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.).

 Target Audience

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

What People Are Saying

@IndStateNLSA @NPL_Alliance Learned more about #dataviz in 2 days from @AnnKEmery than I have in >15 years in #HigherEducation! #HireHer

— Dr. N.A.Schaumleffel (@drschaumleffel) October 24, 2014

Not only is @AnnKEmery a content expert, but she is also a fabulous facilitator! You want to book her! #dataviz #saassess #eval

— Amber GarrisonDuncan (@amberagd) October 24, 2014

Just had a great afternoon of learning tech tools for #MandETech Did not know excel was so amazing for data visualization @AnnKEmery rocks!

— ClaudiaB (@cityconservancy) September 26, 2014

Psyched for @AnnKEmery 2-day data viz webinar. Looking at the dense agenda, this may be the most useful data training I’ve had in a while. — Bryan Hall (@Bryan_E_Hall) September 23, 2014

[email protected] Just got brave enough to try my first VLOOKUP in Excel. Saved at least an hour of work — no surprise!

— Ann M. Martin (@Annie314159) September 12, 2014

Follow @AnnKEmery for fantastic data visualization tips tricks and examples. Great session at #OLE2014 — Roxanne Hanson (@roxannehanson) September 10, 2014

Purchase the Recording and Accompanying Materials

This webinar has finished, but you can still purchase the recording and accompanying materials. Contact me.