Week 4: Developing Presentations and Slideshows
Developing Presentations and Slideshows INTRODUCTION
That which you have just completed is course 6, the final course in the series, where you have learned how to communicate in effective presentations and slideshows regarding your data analysis. Here, you analyzed every aspect of that analysis while preparing your presentation, which then required it to be able to present messages clearly, accessibly, and persuasively, while drawing on clear, accessible, and persuasive data visualizations.
The course also provided ways of anticipating possible shortcomings and handling questions that may arise during the presentation. The skills learned from this Coursera course in Google Data Certification would make presenting findings much easier and more confident.
This section of the course will build your confidence to prepare presentations that communicate the findings of your data analysis. It will involve strategies on getting beautiful visuals that can drive the trends or patterns observed in the data.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe best practices for the question-and-answer section of a presentation.
- Explain the caveats and limitations of the data in the presentation.
- Distinguish between the strong content of the weak presentation.
- Describe how a junior data analyst is expected to develop his/her presentation skill.
- Explain the principles and practices associated with effective presentations.
- Identify appropriate responses to presentation objections.
Test Your Knowledge on Effective Presentations
1. Which of the following is an example of a business task? Select all that apply.
- Identifying a company’s most productive manufacturing plants (Correct)
- Finding relationships between weather patterns and economic activity (Correct)
- Comparing in-person and online clothing purchasing trends to make stocking decisions (Correct)
- Theorizing that the amount of coffee purchased per day increases in the summer
Correct: Data analytics may be used in the above instances when comparing purchasing patterns, finding the most productive manufacturing plants, and linking the weather with the economy in business tasks.
2. A supervisor asks a junior data analyst to present two hypotheses regarding a data analytics project. What is the purpose of a hypothesis?
- To theorize about data (Correct)
- To describe methods
- To summarize data
- To introduce findings
Correct: The function of a hypothesis is to construct a theory or presumption about your data. Data analysts formulate hypotheses to define what they try to prove or disprove through analysis, which helps guide the direction of the investigation and helps focus the efforts on testing particular ideas or relationships.
3. Which of the following is an example of an initial hypothesis? Select all that apply.
- A manufacturing plant’s reduced output in the last month is due to a natural disaster that shut down production.
- A company’s trend of annual revenue growth is from an increasing number of online sales (Correct)
- A relationship exists between the holiday season and increased traffic congestion (Correct)
- An increase in wildlife presence is due to a record high in annual rainfall
Correct: It is a theory or a supposition which you would prove or disprove with evidence. Example of initial hypotheses: A trend in annual revenue growth due to an increase in online sales; a relationship of the holiday season to increased assertion of traffic congestion; increased presence of wildlife due to the annual high levels of rainfall-records. These hypotheses help direct where your analysis might most appropriately head because they pose questions that you should be able to test using existing data.
4. In the McCandless Method, the first step involves communicating to the audience where they should focus and what the graphic is about. Which step is this?
- State the insight of your graphic
- Introduce the graphic by name (Correct)
- Calling out data to support your insights
- Answer obvious questions before they’re asked
Correct: This indicates that the very first step in the McCandless Method would be determining the focal point audience perception when it is required to communicate clearly where that audience should direct its attention and what the graphic is about. “This is a graphical presentation on graph title,” it says, introducing the reference itself as well as directing a viewer to recognize what one ought to look for in the graphic.
Test Your Knowledge on Presentation Skills and Practices
1. Which techniques can be helpful to prevent nerves before a presentation? Select all that apply.
- Describe each graph in-depth
- Prepare materials beforehand (Correct)
- Channel your excitement (Correct)
- Speak quickly so you don’t run out of time
Correct: The color of the chart can be changed and adjusted; the data can be modified, and the chart types may be changed. Now you have the necessary techniques to customize different types of charts. Next, you will be better prepared for future lessons on data visualization that will provide you with the ability to create visually but clear and striking visual representations. This learning will help teach you for effective data visualization.
2. Which technique can make it easier to keep your body calm before a presentation?
- Practicing breathing exercises (Correct)
- Applying the five second rule
- Preparing material beforehand
- Starting with broad ideas
Correct: These exercises should be practiced before gonna discuss that topic nowadays before calm and greatly reduces tension in one’s body. Deep, controlled breathing techniques are instrumental in achieving relaxation and focus so that a presenter can present confidently and calmly.
3. Which practices are helpful for keeping an audience focused on your presentation? Select all that apply.
- Make constant gestures
- Make eye contact (Correct)
- Build in intentional pauses (Correct)
- Be mindful of nervous habits (Correct)
Correct: Focused audience attention is brought about by practices such as eye contact, reducing nervous habits, and intentional pausing, all of which have been discussed above. Eye contact establishes a connection, reducing nervous habits creates fluidity in your presentation and intentional pauses give your audience time to process information or create emphasis.
Test Your Knowledge on Caveats and Limitations to Data
1. What is the technique that data analysts use to help them anticipate the questions a stakeholder might have during a Q&A?
- Limitation test
- Practice swing
- Colleague test (Correct)
- Stakeholder brainstorm
Correct: The peer test is a convincing method of judging all potential questions from essential stakeholders at the time of the actual Q&A. Letting a colleague see the presentation beforehand allows that person to discover the points, which would later become ambiguous or pique interest. This decidedly helps you answer a few questions and produce more thoughtful answers, equipping you for the time of the Q&A.
2. You present to your stakeholders, and they express concern about how your results compare to previous results. Which kind of objection are they making?
- Presentation skills
- Analysis
- Findings (Correct)
- Data
Correct: When the stakeholder raises the objection concerning your findings then it is important to listen carefully, recognize what they’re saying, and respond with clarity to what they’re saying. You can address an objection to your findings using other ways such as providing additional context, data or evidence backing-up your findings, or offering additional explanation on the methodology for your analysis. Constructive dialog is a trust-building as well as a presentation-strengthening activity.
3. After your presentation, a stakeholder is concerned about whether your data comes from a reputable source. In what ways should you respond? Select all that apply.
- Question why the stakeholder is concerned
- Follow up with details about the source (Correct)
- Acknowledge that the objection is valid (Correct)
- Take steps to investigate the source further (Correct)
Correct: Indeed, the greatest tactic to approach a valid objection is to appreciate how it is valid. Then, provide further details, saying that you’ll check it out with the stakeholder.
Test Your Knowledge on Listening, Responding, and Including
1. After you finish giving a presentation, an audience member asks your team for additional information on your topic. Your coworker is answering the question thoroughly, but you notice that the rest of your audience has tuned out. How can you re-engage your audience? Select all that apply.
- Repeat the question
- Interrupt your coworker
- Redirect to a new question (Correct)
- Ask a question to the audience (Correct)
Correct: In case the audience seems to lose interest, you can bring a change in discussion to a new question or ask the audience a question to re-engage their attention and kindle it anew.
2. You answer a question from an audience member, who then seems confused. You conclude that you didn’t understand the question. What should you have done differently to avoid the issue? Select all that apply.
- Repeated the question to clarify (Correct)
- Elaborated more on the topic
- Provided more context for their answer
- Listened to the full question (Correct)
Correct: In such a case, you could have done one of the two: listened to the entire question or repeated the question in order to clarify. This enables you to understand the all that is being asked so you can give a response that is direct and complete.
3. Your audience has several questions after your presentation, and you may not have enough time to answer them all. How should you proceed?
- Repeat each question
- Involve the whole audience
- Keep responses brief and follow up after the presentation (Correct)
- Understand the context of each question
Correct: Be brief and focused in each response, and you’ll get to answer many questions in little time. It would show you have addressed the query but still enabled the move on to the next question. Followed by a Q&A, that could also be revisited for clarifications if needed later.
1. Fill in the blank: You are working as a data analyst at a gas company and want to learn more about top-performing staff members. You create a _____, which states that employee success hinges on a successful onboarding process when people are first hired. You hope to either prove or disprove this theory with your data.
- business task
- statistic
- hypothesis (Correct)
- trend
Correct: An hypothesis is a theory or presumption you make to be proved or disproved by data. Such an analysis forms the basis of your investigation and guides your exploration of possibly related or patterned connections in the data.
2. According to the McCandless Method, what is the most effective way to first present a data visualization to an audience?
- Tell the audience why the graphic matters
- Introduce the graphic by name
- Answer obvious questions before they’re asked (Correct)
- State the insight of the graphic
Correct: The first opportunity to inform your audience, according to the McCandless Method, is to address obvious questions even before they are asked. This proactive approach will help set the tone for understanding with the audience while steering the audience’s focus for better engagement in the presentation.
3. You are preparing for your first presentation at a new job. Which strategies can help you combat nervousness about presentations? Select all that apply.
- Channel your nervousness into excitement about your topic (Correct)
- Improvise your material to speak naturally
- Practice and prepare your material (Correct)
- Do breathing exercises to calm your body down (Correct)
Correct: One can actually rely upon practice of the content he or she is going to present, transform used nervous energy into excitement, and learn various breathing exercises to simply get rid of the jitters. Practicing all possible preparations for such a presentation, additional helpful techniques to calm worries, and present oneself as generally confident and effective are especially important for new jobs.
4. You are preparing for a presentation and want to make sure your nerves don’t distract you from your presentation. Which practices can help you stay focused on an audience? Select all that apply.
- Use short sentences (Correct)
- Be mindful of nervous habits (Correct)
- Speak as quickly and briefly as possible
- Keep the pitch of your voice level (Correct)
Correct: Some creative ways of enhancing your audience awareness include becoming conscious of nervous habits, making use of shorter sentences, and speaking in an even pitch. All techniques are to ensure clarity and attendance, making it less likely that distractions occur during your presentation and that it loses hearing power in order to preserve your message.
5. You are running a colleague test with your coworkers. One coworker points out that she doesn’t understand one of your graphs. What can you do to prepare for presenting to your stakeholders? Select all that apply.
- Move the graph to a later slide
- Elaborate on the data from the graph (Correct)
- Redesign the graph (Correct)
- Remove the graph
Correct: Redesign it or explain further about what the data is display. Set up a Colleague Test to catch and resolve any likely issues in presenting it before showing to your audience.
6. Your stakeholders express concern that the results of your analysis are very different from the predictions they made last year. Which kind of objection are they making?
- Presentation skills
- Data
- Findings (Correct)
- Analysis
Correct: This is wherein the stakeholder objects to your results as they are worried about the effectiveness of the analysis. This mostly occurs when they find something wrong, inconsistent, or problematic that needs addressing or clarification in the final results.
7. You are on a team of analysts presenting to your stakeholders. Your teammate responds to an objection about your steps of analysis by repeating the steps and then getting defensive when the stakeholders don’t seem to understand. What could they have done to respond to the objection more appropriately? Select all that apply.
- Acknowledge that the objection is valid (Correct)
- Describe the approach you took in your analysis (Correct)
- Promise to investigate your analysis question further (Correct)
- Remind the stakeholders of your successes
Correct: Your colleague should have accepted the objection rather than become defensive. Reiterating steps taken might not be sufficient to address the concern. Your teammate might simply explain the approach to take the still objection and assure that he or she will investigate it further.
8. You are presenting to a large audience and want to keep everyone engaged during your Q&A. What can you do to ensure your audience doesn’t grow disinterested despite its size?
- Wait longer for the audience to ask questions
- Repeat your key findings
- Keep your pitch level
- Ask your audience for insights (Correct)
Correct: An alternative way of going about it is by asking if any person has prior knowledge or prior experience regarding the subject you’re presenting to an audience. In a bigger community, it is more likely to have at least one individual having something valuable to say or tell about it. Bringing them towards such insight opens up the space for discussion and interaction as well as throwing in greater participation in the presentation.
1. Scenario 1, questions 1-9
You have been working as a junior data analyst at Bowling Green Business Intelligence for nearly a year. Your supervisor, Kate, tells you that she believes you are ready for more responsibility. She asks you to lead an upcoming client presentation. You will be responsible for creating the data story, identifying the right tools to use, building the slideshow, and delivering the presentation to stakeholders.
Your client is Gaea, an automotive manufacturer that makes eco-friendly electric cars. For the past year, you have been working with the data team in Gaea’s Bowling Green, Kentucky, headquarters. For the presentation, you will engage the data team, as well as its regional sales representatives and distributors. Your presentation will inform their business strategy for the next three-to-five years.
A big part of audience engagement is knowing how to eliminate less important details. What practice do you use to scan quickly through the data in order to identify the most important insights?
- Spotlighting (Correct)
- Filtering
- Balancing
- Ranking
Correct: Spotlighting utilizes a methodology of scanning across data and pinpointing most important insights. It helps the data analyst concentrate on the trends, patterns, or findings relevant to their study and presents an overall picture of the broad, universal messages or ideas that are crucial to making informed decisions.
2. Scenario 1, continued
Your team’s analysis has revealed three key insights:
- Electric vehicle sales demand is expected to grow by more than 400% by 2025.
- The number of publicly available vehicle charging stations is a significant factor in consumer buying decisions. Currently, there are many locations with so few charging stations that electric car owners would run out of power when traveling between stations.
- Vehicle battery range is also a significant factor for consumers. In 2020, the average battery range was 210 miles. However, the vast majority of survey respondents report they will not buy an electric car until the battery range is at least 300 miles per charge.
Fill in the blank: Based on these insights, you create a clear and direct _____, which will guide your data story.
- specific question
- business case
- problem statement
- primary message (Correct)
Correct: A very clear, straightforward primary message is created in guidance for guiding your data story. This matches up with best practices for learning a primary message, ensuring that the audience knows what the analysis is about and can follow the story effectively.
3. Scenario 1, continued
Next, you decide on your data narrative’s characters, setting, plot, big reveal, and aha moment. During the narrative, you want to communicate to your stakeholders about the challenges associated with the current lack of vehicle charging stations and why it’s important for Gaea to increase its cars’ battery range by 2025.
Information about charging stations and the need to increase battery range will be part of the setting of your data story.
- True
- False (Correct)
Correct: This too shall be part of the coming plot. The plot creates tension for the story data by conflict, describing an obstacle or problem. Such a plot, in Gaea’s case, would revolve around two big themes: explaining problems caused by the absence of vehicle charging stations and giving reasons as to why it is necessary for Gaea to increase its cars’ battery range by 2025. These might serve to create a story out of which analyses could be made by portraying the urgency behind these matters.
4. Scenario 1, continued
Now, it’s time to consider which tools to use to create data visualizations that will clearly communicate the results of your analysis. You and your team decide to make both spreadsheet charts and Tableau data visualizations. In addition, you want to provide them with a tool that will achieve the following goals:
- Organize multiple datasets about electric vehicle battery ranges into a central location
- Enable tracking and analysis of electric vehicle data
- Simplify data visualizations about the number of available charging stations using maps of the different geographies
What tool do you create for your stakeholders?
- Database
- Algorithm
- Dashboard (Correct)
- Spreadsheet
Correct: You develop a dashboard. The dashboard has innumerable benefits in narrating data stories. It provides a platform to funnel information from different datasets into one central location, thereby making tracking and analysis easier. You can use the dashboard in visualizing data through tables, charts, and graphs for an easier and more complete view of key metrics and trends.
5. Scenario 1, continued
Now that you have finished planning the data story with your team, it’s time to create data visualizations. First, you consider electric vehicle sales worldwide in 2015 compared to 2020. You use a spreadsheet to create the following bar graph to compare the two values:
You add information on the x-axis to represent a scale of values for the total electric vehicle sales and on the y-axis to represent the time periods (2015 and 2020).
- True
- False (Correct)
Correct: The x-axis of vertical bar graphs stands for time intervals, types, or other variables; the y-axis stands for the scale of values of those variables. Each bar height is equivalent to the categories or time periods denoted on the x-axis.
6. Scenario 1, continued
Next, you explore how access to public car-charging stations is influencing electric vehicle purchases. As your analysis has revealed, there are many areas without enough places for people to plug in and charge their cars. This lack of charging stations has a negative impact on demand for electric cars and overall vehicle sales.
You use Tableau to create the following draft of a visualization, which organizes the charging station data geographically:
After reviewing your draft, you realize that it could be improved. What steps do you take to make your map more effective? Select all that apply.
- Choose darker values (Correct)
- Add more space between each state
- Select more varied hues (Correct)
- Make the intensity of the colors stronger (Correct)
Correct: Strategic use of colors in a map will help the viewers understand the data. To further enhance this map, brighter shades can be increased to improve visibility, diversified color palettes can be selected to differentiate geographic areas, and darker values of hues can be incorporated to contrast and render differences in color more visible. These changes would render the map clearer and much more easy to use by the audience.
7. Scenario 1, continued
Now, you want to highlight what your team’s analysis discovered about the number of charging stations available compared to the number of cars purchased. Your data has confirmed that the lack of charging stations causes the effect of fewer car sales. To communicate this effectively, you will need to convey causation to the stakeholders.
How do you explain causation?
- Causation is when an action directly leads to an outcome, such as a cause-effect relationship. In the case of Gaea’s business, the lack of charging stations directly leads to the outcome of fewer car sales (Correct)
- Causation is the measure of the degree to which two variables move in relationship to each other. In the case of Gaea’s business, charging station numbers and car sales move in the same direction
- Causation involves everything associated with an event. In the case of Gaea’s business, the lack of charging stations has a negative effect on the entire automotive marketplace
- Causation involves how often data values fall into certain ranges. In the case of Gaea’s business, data about the number of charging stations will fall into ranges associated with car sales
Correct: Causation is an action causing something else to happen. For example, the lack of charging stations in the business of Gaea directly results in fewer car sales as customers are discouraged by limited charging infrastructure. It shows how causation helps to understand the relationship between the different factors with their consequences.
8. Scenario 1, continued
Once you finish creating data visualizations about the current state of the electric vehicle market, you turn to projections for the future. You want to communicate to stakeholders about the importance of longer vehicle battery range to consumers.
Your team’s data includes feedback from a consumer survey that investigated the importance of longer battery when choosing whether to purchase an electric car. The current average battery range is about 210 miles. By 2025, that distance is expected to grow to 450 miles per charge.
You create the following pie chart:
Fill in the blank: After reviewing your pie chart, you realize that it could be improved. You resize the _____ so they visually show the different values.
- axes
- labels
- segments (Correct)
- values
Correct: Resize chart segments to reflect distinctive visible values accurately. Confusing the audience by setting all segments to equal size rather than differing aspects between various values leads to misinterpretation indicating that all of the values are the same. Adjustment of the segment sizes according to their corresponding values would help guide the audience better in the understanding of the data relationships between values.
9. Scenario 1, continued
It’s time to build your Tableau dashboard for stakeholders. You consider what type of layout to use.
Describe the differences between vertical and horizontal layouts. Select all that apply.
- Horizontal layouts prevent items from being layered over other objects
- Horizontal layouts adjust the width of the views and objects contained (Correct)
- Vertical layouts prevent items from being layered over other objects
- Vertical layouts adjust the height of the views and objects contained (Correct)
Correct: Horizontal and vertical layouts adjust views and objects space in such a way that vertical layouts manage the view and objects’ heights while a layout keeps widths of the views and objects. They can also be described as layouts built primarily for UI design to allow placement and orientation contents optimally for space usage and for usability. Thus, for example, vertical layouts can be used for stacking the items, like in lists, while horizontal layouts can correspond to side-by-side arrangements of the displayed components-perhaps like navigation bars or image galleries.
10. Scenario 2, questions 10-15
You have created your narrative and visuals, so now it’s time to build a professional and appealing slideshow. You choose a theme that matches the tone of your presentation. Then, you create a title slide with a title, subtitle, and the date.
Next, you create the following slide that compares electric vehicle sales in 2015 and 2020:
After reviewing your slide, you realize that it could be improved. What steps do you take to make the two text boxes beneath the header more effective? Select all that apply.
- Edit the text to fewer than five lines total (Correct)
- Use abbreviations to reduce the amount of text
- Edit the text to fewer than 25 words total (Correct)
- Ensure the text does not simply repeat the words you plan to say (Correct)
Correct: So while the text needs convincing, you need to reduce it to less than five lines and 25 words. Explain how everything you put on the slide differs from your speech so that your audience does not fall asleep and stays glued to the message.
11. Scenario 2, continued
You then create the following slide to demonstrate the challenges associated with battery range and charging stations:
After reviewing your slide, you realize that the visual elements could be improved. Which of the following options would help you make the visual elements on this slide more effective? Select all that apply.
- Use a consistent font size and color for data visualization titles (Correct)
- Use more colors in the map
- Provide a detailed written explanation of both data visualizations
- Choose one data visualization to share on this slide, then create another slide for the second data visualization (Correct)
Correct: Maximize the effectiveness of visuals by concentrating on one single data point per slide, reserving separate slides for other complementary visualizations. This clarification allows for each slide to remain focused. Finally, use a uniform font size and color for all titles across the different data visualizations to ensure cohesion and professionalism.
12. Scenario 2, continued
You complete your slideshow and share it with your team. Once it is approved by your supervisor, you prepare to give your presentation. You consider presentation best practices: maintaining good posture, being aware of nervous habits, and making eye contact. In addition, you think about how you will present your data visualizations.
What strategies can help you explain the data visualizations effectively? Select all that apply.
- Start with the broader ideas (Correct)
- Channel your excitement (Correct)
- Speak quickly to save time and cover all important data points
- Use the five-second rule (Correct)
Both are true statements, but the second one tends to sound a bit glossier and less straightforward. The refined version is as follows:
To interpret data visualization effectively, inspire some enthusiasm, start from broader ideas, and use the five-second rule.
13. Scenario 2, continued
Next, you prepare for the question-and-answer session that will follow your presentation. What methods help you predict what questions your audience may ask? Select all that apply.
- Add automotive jargon to your presentation to demonstrate that you understand these industry terms.
- Be prepared to consider and describe any limitations of your data (Correct)
- Make sure you have a clear understanding of Gaea stakeholder objectives (Correct)
- Do a test-run, or colleague test, of your presentation (Correct)
Correct: You need to have a thorough understanding of and analyze the objectives of Gaea’s stakeholders so that you can assess and predict what questions they might ask. Also, conduct a run-through of your drive and possible limitations of your data-based investments.
14. Scenario 2, continued
Now that you have some idea of the questions the stakeholders will ask, you consider potential objections. You and a team member consider different objections that might arise. Your team member asks you how you will respond if someone from Gaea has an objection that you haven’t prepared for.
You say that you will respond professionally using the information you currently have available in order to move quickly past the objection.
- True
- False (Correct)
Correct: If you are unprepared to respond to an objection, you should acknowledge that the objection is valid. Then, you can let the Gaea team know you will investigate further and follow up with more details.
15. Scenario 2, continued
The big day has arrived, and you have just finished giving your presentation to the Gaea team. It’s now time for the question-and-answer session, and a stakeholder asks you a very detailed question about one specific electric vehicle charging station initiative.
You listen to the whole question, then repeat it. For what reasons is this important? Select all that apply.
- It ensures the entire audience has heard the question, in case they did not when it was originally asked (Correct)
- It enables you to rephrase it in a way that is easier to answer
- It helps you confirm that you understand the question (Correct)
- It gives the stakeholder a chance to correct you if you misunderstand (Correct)
Correct: It also enables the stakeholder to make any corrections along with ensuring the understanding of the entire audience. Moreover, it helps in retrospection where you listen to the complete query and reiterate it with high accuracy.
16. What are the benefits of using dashboards to tell stories about your data? Select all that apply.
- Simplify data visualizations about the number of available charging stations using maps of the different geographies (Correct)
- Organize multiple datasets about electric vehicle battery ranges into a central location (Correct)
- Enable tracking and analysis of electric vehicle data (Correct)
- Maintain control of your data narrative to keep Gaea stakeholders apprised of your insights
17. What strategies can help you speak effectively? Select all that apply.
- Building in intentional pauses to give your audience time to think about what you have just said (Correct)
- Using short words and sentences (Correct)
- Keeping the pitch of your sentences level so that your statements are not confused for questions (Correct)
- Speaking quickly so you are sure to have time to include all important data points
One will be able to have proper speaking with the help of practicing with short words and sentences, level pitch, and incorporated intentional pauses. The way helps to keep the audience captivated as well as clears the message.
Developing Presentations and Slideshows CONCLUSION
By the end of this part of the course, you’ll be equipped to confidently create presentations that effectively communicate your data insights. You’ll have learned how to design visuals that emphasize trends and patterns in the data, and you’ll understand how to use interactive elements to engage your audience and enhance your message. Join us on Coursera today to gain these valuable skills!