How to make graphs that work


Seth Godin had a great post on the use of graphs in the business world that I thought was particularly useful after being at the Shopper Insights in Action conference last week.

It is fascinating, but not shocking watching people perk up for images and stories and videos and slump into their chairs at the sight of charts on a screen.

It's not that the data isn't important, it is just that the data should be used to support a story, not to tell the story.

Over the next week or so I'll be posting notes from select sessions at what was an excellent conference. Stay tuned!

Comments

Clare said…
Im looking forward to the notes!

Yes graphs can be a bit of a downer in conferences but can be used as a great argument backup. If you are trying to prove a point using a graph is a great way to show data in a visual form, allowing the audience to get a real grasp of the numbers being quoted!
July 24, 2009 at 8:15 AM
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