Have you ever emailed a report to a client and wondered whether they even read about the results? Have you tried sharing results during in-person meetings only to watch their eyes glaze over? If so, this workshop is for you. As data becomes easier and cheaper to collect, the sheer volume of information available to us (and to our clients) can become overwhelming. Visualizing data through charts, graphs, and diagrams is one strategy for delivering bite-sized information that stakeholders can understand at a glance and retain for the long run.

During this 60-minute webinar, we’ll discuss how to select appropriate chart types; emphasize key findings with color; and take the guesswork out of your graphs through titles, subtitles, and annotations. We’ll focus on researcher-specific considerations: designing with stakeholders’ information needs front and center, using readily available software like Microsoft Excel, and thinking through a dozen chart types—dot plots, small multiples, heat maps, and more—that can be applied to the social sciences. We’ll conclude with strategies for sharing visualizations through videos, handouts, slidedocs, social media, and dashboards. You’ll leave with the critical thinking skills and technical prowess needed to create visualizations faster and easier than you ever thought was possible.

Webinar objectives: After the webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe recent trends in data visualization;
• Explore preliminary patterns by sketching charts by hand and via sparklines and conditional formatting in Excel;
• Weigh the pros and cons of presenting data through various chart types (e.g., clustered bar charts versus dot plots);
• Reduce chart clutter by adjusting borders, grid lines, and tick marks;
• Emphasize key findings with color;
• Write titles, subtitles, and annotations that summarize desired takeaway messages;
• Review drafts of visualizations that were created by you or one of your colleagues; and
• Identify which communications mode(s) are best for sharing charts (e.g., reports, handouts, presentations, etc.).

Level: Beginner

Target audience: Social scientists who are relatively new to data visualization. This is a 101-level introduction to data visualization best practices.

Prerequisites: An interest in presenting research and evaluation findings more effectively through charts, graphs, tables, and diagrams. No computer programming experience or graphic design skills needed.

About the presenter: Ann K. Emery, M.S. is an independent consultant who specializes in data visualization and evaluation capacity building. She is the Co-Chair of the American Evaluation Association’s (AEA) Data Visualization and Reporting Topical Interest Group, Secretary for the Washington Evaluators, Advisory Board Member for AEA’s Potent Presentations Initiative, member of the Nonprofit Technology Network’s Research Committee, and a past conference planner for the Eastern Evaluation Research Society. She has taught workshops about data visualization, data analysis, and dashboards for dozens of nonprofits, foundations, and professional societies, and co-authored the Data Visualization Checklist with Stephanie Evergreen. Her work has been featured on Beth Kanter’s blog, Visualising Data, Markets for Good, and the National Center for Family Philanthropy, among others. Connect with Ann through her blog (annkemery.com/blog) and through Twitter (@annkemery).

Registration:

1. First, please RSVP through GoToWebinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2017663571789881345 You will be asked for your name, email address, organization, and zip code.
2. Second, please pay through PayPal using the link below.

Questions? Please contact me.