DATA PRESENTATION
What is Data Presentation?
(Definition, types and how-to)
Indeed, Editorial Team
Updated 1 October 2022
Analysing, presenting and using data to make decisions is an essential function for professionals in a
variety of industries. The ability to organise and share data increases the impact of your research, spreads
awareness and can motivate others to take desired actions. Learning what data presentation is and how
you can use it may help you improve your communication skills and make your research more effective. In
this article, we define data presentation with an overview of the different types of methods you can use to
present data and a step-by-step guide on how to share data with an audience.
What is Data Presentation?
Data presentation is a process of comparing two or more data sets with visual aids, such as graphs.
Using a graph, you can represent how the information relates to other data. This process follows data
analysis and helps organise information by visualising and putting it into a more readable format. This
process is useful in nearly every industry, as it helps professionals share their findings after performing data
analysis.
Types of Data Presentaton
Textual
Tabular
Diagrammatic
Textual
When presenting data in this way, you use words to describe the relationship between information.
Textual presentation enables researchers to share information that cannot display on a graph. An example
of data you may present textually is findings in a study. When a researcher wants to provide additional
context or explanation in their presentation, they may choose this format because, in text, information
may appear more clear. Textual presentation is common for sharing research and presenting new ideas. It
only includes paragraphs and words, rather than tables or graphs to show data.
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Tabular
Tabular presentation is using a table to share large amounts of information. When using this method,
you organise data in rows and columns according to the characteristics of the data. Tabular presentation is
useful in comparing data, and it helps visualise information. Researches use this type of presentation in
analysis, such as:
Qualitative classification: Qualities including, nationality, age, social status, appearance, and
personality traits may appear in a table to review and compare sociological and psychological
information.
Quantitative classification: This category includes items you can count or number.
Spatial classification: This applies to situations where information uses a basis of location, such as
data on a city, state or region.
Temporal classification: Time is the variable in this category, so any measure of time, including,
seconds, hours, days or weeks, may help classify the data.
The benefits of using a table to share your data are that it simplifies the data making it easily
consumable to viewers, helps provide a side-by-side comparison of the variables you choose and it can
save space in your presentation because a table condenses the information.
Diagrammatic
This method of displaying data uses diagrams and images. It is the most visual type for presenting data
and provides a quick glance at statistical data. There are four basic types of diagrams, including:
Pictograms: This diagram uses images to represent data. For example, to show the number of
books sold in the first release week, you may draw five books, where each image accounts for 1,000
books and consumers bought 5,000 books.
Cartograms: This includes any type of map that shares the location of a person, place or object. For
example, cartograms help navigate theme parks so you can find attractions, food and gift shops.
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Bar graphs: This type uses rectangles of different sizes on an x and y-axis to represent different
amounts in a data set. It depicts numerical values and uses rectangles to display data for variables
in your research.
Pie charts: In this type of diagram, data appears as a fraction in a circle. This displays any type of
numerical data but works well with fewer variables.
Since they are more visual than the other methods of presenting data, diagrams can share more
information about the relationships between variables in the data set. For example, a bar graph can show
data by colour, and size of the rectangle and use a more advanced bar graph to share data from multiple
variables over time. The diagrammatic presentation also helps read data quickly and provides an easy
comparison.
How to Present Data?
1. Organise your data
2. Identify your audience
3. Choose a presentation type
4. Label your data
5. Introduce your research
6. Focus on main data point
7. Summary
1. Organise your data
Once your research is complete, analyse and categorise your data. This can include making conclusions
and recognising the relationships between data points. You might organise your data by qualities,
quantities, time or space. Putting the data you collect into categories based on its most identifiable
features is useful in helping you determine how to best present the data. Organisation also helps compare
the data and make important conclusions or to answer your research questions. For example, if your
research is to determine which day of the week is most productive and you survey a group of
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professionals, then you may learn not only which day people are most productive but also may draw
conclusions about productivity among different careers and age groups.
2. Identify your audience
Knowing who your audience is can help you choose how to present your data. Consider how
knowledgeable the audience is on your data topic. For example, if you are presenting data on the
performance of a product to your team, they need less context than a group of investors, who may require
background information on the product. Other important information to know about your audience
includes their interests, problems they experience and how you can resolve these issues, their motivation
for attending your presentation and their general life experience. Understanding your audience helps
customise the presentation to them and increases its effectiveness. You might also consider the reaction
you desire from your audience when they view your data. For example, if you want to convince them to
support a cause, ensure your data reflects this purpose. You can learn more about your audience by
sending them surveys ahead of your presentation with questions about their understanding of your data
topic and their motivations for learning more.
3. Choosing a presentation type
Review the types of data presentation to determine if you are required to use textual, tabular or
diagrammatic presentation. If you choose a diagrammatic presentation you can also identify which type of
diagram fits your data best. To determine which format is most appropriate, identify what you are
comparing with your data. For example, if you are comparing values of a small number of variables, a pie
chart accurately shows percentages and can reveal volumes. A bar graph can show a more precise
comparison of values. If you are presenting information where characteristics or time is a variable, you
might choose a table. You may use textual presentation when you want to provide more context for your
data and explain your findings.
4. Label your data
When creating a diagram or table, ensure that it has labels to describe the information. Include a
title that describes what the table or diagram shows and create labels for the variables that appear. Some
types, such as a pictogram or cartogram may require a key to share the scale you use when representing
the data. For example, images on a pictogram often represent a certain number. These labels provide
clarity to viewers and can help you when presenting the data by helping you to focus on the main points.
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5. Introduce your research
After creating a visual or text to share your data, create an introduction that informs an audience
about your data topic. Include how and why you gather this data to provide context. You might share your
research questions to preface what the data reveals. Consider the key takeaways from your data and be
sure to introduce these ideas to your audience through a slide presentation or speech.
6. Focus on main data points
You can determine the main data points by identifying how the data relate to each other. For
example, if you take a sample of how much time it takes different team members to complete a task, it is
important to know intervals of time and which team member is the quickest and who is the slowest at
completing the task. In this example, you may also examine factors that contribute to how long it takes to
complete a task. Identifying the main ideas of your data and research helps organise your presentation and
communicate clearly with your audience about the significance of the information you gather.
7. Summary
At the end of your presentation, summarise your data findings to ensure that your audience
understands. You can also give time for the audience to ask questions. Try to prepare answers by
thoroughly understanding your research and collection of data. Consider questions about the impact the
data has and actions the audience may take after seeing your presentation.
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