Presenting Financial Data Table as an Interesting Visual, not just Excel Block [PowerPoint Q&A]

The challenge is how to make table from Excel look attractive inside your PowerPoint presentation. What to do with it, having only 30 minutes left.

This is a problem I’ve experienced a lot in my projects – How to make financial charts more visual? How to make it eye-catchy and still readable? How to make sure people see there the same important data you want to show?

A few quick tricks I’d suggest:

1. Use colors to show data importance

Usually the rows with Totals, EBITDAs, Profit summaries are more important ones than detailed financial data of specific costs category.

After copying Excel table into PowerPoint, apply colors of the table cells or rows to distinguish more and less important data.

Use high contrast colors, consider using negative color coding (e.g. dark blue background and white text) for the key table rows.

2. Converting tables to other forms

By other forms I mean data plots or other diagrams. Data charts are quite obvious form of table visualization, in case you have quantitative data there. If you have a time you can redesign default charts to something more visually original and attractive like those below.

In case you have a financial plan, that covers a sequence of points in time you can use a financial timeline infographics rather than a classical table .

3. Make columns graphical

Add graphical elements to column headers – a specific icon if you have a space. Or make header as a separate shape over the table

4. Show where to look in a table

Highlight the key financial values – e.g. use a hand drawn arrows or swoosh to circle the key data. You can make them using PowerPoint pen tool, simple shape or some shapes.

Resources to learn more

To learn more tricks how to make visual presentation slides and get practice, consider joining one of our online training or coaching:

• online training workshops – on slides design, advanced PowerPoint or data visualization.
• personal coaching, redesigning your slides together – ask me for details

To get graphical resources you can use to enhance your presentations, check:

• creative table highlighters set in this PowerPoint template
• search through other PPT templates on our infoDiagram platform.

Books for further self-study and reading

• Data Story, Nancy Duarte
• Say if with a Charts, Gene Zelazny
• Slide:ology, Nancy Duarte

I hope that gives you some ideas for start.

PS. If you have any slide design related question, share in comments or contact me directly, I’d love to help.