Data Visualization: Connecting Audiences to Data - Essay Sample

Introduction

Data collected from various sources has to be analyzed and presented in a simplified manner to make it easier for the consumers of the data to comprehend the patterns and relationships that exist between the various variables being highlighted. Therefore, when presenting different sets of data, it is vital for one to adopt data presentation techniques that enable them to connect with their audiences while also ensuring that the audience can interact with the data appropriately (Azzalini, Walton, & Scarpa, 2012). An excellent presentation must incorporate different methods of data presentation (Evergreen, 2017). The data must also be broke down and presented in the simplest way possible to make it easier for the audience to memorize, analyze, and interpret the data during the presentation (Evergreen, 2017). Therefore, whatever medium that one used to present the data, they must first ensure that the data is simplified, visually appealing, and easier to follow through and interrogate (Azzalini, Walton, & Scarpa, 2012). This essay provides an objective critique of both a poster and a PowerPoint presentation that presents data on the need to improve email communication.

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Evaluation of the Methods Used in Terms of How Well They Communicate the Data Within the Given Context

Both the presentation and the poster employ different approaches to communicate the data. To begin with, the presentation is exact and straight to the point. The presentation has been structure effectively, thereby enabling the student to present the information effectively to the audience. The data in the presentation has been presented systematically in a comprehensive manner that makes it easier for the audience to comprehend. The presentation and the poster adopt four main methods of presenting the data. These are the textual method, the tabulation method, the graphical method, and the semi-tabular method (Evergreen, 2017). All these methods combine effectively in the presentation to make it easier for the audience to follow through the presentation, understand the facts and data being presented, as well as finding it more comfortable to memorize the data and establishing various relationships or patterns that exist among the multiple sets of data (Evergreen, 2017).

The first dominant method that has been used to present data in the PowerPoint presentations the textual method. This method involves using words and phrases to highlight significant aspects of the data being presented to the audience. This approach has been widely used in the presentation to highlight a different type of data, including the literature reviewed in the research as well as when showing the demographics feature of the sample used in the survey. For instance, the presentation begins by first highlighting the sources used in the research, as part of the literature review (Azzalini, Walton, & Scarpa, 2012). This helps the audience to understand that the information being presented to them has been gained through comprehensive research. The audience can also note down the various sources presented to conduct their research later o to corroborate the information and data submitted to them (Evergreen, 2017). Therefore the fact that the presentation makes this information available to the audience adds to the credibility of the data and the information that is presented to the audience (Swires-Hennessy, 2014).

The other important aspect of the textual approach used in presenting the data is the focus on the demographics used in the study. The presentation contains a breakdown of the analysis of the research subjects and participants in the study (Wachter, 2014). This is vital because it helps the audience to determine the suitability of the research population to verify the credibility of the data presented to them (Swires-Hennessy, 2014). Thus, the presentation shows vividly the various demographic features of the population and the sample used in the survey (Wachter, 2014). This helps to ascertain the credibility of the information presented in the subsequent slides.

The second data presentation strategy used in the presentation is tabulation. The presentation uses tables to provide a more precise and systematic order of the data in rows and columns that are spelt out (Swires-Hennessy, 2014). This is vividly seen in the fourteenth and the fifteenth slides where the data has been broken down systematically into simple tables that form the basis of the presentation (Schwabish, 2017). Tabulation allows the audience to have a bigger picture or a bird's eye view of the data. Also, it is easier for the audience to understand the relationships between different aspects of the data being resented as it helps to avoid unnecessary confusion (Knaflic, 2015). Therefore, tabulating helps to simplify complexes sets of data for easier consumption by the audience (Schwabish, 2017). The presentation also uses the tables to save on both time and space that would have been used to present the entire sets of data (In, & Lee, 2017). The tables also help to facilitate comparison, interpretation, and analysis of the data by the audience.

The other important strategy or approach used to resent the data in the presentations is the graphical method. This refers to the use of visual aids, such as graphs and charts, to present complex sets of data in a more consumable manner (Torres, Preskill, & Piontek, 2005). The presentation contains a detailed analysis of the data using visual aids that enable the audience to easily follow through and comprehend the statistics (Knaflic, 2015). For instance, the presentation incorporates the use of pie charts and graphs to break down the data into simplified units that can be easily understood by the audience (Torres, Preskill, & Piontek, 2005). Using visual aids is important when presenting data because they supplement that words ad data with pictographic representations of the data (Knaflic, 2015). The audience can easily determine the relationships that exist between different sets of data. Visual aids also help to generate and maintain the interest of the audience in the presentation (Healy, 2019). Furthermore, the use of visual aids in presenting data is also significant because it helps the audience to capture and memorize the different sets of data easily as opposed to merely using words to present the data (Schwabish, 2017).

Finally, the presentation also inoculates the use of the semi-tabular method in presenting the data. This is where the speaker uses both texts and graphs or tables to present vital information or data to the audience (Healy, 2019). This method has been used in the eighteenth slide as well as in the twentieth slide, where the speaker used both graphs and text to highlight important aspects of the data (Healy, 2019).

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Data Visualization Choices

Based on the methods and approached used in presenting the data in the PowerPoint slides as well as in the poster, it is vivid that the data visualization choices the speaker adopted were highly effective. The presentation contained vast amounts of data that could be complex for the audience to digest had the data been presented using only one approach (Schwabish, 2017). Instead, the speaker adopted different methods and techniques to break down the data to make it simple for the audience to follow through and understand (Becker, 2014). The use of strategies such as graphs and tables, or a combination of both makes it easier for the audience to visualize the data, identify the emerging patterns, and interpret the data easily. The graphs and charts used are very colorful, thereby making it easier for the audience to view them (Knaflic, 2015). This also helps to generate and maintain the interest of the audience in following through the presentation (Schwabish, 2017).

The effectiveness of the data visualization choices in the presentation as well as in the poster can be attributed to various factors. For instance, the speaker adopted different methods for presenting the data. This ensured that the combination often different data presentation and visualization methods had a lasting impact on the audience. The audience can easily follow through the presentation and interact with the data. Furthermore, the data has been arranged logically. This enables than the audience or any individual viewing the poster to easily grasp the trends and patterns the evolve from the data.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this paper has presented a critique of a poster and a PowerPoint presentation covering the subject of email communication. The critique has mainly focused on the strategies or approaches used to present the data as well as the effectiveness of how the data has been presented. It is worth noting that both the poster and the presentation have embraced multiple approaches and strategies for organized resenting the data. The four basic methods used in presenting the data are the graphical method, tabulation, textual method, and a combination of both text and visual aids or the semi-tabulation method. Therefore, when presenting different sets of data, it is vital for one to adopt data presentation techniques that enable them to connect with their audiences while also ensuring that the audience can interact with the data appropriately. A good presentation must incorporate different methods of data presentation. The data must also be broke down and presented in the simplest way possible to make it easier for the audience to memorize, analyze, and interpret the data during the presentation. The use of different strategies for presenting the data has made the presentation and the poster quite effective in communicating and presenting the data. This is because the data can easily be viewed through visually appealing graphs and charts, which make it easier for the audience to interact with the data. Also, the use of tables also makes it easier for the audience to understand the relationships between different sets of data. Therefore, how the data has been presented on both the poster and the presentation is highly effective.

References

Azzalini, A., Walton, G., & Scarpa, B. (2012). Data Analysis and Data Mining: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Becker, L. M. (2014). Presenting your research: Conferences, symposiums, poster presentations and beyond. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Evergreen, S. D. H. (2017). Presenting data effectively: Communicating your findings for maximum impact. Los Angeles: SAGE

Healy, K. J. (2019). Data visualization: A practical introduction. Princeton, New Jersey.

In, J., & Lee, S. (2017). Statistical data presentation. Korean journal of anesthesiology, 70(3), 267-276. doi:10.4097/kjae.2017.70.3.267

Knaflic, C. N. (2015). Storytelling with Data: A data visualization guide for business professionals. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.

Schwabish, J. A. (2017). Better presentations: A guide for scholars, researchers, and wonks. New York: Columbia University Press.

Swires-Hennessy, E. (2014). Presenting data: How to communicate your message effectively. Chichester, West Sussex, UK; Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Torres, R. T., Preskill, H. S., & Piontek, M. E. (2005). Evaluation strategies for communicating and reporting: Enhancing learning in organizations. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

Wachter, K. W. (2014). Essential Demographic Methods. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.