants

You’ll be invited to join our private Facebook community, where I offer additional Facebook Lives. You can also post your own questions and get feedback from me and from your colleagues.

Weekly Emails to Cheer You On

I know you’re going to skip straight to the juicy reporting magic tricks, but I’m going to email you on Mondays around 11 am EST and pretend like we’re working through the course one module at a time.

Once-a-Year Registration

Mark your calendars! This course only opens once a year for registration. The 2020 enrollment window is Monday, August 17th through Friday, August 21st. When it’s open, it’s open. When it’s closed, it’s closed.

We’ve also got special Early Bird Bonuses for the earliest registrants.

First 25 People

The first 25 people to register will receive a Swag Bag with a dataviz shirt, stickers, buttons, and magnets.

First 10 People

The first 10 people to register will ALSO receive verbal feedback on their graph, report, dashboard, or infographic. I’ll spend 15-20 minutes talking through everything you’re already doing well, and then give you a couple priority areas to focus on the next time you design a report like this. The feedback will be recorded and posted as a case study inside the course.

First 5 People

The first 5 people to register will ALSO receive a report makeover. You’ll send me your report. Then, I’ll work on it directly for ~30 minutes during one of the Live Trainings with the 2020 cohort. This is a great opportunity to have me consult on your project.

3,620+ participants from around the globe

have already taken the leap into better reports, slideshows, dashboards, and infographics by participating in our online courses.

Your Instructor

Ann K. Emery

Each year, I lead dozens of in-person workshops for thousands of people. My online courses bring those skills to you, too.

Depict Data Studio also consults to the United Nations, State Department, and Centers for Disease Control, plus dozens more foundations, nonprofits, film companies, banks, hospitals, and universities worldwide.

Your data deserves to be out in the world–actionable, talked about, used–not gathering dust in spreadsheets.

What does an online course look like inside?

I talk with you like a real person, not a monotone robot reading off a boring script.

What Participants Are Saying

“Before this course, I was visualizing data in all the wrong ways. We had such compelling data, but it wasn’t telling a story– it wasn’t coming alive. Ann’s course really helped me transform my data and reports. I utilize the skills from this course every day— when developing reports and papers, doing dashboards for my team, and presentations. I have begun to develop a reputation within my department, as well as from other departments, for making compelling reports and having a knack for data visualization. In turn, I always recommend this course. This course has even helped me become better at data analytics and even data collection and survey writing, because you can better visualize the data that you want to see. The course has been an amazing resource, and the fact that you have access to it indefinitely is astounding. If you’re on the fence, take the leap! It’s worth it!”

– Padraic Stanley, Program Coordinator, Rush University Medical Center

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course?

Indefinitely. I used to limit access to just 12 months. I wanted to encourage you to get in here and learn with me, but instead it just stressed you out, so I’m not cutting off your access anymore.

Can’t I just find this information on the internet or in books?!

No. I’ve given workshops and webinars on Report Redesign, but you won’t find these techniques in books, blogs, or on YouTube anywhere.

I know you’re a perfectionist and always update your courses.

Yes, and you’ll receive all future updates to this course.

What if I am unhappy with the course?

Contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a no-questions-asked full refund.

Register by Friday, August 21, 2020

• $747 USD one-time purchase
• 3 payments of $249
• 6 payments of $125

See you in the course!

— Ann K. Emery

Bad graphs can slow down the viewer’s comprehension… increase cognitive load… and fail to inform decision-making processes.

Dusty Shelf Reports aren’t inevitable.

With intentional editing, you can design visualizations that inform and inspire–right inside of Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

You don’t have to be a computer programmer or a graphic designer to be a great communicator.

I started building this course three years ago.

We added to it, and added to it, and added to it.

We quadrupled the videos and templates. We added Office Hours so you can pick my brain about your individual projects. We added Discussion Boards and a Facebook group to build community. We added Guest Experts so you can learn about programs beyond Excel. We added Lifetime Access.

This Excel dataviz training is the best it’s ever been.

Great Graphs: Excel How To’s is open for registration this week only.

What’s Included in Great Graphs: Excel How-To’s

• 142+ video lessons that you can watch anytime
• Step-by-step instructions for making beginner, intermediate, and advanced graphs in Excel
• 18+ templates to download and follow along
• Discussion boards to interact with fellow dataviz enthusiasts
• 2 Office Hours sessions every month to talk about your projects and hear from guest speakers
• Private Facebook community of fellow participants
• Weekly emails to cheer you on
• Lifetime access so you don’t feel rushed
• Examples from a variety of industries (public health, juvenile justice, museums, and more)
• Behind-the-scenes Excel magic tricks guaranteed to make your jaw drop

This is a software how-to course. You will see videos about “First, click this button” and “Then, click this button.” I’ll share my insider tips so you know which common mistakes to avoid.

Research-based data visualization best practices are baked into the entire course. I’ll teach you how to format the graphs so they’re accessible, intuitive, and backed by research.

We believe that anyone can design amazing visualizations using everyday software you already own, like Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. You don’t have to be a computer programmer or a graphic designer to be a great communicator.

Register by Friday, June 26.

Who This Training is For

This training IS for those of us who make graphs ourselves. This course is NOT for supervisors who delegate all their graph production to someone else. (Supervisors, enroll your staff. Ask me about group rates.)

This training IS for people using everyday software like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. This course is NOT for graphic designers who exclusively use Adobe Illustrator or Acrobat.

This training IS for people who love learning Excel magic tricks. This training is NOT for computer programmers who exclusively write code in programs like R or Python.

This training IS for people who are ready to dive deeper. This training is NOT for people just hearing about data visualization for the first time. (Not sure why a 3D pie chart with 50 slices is impossible to read? Let me train you on best practices first; then, come back and enroll in this course next year.)

This training IS for people whose time is precious. I’ve got two kids and I run a business. I’m well past the phase in life where I can afford to learn the long, hard way. This training is a one-stop-shop and a shortcut.

Register by Friday, June 26.

142+ Video Lessons

You’ll get instant access to 142+ step-by-step video lessons–the equivalent of a two-day training. You can watch these lessons anytime around your own schedule.

• Symbol fonts (4 lessons; 40 minutes)
• Spark lines (8 lessons; 34 min)
• Data bars (7 lessons; 39 min)
• Heat tables (8 lessons; 42 min)
• Bar charts (11 lessons; 57 min)
• Waffle charts (7 lessons; 33 min)
• Dot plots (18 lessons; 1 hr)
• Small multiples bar charts (14 lessons; 55 min)
• Population pyramids (12 lessons; 45 min)
• Line charts (12 lessons; 54 min)
• Slope charts (13 lessons; 40 min)
• Small multiples line charts (8 lessons; 36 min)
• Tile grid trendline maps (4 lessons; 31 min)
• Geographic heat maps (4 lessons; 34 min)

Register by Friday, June 26.

Step-by-Step Instructions

You’ll learn exactly how to create symbol fonts, spark lines, data bars, heat tables, bar charts, waffle charts, dot plots, small multiples bar charts, population pyramids, line charts, slope charts, small multiples line charts, tile grid trendline maps, and geographic heat maps.

Variety of Graph Types

You’ll create familiar charts like bar charts and line charts, but I’m most excited about teaching you about Excel’s lesser-known secrets.

18+ Templates to Download and Follow Along

You can download and keep all 18+ Excel spreadsheets that accompany the video lessons.

Discussion Boards to Ask Questions

Every module includes discussion boards where you can ask questions, comment on the lessons, and share your own tips with the community.

Live Office Hours Twice a Month

We’ll share screens and work through your drafts together.

Guest Speakers in Office Hours

Sometimes we invite guest experts to speak with us during Office Hours. You’ll be able to access recordings from our sessions with Elizabeth Grim (about Connecticut’s COVID-19 response), Ione Farrar (about Tennessee’s COVID-19 response), and Brenna Butler (about user experience). You’ll also be invited to upcoming sessions with Jane Zhang, Chris Lysy, Sara Vaca, Esther Nolton, and Jason Melchi.

By Popular Demand! 6 Live Trainings

Office Hours are open to everyone who’s taking online courses with me. By popular demand, we’ll also hold six additional Live Trainings just for the participants in this course.

1. Monday, June 29, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST
2. Monday, July 27, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST
3. Monday, August 31, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST
4. Monday, September 28, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST
5. Monday, October 26, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST
6. Monday, November 30, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST

The sessions will be recorded in case you can’t make it live.

Private Facebook Community of Fellow Participants

You’ll be invited to join our private Facebook community, where I offer additional Facebook lives. You can also post your own questions and get feedback from me.

Weekly Emails to Cheer You On

I know you’re going to skip straight to the juicy dataviz magic tricks, but I’m going to email you on Mondays around 11 am EST and pretend like we’re working through the course one module at a time.

Once-a-Year Registration

Mark your calendars! This course only opens once a year for registration. The 2020 enrollment window is Monday, June 22nd through Friday, June 26th. When it’s open, it’s open. When it’s closed, it’s closed.

We’ve also got special Early Bird Bonuses for the earliest registrants.

First 25 People

The first 25 people to register will receive a Swag Bag with a dataviz shirt, stickers, buttons, and magnets.

First 10 People

The first 10 people to register will ALSO receive verbal feedback on their graph, report, dashboard, or infographic. The feedback will be recorded and posted as a case study inside the course.

First 5 People

The first 5 people to register will ALSO receive an Excel makeover. You’ll send me your spreadsheet, report, or slide. Then, I’ll work on it directly during one of the Live Trainings with the 2020 cohort. This is a great opportunity to have me consult on your project.

What Participants Are Saying

3,390+ researchers, evaluators, scientists, and analysts have taken online courses with us.

Here’s what recent participants are saying.

“Having attended Ann’s keynote address at the 2017 Southeastern Library Assessment conference, I learned a few quick tricks to transform a stock Excel graph to something better. Once I moved into an assessment role full-time, I knew I would be writing more reports and wanted to up my game with Excel graphs and charts so I knew just where to go for help. Ann’s course in Great Graphs offered that and so much more. When I had to write a summary of a laptop loan program survey, I transformed the plain, ordinary graphs to uncluttered, with clearly understandable graphs of the survey results. Ann takes you beyond the basic Excel charts and graphs to learn how to make super cool waffle charts and icon arrays and adding spark lines and bars to a spreadsheet for quick visual analysis. Two of my favorite tips were learning how to create new theme colors to input the color brand from my organization and using bold colors to highlight your point with the remaining graph in gray or lighter tones. I found this course to be very practical with beneficial tips to use immediately in my work and would recommend it to anyone desiring to up their game with charts and graphs for data visualization.”

– Lee Ann Lannom, Assessment Librarian, Jean & Alexander Heard Libraries, Vanderbilt University

“The Great Graphs tutorials are exactly what I was looking for in learning data design techniques in Excel, especially using examples that makes sense in a nonprofit and philanthropic setting. I like the short snippet format where I can quickly learn about a technique and then instantly apply it. For instance, I was working on multiple data tables showing the number of services delivered and number of clients accessing housing services by quarter across multiple homeless services programs. Program leadership wanted a quick scan of the numbers by quarter for the entire fiscal year. They were used to looking at numbers this way. I decided to add sparklines to the data tables so that program leadership can also quickly visualize the trend over time. I quickly reviewed the Great Graphs tutorial on sparklines and added trends to the data tables. I also learned other tips to create sparklines quicker and add other visual features such as high and low points in the data. A data analyst I was working with on this project was amazed that this could be done in Excel. He was used to doing all his analysis in python or R, and wasn’t too familiar with data design techniques in Excel. Thank you, Ann, for creating these quick tutorials that anyone can follow, especially those in the nonprofit sector.”

– Rocele Estanislao, Assessment & Evaluation Analyst, Kaiser Permanenete Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine

Register by Friday, June 26.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course?

Indefinitely. I used to limit access to just 12 months. I wanted to encourage you to get in here and learn with me, but instead it just stressed you out, so I’m not cutting off your access anymore.

I know you’re a perfectionist and always update your courses.

Yes, and you’ll be grandfathered-in to all future updates to this course.

What if I am unhappy with the course?

We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.

Register

• $747 USD one-time purchase
• Or, 3 payments of $249/month

See you in the training program!

Ann

P.S. Wondering whether this course is right for you? Here’s a link to my secret calendar so you can chat directly with me: https://calendly.com/depictdatastudio/20min

We decided to record our conversation so that even more people could benefit from learning about the business behind my business.

This conversation might be especially helpful for early-career data visualization freelancers—or those contemplating the switch from a salaried job into a freelancing job. If that’s you, welcome to the dataviz community! And enjoy this video interview.

What’s Inside

• How I got started six years ago
• Whether I’d planned to work for myself from the beginning
• The critical turning points in my decision-making process
• What type of advice I received from mentors early on
• How the work I’ve done has shifted over the past six years
• All of the correct ways to make a living with data visualization
• How my previous workplaces were so supportive of data visualization
• Whether I think anyone can teach
• What High Schooler Ann thought she’d be when she grew up—and how my career path isn’t that different from what I originally planned
• How I found my earliest clients
• How blogging for several years before going solo unintentionally became a solid portfolio
• How professional volunteering on boards built my network and helped/helps me find projects that are a good fit for me
• Why I always recommend that early-career dataviz enthusiasts start blogging
• Where my income comes from (the percentage from in-person training, online training, consulting, keynotes, and other sources)
• Why I’m trying to do even more online training
• How I manage traveling in the U.S. and internationally with my family
• How I’ve moved mountains for the right work-life balance
• Why you need to niche-down for your own sanity
• How you actually decide what to specialize in
• What my staffing structure has looked like in the past, and what it looks like now
• Why I’ll never, ever hire full-time employees
• How I learned how to run a business
• Why so many people hesitate to run their own business
• How little I understand about my own visibility and presence
• What I’m really aiming for during my training—which is often much different than the workshop objectives written out on paper
• Why it’s critical to give yourself a Dabbling Year(s) when you’re first starting out
• What Jane’s currently working on

Listen to Our Convo

Resources Mentioned

Jane’s article on quitting her salaried job to pursue freelancing.

This book about running a lean, minimalist business.

This book about setting your rates as an independent consultant.

This scheduling tool that keeps me sane.

This Data Vizard t-shirt.

Connect with Jane Zhang

Connect with Jane:

• Jane’s blog: janezhang.ca/
• Jane’s articles on Medium
• Twitter: @janezhgw
• Instagram: @janezhgw
• The project she posted on Instagram and her first-ever client saw it: https://janezhang.ca/posts/designto-2019/
• The travel guide post that helped Jane land her second client: https://janezhang.ca/posts/toronto-summer-guide/

Your Turn

Did anything surprise you about our conversation?

What additional questions do you have for me?

What additional tips do you have for early-career dataviz freelancers?

Comment and let us know!

Bonus: Read the Full Article

Jane’s full article just got published! Read about her interviews with RJ Andrews, Alli Torban, Matt Baker and I: https://medium.com/nightingale/how-self-employed-data-visualization-designers-make-a-living-23dc00ea5264

Maybe I was afraid he’d grill me–he did.

Maybe I was afraid he’d ask something to get me in trouble–he did!

Maybe I was just too busy–I was.

I’m so glad I finally sat down to talk with Jon for a proper podcast!

We thought it’d be fun to video-record our convo, too. You can listen to the podcast through Jon’s site or watch the video below.

About Jon

Don’t know Jon yet?

Jon is an economist, writer, teacher, and creator of policy-relevant data visualizations. He is considered a leading voice for clarity and accessibility in how researchers communicate their findings.

We’ve known each for nearly a decade already, and even tell the funny story of how we met in the podcast.

10+ Tips from an International Dataviz Speaker

After traveling all over the world to provide data visualization training for the past six+ years, I’ve made list of tips from the point of view as an international dataviz speaker.

(We recorded this podcast in January 2020 and you’ll hear me say that I was about to travel to China. That trip is postponed indefinitely for obvious reasons.)

These are the things I wish I knew sooner about adapting my U.S.-centric trainings so that they’re not so U.S.-centric; working with foreign language interpreters; and even translating from Fahrenheit to Celsius.

Tip #1: Talk to the Person, not to the Interpreter

I’ve worked with sign language interpreters at universities and government agencies. More recently, I worked with foreign language interpreters in Hanoi (in which the attendees were wearing headsets so they can hear the interpreters translating my words).

The best practice is to look at the attendees, not at the interpreters. For example, if someone in the audience asks a question, the speaker should look at the audience member the entire time–not at the interpreter.

Making eye contact with the attendees is not only respectful, but helpful to both of you. Communication involves words, but communication also involves eye contact, body language, and the speed and tone of your speech. By looking at the attendee, you can pick up on all the nuances of his or her facial expressions and body language, which you would miss if you solely looked at the interpreter.

Tip #2: Share the Training Material with Interpreters in Advance

Sharing materials in advance is so helpful for the interpreter and the person needing the interpretation. It allows them the time to review the materials, become familiar with the topic, and also to know your key words and new vocabulary. For example, a sign language interpreter or foreign language interpreter may not have heard the terms “data visualization” or “dataviz” before your talk.

Sharing materials in advance also helps the interpreters to see how you’re planning to structure and organize your talk.

I don’t follow scripts, so I don’t have a script or speaking notes written out for the interpreters to read ahead of time. They’ve told me they simply like having a “head’s up” about the topics and vocabulary.

I usually share handouts during the presentation and then share a PDF’d copy of my slides after the presentation. Sharing materials in advance was new for me. It involves a little more prep time for the speaker, and forces you to finish your prep work much earlier than you normally would’ve, but the payoff for the attendees needing the interpreters makes it worth it.

Tip #3: Talk with the Interpreters Ahead of Time

I always try to talk to the interpreter ahead of time–and not just at 8:59 am for a 9:00 am presentation.

The first time I worked with sign language interpreters was at a university in a big hall. Knowing they would be there ahead of time was so helpful to me. I met with them about an hour before and went over my slides with them, gave them the overall format of my talk. That way, they know when I’ll break for an activity, etc. They also know when they’ll need to spell out terms like d-a-t-a-v-i-s-u-a-l-i-z-a-t-i-o-n or find a synonymous sign.

Hiccups happen though, and sometimes the interpreter shows up at 8:59 am for a 9:00 am presentation. In those cases, I give a quick rundown and start a few minutes late. The time spent with the interpreters is worth it, even if it means starting a few minutes late, because it means the day will go so much better for the attendees needing the interpreters.

Tip #4: Try to Avoid Slang and Idioms

This is hard one: Try to avoid slang or idioms. They’re everywhere, so this is tough!

For example, I might say, “At the end of the day…”

But what does that mean to a Vietnamese speaker for whom English is their third or fourth language? What this phrase really means is, “The most important thing I want you to remember is…”

Or, a “low-hanging fruit edit” would instead be “the easiest edit to make to your graph is…”

It was hilarious–and humbling–to listen to this podcast recording! I heard a dozen more idioms and slang terms throughout my conversation with Jon.

Over the years I’ve had to unlearn my bad academic habits of speaking way too formally. I actually used to try to sound like a textbook with perfect speech and sentence structure. Argh, how boring and awkward!! Now, my speech is intentionally imperfect and conversational in workshops. That style is perfect for English speakers, but it’s a huge challenge for everyone else. I’ve given hundreds of talks to English-speaking audiences, but only a dozen talks to non-native English speakers, so this is something I’m still working on. Sigh. I’ll get there!

Tip #5: Try to Avoid Contractions

Try not to speak in contractions.

Instead of saying “don’t do this thing,” say “do not.”

For a lot of us, the “t” in “don’t” is nearly silent… or there’s a noise in the room… and our attendees will only hear the “do.”

I’ve learned to instead say “do not” and make sure to put an emphasis on the “not” with both my voice and my hands to ensure that the meaning is clear.

I even do this in the U.S. because most training settings have poor audio quality. There’s construction noise outside… someone’s phone rings… the door slams shut… there are conversations outside in the hallway… coughs… sneezes… shuffles of papers… the list goes on.

Saying “do not” instead of “don’t” is more than just a speech pattern; it’s forced me to become more clear on my dataviz recommendations. 

Tip #6: Try to Avoid Religious Phrases

Since speaking in Southeast Asia, I have actively tried to avoid using religious phrases.

For example if I’m holding my laser pointer, and it flies out of my hand (which happens more than you think!), my instinct would be to say “oh my goodness!” or “oh my gosh!”  

That phrase has zero translation to someone who’s not in a Judeo-Christian culture.

Interpreters will translate everything in an effort to make it feel more real and natural. What do interpreters make of the phrase “oh my goodness?” Does that mean it’s literally good that I dropped my laser pointer? What a confusing phrase.

Tip #7: Try to Use Your Clearest, Accent-Free Voice

This may be a little controversial… but try to avoid speaking with an accent.

I’m from Virginia and don’t have a southern accent, in my opinion… except when I’m around people from the south. Then, I can get a little southern-sounding.

When I’m around fellow millennials, I can get a little millennial-sounding.

You have to turn all that off. You have to speak in the purest, accent-free version of yourself.

Tip #8: Use Body language

As I said earlier, communication is not just words. Body language is also another way we communicate with each other and it can be so helpful (or harmful) in a presentation.

Body language and cues matter because if an attendee is listening to an interpreter there’s often a delay in what I say and then what they hear. During that time though they’re looking at me and can see from my body language if what I’m saying is positive or negative.

If you’re asking them to start using a new dataviz practice…

• nod your head
• smile with your mouth and with your eyes
• give a thumbs up
• give an “okay” sign

If you’re asking them to avoid using a dataviz practice…

• Shake your head “no” from side to side
• Use your facial expressions to indicate “no”
• Give a thumbs down
• Make an “x” motion with your arms

Talking with your hands isn’t just for decoration. And it doesn’t have to be distracting. You can use your hands productively to reinforce what you’re saying with your voice.

Tip #9: Find Non-U.S. Graphs and Maps

When you’re speaking in another country, make sure you’ve got examples from that country.

For example, if you’re showing currency, use the currency symbol for the country you’re speaking in.

When showing how to color code maps, I use a U.S. map in the U.S. but a South American map if speaking in South America.

Tip #10: Adjust the Agenda to the Culture You’re In

You have to adjust the agenda to the culture you’re in. In the podcast, Jon shared an example where one of our speaker friends was giving a training in the United Arab Emirates. That speaker needed to account for planned prayer time during his training agenda. There are cultural differences that you need to build in to your agenda and be considerate of.

I’ve worked with several religious groups in the U.S. who incorporate prayer time and religious services into the workday. They’ve always told me about prayer time in advance, which is helpful. Then I can plan the rest of the content around those scheduled blocks.

Tip #11: Translate Between the 12-Hour or 24-Hour Clock

Speaking of agendas… Remember that many countries follow the 24-hour clock, which Americans sometimes refer to as military time.

If I have a slide showing the day’s agenda, or a printed agenda, I’ll quickly translate the times between 12-hour and 24-hour time before the session.

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Tip #12: Learn to Translate Fahrenheit to Celsius

Here’s another tip that I remembered at the very end of the podcast–Fellow Americans, we have to learn to translate Fahrenheit to Celsius!

I’ve needed this translation in the most practical ways. For example, I remember sitting in a way-too-cold training room in Guatemala, and I was having trouble adjusting the wall thermostat by myself. I needed to call the hotel staff and request a new temperature–in Spanish, and in Celsius. Room temperature in the U.S. is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, which is around 21 degrees Celsius. This 70-to-21 temperature translation is honestly the only one I can remember, but it’s the most practical and important for my work.

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Formatting Reports

In the podcast, Jon surprised me when he asked about formatting reports. I always thought everyone was concerned with formatting reports, and I never really realized how many blog posts I’ve devoted to this topic before.

I work with a lot of different types of groups: for-profits, non-profits, big, small, etc. In a perfect world, they would all have very short, succinct reports in addition to many other formats (slideshow, handouts, info graphic, social media, press release, etc). And while that’s the case in some groups, for most it’s not in process and not happening yet. But they all do have a report of some kind, so my plan is always to take that and make it a great report.

Color-Coding Reports by Chapter

Jon and I talked about one of my favorite dataviz techniques, which is color-coding reports by chapter.

The idea behind this is you might have a long report but we still need to make it easy for people to find what they’re looking for.

I recommend people use their branding colors rather than picking at random.

So Chapter 1 is brand color 1, Chapter 2 is brand color 2 and so on.

And everything in that chapter is the same color: the headings, the graphs, the call-out boxes, and even the bullet points.

When the reader sees a new color, they know that a color change = a content change.

You can view more examples of color-coding by category here.

If you only have a few hours to edit your report, color-coding by chapter is, by far, the best use of your editing time.

Using Everyday Software in Reports + Dataviz

I’m not a huge fan of specialized software, I use everyday products to make great reports. Word, Excel and PowerPoint are the common denominators when you’ve got many people working on the same report. Creating reports in a software everyone is familiar ensures that they will continue to use the report even when I’m gone.

Controversial Dataviz Advice

Jon loves to get me in trouble, so he asked me whether I have any controversial dataviz advice!

There are definitely some topics that are debated in the data viz world. Here’s my stance on just a couple of controversial topics.

Pie Charts Are Okay

I teach that pie charts are okay–in certain situations. I have a whole blog post with a list of seven rules for using pie charts.

A million people in the dataviz community disagree and say that we should never use pie charts. But, they never follow up with advice on what to do instead. It’s SO unhelpful to bash pie charts without offering better alternatives, which is where all my pie chart makeover blog posts come in.

Whether Bar Charts Should Start at Zero

There’s differing opinions on whether bar charts should start at zero (also known as a zero axis or zero baselines). I would suggest you listen to Jon’s PolicyViz podcast episode #66 with Jessica Witt. She’s an expert on this and I think her recommendation is a good guideline to follow.

In my workshops, I am very clear that you must label your minimum and maximum. I wasn’t always to clear on this but I changed my tune after the last election cycle because I felt like graph-makers were purposely being misleading by not starting charts at zero–and also not labeling their scales.

Your Turn

I brainstormed a dozen ways that we need to adapt our training styles when speaking in our home country vs. when visiting another country… but there are probably a dozen more. Someday, in all my “spare” time, I’ll write a follow-up blog post with additional tips. In the meantime, what am I missing?