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, and Profit summaries are more important ones than detailed financial data of specific costs categories.

After copying the 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 an obvious form of table visualization, in case you have quantitative data there. If you have time you can redesign default charts to something more visually original and attractive like those below.

For more inspiration how to transform a default Excel chart to unique data infographics in PowerPoint check my article on chart PPT redesign tricks.

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 the header as a separate shape over the table

4. Show clearly where to look inside a table

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

Resources to learn more

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

• online training workshops – on slide 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 to start.

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