3 Unexpected Tricks to Present Big Data in PowerPoint on Accounting Meetings

How to present a large amount of data is a very common question among accountant. Although it may seem simple, this process is actually a very complex one; it is not a problem to present a few or even a dozen of numbers, but when there are a thousand of them then it gets a little complicated. Besides that, accountant usually has a very little time at their disposal to present their data, so they have to be very concise. In order to do so, they have to find the most simple and effective way to organize their data. In the text that follows, a few pieces of advice on this topic will be listed and elaborated.

            Columns

People receive the majority of information through their eyesight, so it is very important how the numbers are presented. Here is one example:

The list of countries with their GDP per capita (in $):

1.     Australia 48899
2.     Belgium 45047
3.     The Czech Republic 33232
4.     Denmark 47985
5.     Equatorial Guinea 38639
6.     France 42314
7.     Germany 48111
8.     Hong Kong 58322
9.     Ireland 69231
10.    Japan 41275

On this list, which two countries have the highest GDP? Which two countries have the lowest GDP?

One probably won’t be capable to answer these two questions in a few seconds. Now, the next example will include the columns.

What about now? If one tries to answer the two mentioned questions, how much time will he need now? Probably only a couple of seconds. In a blink of an eye, one can see that the two top-rated countries are Ireland and Hong Kong and that the two bottom ones are the Czech Republic and Equatorial Guinea. Besides this, when data is presented in this way, it is very easy to see the relations between different data, which allows a better understanding of the whole domain.

One should remember that this is a very simple example, as there are only 10 elements. When there are thousands of data, the advantages of this kind of presentation are even more obvious.

            Line chart

Of course, one should remember that in PowerPoint different data should be presented with the appropriate graphical representation. For example, it is very hard to represent the trend via columns (it can be done, but it is very impractical). There is a better solution for these kinds of data, and that is the Line diagram. It can represent the way in which a particular domain is changing through time. Here is one fictive example:

It is clear that presenting these data via columns would be very messy, not to mention tables. This way, one can easily see during which period the sale was the best, how the sales vary trough months, what are the relations between the different periods, etc… Without this line diagram, it is almost impossible to present all of these data in a short period of time.

            Pie diagram

Pie diagrams are a great solution that can be used to represent the share of each element of a particular domain. In the example below, the percentages of each element of the air are represented via pie diagram.

This graphical representation of the percentages can help the people to gain an insight into the relationships between the elements.

These are very useful tips on how one can organize his data in a more transparent and concise way. By applying these pieces of advice, he will be capable to present all of his data and information in a very short period of time.

However, it should me mention that another very effective way to resolve these issues is to find a mentor or a tutor who could provide the necessary assistance or accounting homework help. Finding an expert who is capable of providing complex calculations and analysis, and can transform the data from excel to PowerPoint, can often be very helpful and even crucial.