{"id":3462,"date":"2017-04-28T19:00:47","date_gmt":"2017-04-28T19:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/box5167.temp.domains\/~leapica1\/?p=3462"},"modified":"2023-03-09T18:28:52","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T18:28:52","slug":"data-presentation-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zohf.me\/lp\/data-presentation-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways Data Analysts Can Build Trust with their Data Presentations"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”5 TRUST-BUSTING DATA PRESENTATION MISTAKES YOU MIGHT BE MAKING” text_orientation=”center” header_fullscreen=”on” header_scroll_down=”on” scroll_down_icon=”%%2%%” admin_label=”Fullwidth Header” _builder_version=”4.6.1″ title_font=”||||||||” title_font_size=”50px” title_letter_spacing=”1px” title_line_height=”1.1em” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)” background_image=”https:\/\/leapica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Lea-Pica-Data-Presentation-Mistakes-Featured.jpg” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”on” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”0px||0px|” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” hover_enabled=”0″ title_font_size_tablet=”” title_font_size_phone=”22px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” title_line_height_tablet=”” title_line_height_phone=”1em” title_line_height_last_edited=”on|phone” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” module_class=”blog-hero-section” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ max_width=”800px” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”800px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″]<\/p>\n

Trust.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"LeaTrust is a tricky character. We all want people to give us theirs, and yet we are super wary of giving it out ourselves. In family, in love, and of course, in business.<\/h4>\n

Earning the trust of others as a data analyst is a tall order. Trust is an ephemeral entity that can instantly vaporize during a presentation if certain checks and balances aren\u2019t in place to cement your credibility.<\/h4>\n

At the end of my flagship Raise the Bar Chart Boot Camp workshop<\/a><\/strong> for analysts and marketers, I conduct the Live Exercise, where students present a revamped presentation to the class using the principles I teach. The students then communally critique the presentation with my gentle assistance. The Live Exercise is arguably the most valuable component of the training because it locks in core concepts in a way that teaching alone can\u2019t accomplish. <\/strong><\/p>\n

And after delivering this workshop enough times, I\u2019ve identified patterns of how we unwittingly present data in a way that can undermine our audience\u2019s confidence in us.<\/p>\n

This post will take you through the five most common mistakes we make in presenting data that break trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, we\u2019re going to have a little fun with this one. I\u2019m going to show you each slide first, and then ask you to take a minute to be your audience and think about what might throw you off.<\/strong> Think of it as a modified \u201cCheck…and Double Check\u201d exercise of Highlights Magazine yesteryear.<\/p>\n

Alright, you game?<\/p>\n

Of course you are! Here we go!<\/p>\n

Challenge #1<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Lea<\/p>\n

From an audience perspective, what would throw you off about this slide?<\/p>\n

ANSWER: The title insight doesn\u2019t match the visualization<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Notice that while the title insight references campaign-level performance, the graph only depicts what\u2019s happening on the channel level.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A mismatched insight to visual can create a trust chasm between you and your audience. Most accusations won\u2019t hold up in a court of law without presenting the evidence. Presenting your hard-won insights to an audience of skeptical stakeholders is no different.<\/p>\n

Visual reinforcement of your statements not only can bridge the trust gap, but research suggests that it can also increase the recall of your information up to 65% three days later [source<\/a>]. So if you\u2019re using a chart to substantiate your claim, make sure the written insight is easily gleaned from the visual. Here\u2019s how I\u2019d present it:<\/p>\n

\"Lea<\/p>\n

Notice how I\u2019m reinforcing what the graph is showing, but also providing calculated context within the portfolio.<\/p>\n

One of the most common reasons I see this happen is because of what I call \u201ccrystal ball\u201d syndrome<\/strong>: the analyst has access to all the data things, and quotes a stat they came across during an offline analysis. But that stat isn\u2019t reinforced by the visual, so it seems to the audience that either the presenter is eerily clairvoyant or just full of…well you know.<\/p>\n

The exception I use to this rule is when I\u2019m using just text and relevant imagery to visually communicate a stat or insight. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Note that I use this technique sparingly, and often I follow up that slide charting a related metric that visually represents both of the insights. Or, I\u2019ll include a charted representation of the figure in the appendix.<\/p>\n

BOTTOM LINE: The critical role of your graphical visuals are to \u00a0reinforce your message, so take care to make sure your insight and your visual are on the same page!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t this fun?? \u00a0Ok, on to the next example:<\/p>\n

Challenge #2<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

ANSWER: Using subjective words to describe performance<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I see this one a lot. A lot a lot a lot. \u201cDid better\u201d is maaaaaybe not the most impactful way of phrasing what exactly went down here because it sounds subjective.<\/p>\n

Subjectivity is a tricky character in a setting where neutrality is key in facilitating data-driven decisions. <\/strong>Subjective assessments can look like:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \u201cQ3 clickthrough rate was worse than <\/strong>as Q2\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cCreative A didn\u2019t perform as well as<\/strong> than Creative B\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cMobile search conversion rate was not as good as <\/strong>desktop conversion rate\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    And yaddah. Note that these are all statements I\u2019ve seen presented during performance readouts. It\u2019s important to be mindful that words like \u201cgood\u201d, \u201cbad\u201d, \u201cbetter\u201d, and \u201cworse\u201d, are subjective judgments.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Nicely neutral descriptors for performance and comparison include:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Higher \/ Lower<\/li>\n
    • Increased \/ Decreased<\/li>\n
    • Outperformed \/ Underperformed<\/li>\n
    • Elevated \/ Declined<\/li>\n
    • Exceeded, Outpaced, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Now, that\u2019s not to say that you will always have 100% statistical confidence in your statements, or you may get asked a question on the spot where your best guess will have to suffice. Here\u2019s how you can represent your story with greater dispassion:<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      BOTTOM LINE: The more concrete your language, the more trust your audience has in your insights. Avoid subjective assessments when possible.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Oh and, that Empire hover cats beat basic hover cats. Every. Single. Time.<\/p>\n

      And that segues ever so nicely into our next pitfall. Well, what have we here?<\/p>\n

      Challenge #3<\/strong><\/h2>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      Don’t peek at the answer!! Ok, I\u2019ll give you a hint – it\u2019s related to our previous oopsie daisy:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      ANSWER: Vague performance language without context<\/strong><\/h2>\n

      Just saying a metric increased isn\u2019t enough; your audience will instantly want to know by how much.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      This is another common pitfall that won\u2019t necessarily break trust, but it falls short in communicating as much pertinent information as possible to your stakeholders. When presenting data, you want to eliminate the opportunity for as many question marks as possible. <\/strong><\/p>\n

      Observations that create more questions than answers include:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • \u201cConversion rate went down last month\u201d<\/li>\n
      • \u201cKeyword A performance was higher than Keyword B in Q3\u201d<\/li>\n
      • \u201cOnline sales exceeded our benchmark\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        From my decade of experience observing and speaking to stakeholders about data, I notice a strong propensity for them to demand more contextual assessments.<\/p>\n

        Always remember that one of your most important goals as a presenter is for your audience to do less work by answering their questions before they ask them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Here\u2019s how I would rephrase this observation to slake my stakeholder\u2019s thirst for context:<\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        BOTTOM LINE: Context is key in creating trust in your work because it shows you\u2019ve gone the extra mile to anticipate a likely question they\u2019ll ask about performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Alright, next example!<\/p>\n

        Challenge #4<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        This issue falls once again into the \u201cprove it!\u201d camp. And the pitfall here is\u2026<\/p>\n

        ANSWER: Referencing targets or goals not visually displayed<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        Targets and goals make the\u00a0business world go \u2018round. Without them, we have no sense of accountability for continuous improvement. I can feel question marks arise from audience members\u2019 heads as soon as a goal is referenced without being clearly articulated.<\/p>\n

        Once again, those questions marks translate to extra work your stakeholder\u2019s brain is doing to create context and keep up with you. I prefer to add a target line in black for total neutrality, but use a dot or dashed style to indicate that it is a projection, not actual data. As so:<\/p>\n

        \"Lea<\/p>\n

        BOTTOM LINE: Context is key in creating trust in your work because it shows you\u2019ve gone the extra mile to anticipate a likely question they\u2019ll ask about performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        And last but by no means least, our final challenge:<\/p>\n

        Challenge #5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        Tricky one, eh? What could possibly be missing? I\u2019ll give you a hint: it\u2019s been present on every example except for this one. One itty-bitty teeny-weeny detail (where the devil liveth):<\/p>\n

        ANSWER: Not citing your data source<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        This is an easy fix for preventing loss of trust. \u00a0Every single time a numerical value is expressed in a presentation, a data source MUST be cited. This is one non-graphical element that doesn\u2019t count as extraneous \u201cslide fluff\u201d like logos and watermarks and is essential for engendering analysis trust. The format is as simple as follows:<\/p>\n

        \u201cSource: Platform\/Reference, Month Year.\u201d In our example it makes a little cameo in the bottom left corner like so:<\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        And, the oft-cited rule for a minimum font size of 20 pt need not apply since it doesn\u2019t articulate a story-specific message. I usually set the source disclosure to around 10 pt, depending on the font.<\/p>\n

        BOTTOM LINE: Context is key in creating trust in your work because it shows you\u2019ve gone the extra mile to anticipate a likely question they\u2019ll ask about performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        Building trust with your stakeholders during data presentations is an essential component to using that time productively to inspire action and create your indispensability. I\u2019m confident that with just being mindful of the most common trust-breaking pitfalls, you\u2019ll be winning your clients and execs over every time you present.<\/p>\n

        PS – For the love of all that is holy moly, please do not start a presentation with, \u201cSo the bad news is\u2026\u201d This is an excellent way to trigger your stakeholders and put them on high alert for negativity. I believe that there is no bad news in analytics insights, only opportunities. <\/strong><\/p>\n

        Campaign missed a target? Opportunity to present new ideas for meeting it next month.<\/p>\n

        Publisher underdelivered on a campaign? Money back for a make-good that can be reallocated to a more effective channel.<\/p>\n

        Data feed failed? Resolve it immediately, estimate a timeframe needed to collect enough additional data for analysis and accept that we are not gods of technology.<\/p>\n

        For me, part of the art of presenting data is about reframing \u201cbad news\u201d into opportunities, not failures.<\/p>\n

        You only fail if you fail to take action on what you\u2019ve learned. <\/strong><\/p>\n

        Put that on a t-shirt!<\/p>\n

        How do you work to build trust with your audience?<\/h2>\n

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