Course: The Art of Data Presentation and Visualisation

# Data Visualisation and Communication, Practical Course Outline for Emerging Leaders

## Overview
A practical, straight to the point outline for a short, applied programme that turns noisy numbers into clear decisions. This is built for people who have to present data to busy stakeholders, team leaders, emerging analysts, HR managers, and early career product owners, not for statisticians who love degrees of freedom more than outcomes.

## Rationale
Data without context is wallpaper. The real skill is making numbers usable: readable, credible and actionable. Australian organisations are catching up, roughly 48% of businesses report using analytics or [visualisation tools](https://activetrainingservice.mypixieset.com/) to inform decisions, but many still struggle to turn dashboards into decisions. This course focuses on that conversion: insight → narrative → action.

## Target audience and level (randomised)
Emerging leaders and HR managers who regularly brief senior stakeholders and coaches of frontline teams. Level: introductory to intermediate, participants should be comfortable with Excel and have seen a dashboard or two.

## Preferred duration and format (randomised)
3 × 2 hour virtual sessions, run across three consecutive weeks (suitable for distributed teams across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and regional centres like Geelong and Parramatta). Each session is highly interactive: short demos, guided exercises and micro roleplays.

## Delivery mode
Hybrid capable: primarily virtual live delivery with one optional face to face half day consolidation workshop for local cohorts (venue coordination optional, charged separately). All materials and recordings accessible afterward via a secure LMS.

## Price constraint and practical constraints
Base price: $495 inc GST per participant (minimum cohort 8). Travel and venue for face to face consolidation charged extra. Maximum cohort size for quality interaction: 20 participants per live facilitator. We guarantee delivery and confidentiality, standard for our work.

## Learning outcomes (behavioural and measurable)
By the end of the programme participants will be able to:
- Select an appropriate visual form (chart/table/graphic) for a given question and dataset (measured by practical exercise pass rate).
- Reduce dashboard cognitive load: eliminate extraneous visuals and labels (pre/post survey indicates a 40% improvement in clarity ratings).
- Construct a [3-slide presentation](https://presentationcourse.mypixieset.com/presentation-training-course/) insight story (problem, evidence, recommendation) and present it in 5 minutes (assessed via roleplay scoring rubric).
- Apply at least three accessibility adjustments (colour contrast, text size, alt text) that meet basic WCAG guidelines.
- Produce one contextualised [business recommendation](https://moderncoachingstraining.mypixieset.com/personal-development/) derived from data, with confidence scoring and caveats (manager observation and post course follow up).

## Assessment and measurement (randomised)
- Pre course diagnostic: short questionnaire to establish baseline comfort with tools and principles.
- Practical checkpoints during sessions: live file submissions, templated worksheets and quick peer reviews.
- End of course assessment: a graded 3 slide presentation scored against a rubric (clarity, appropriateness of chart, integrity, action orientation).
- Post course measures: 6 week follow up survey and optional manager observation checklist to measure behaviour change on the job.

## Session by session breakdown

### Session 1, Foundations: Why visualisation matters, and how to start
Duration: 2 hours

1. Opening (10 minutes)
- Quick poll: what frustrates you most about dashboards you've seen? Single word responses. Immediate empathy building.

2. Short conceptual framing (15 minutes)
- Why visualisation matters: from cognitive load to decision velocity.
- One statistic to anchor the argument: roughly 48% of Australian businesses report using analytics/visualisation to inform decisions (context drives urgency).

3. Principles that matter (30 minutes)
- Clarity over cleverness.
- Simplicity, accuracy, relevance.
- A short, contested opinion: Most executive audiences prefer crisp static slides over complex interactive dashboards for [governance meetings](https://realcoachingssystems.mypixieset.com/time-management-skills/), controversial, but useful.
- Practical rule: "If your chart needs a manual, it's broken."

4. Chart choosing clinic (30 minutes)
- Live demo with real Company style datasets: when to use line, bar, stacked bar, area, scatter, histogram, boxplot and heatmap.
- Quick decision tree exercise: participants choose chart types for 6 scenarios (grouped breakout rooms).

5. Hands on activity (25 minutes)
- Workbook exercise in Excel: create two charts from a short dataset and apply formatting fixes (axis, labels, legend).
- Peer review using a 3 point checklist.

6. Wrap and micro homework (10 minutes)
- Prepare a one paragraph insight from their day to day data to bring to Session 2.

### Session 2, Design, integrity and storytelling with data
Duration: 2 hours

1. Quick recap and participant sharing (10 minutes)
- Volunteers share their one paragraph insight. Facilitator feedback.

2. Design essentials (25 minutes)
- Colour, typography, use of white space.
- The 14 word design maxim: Decorative visuals distract users; prioritise clarity so the data, not imagery, conveys the message.
- Colour rules: use palettes for categorical vs sequential data; avoid red/green reliance; alternatives for colour blind audiences.

3. Avoiding misleading visuals (25 minutes)
- Axis manipulations, cherry picking data ranges, and how to spot them.
- Ethics mini lecture: present uncertainty, error bars and confidence, how to be honest without undermining impact.
- Opinion: Honesty in visuals raises trust faster than clever spin, and trust compounds.

4. Storytelling workshop (40 minutes)
- Introduce the 3 slide insight story: Situation, Evidence, Ask.
- Live demo: convert a messy dashboard into a three slide narrative.
- Breakouts: teams convert an assigned dataset into a 3 slide pack; peer critique against the rubric.

5. Accessibility quick wins (10 minutes)
- Text sizes, alt text, keyboard navigation notes, contrast checks.
- Small checklist to use in any review.

6. Wrap and assignment (10 minutes)
- Prepare the 3 slide presentation for the final session.

### Session 3, Production, dashboards and governance
Duration: 2 hours

1. Warm up: gallery walk (10 minutes)
- Share slides prepared for assignment in small groups; quick approvals.

2. Dashboard purpose and audience (20 minutes)
- Distinguish operational dashboards (real time monitoring) vs strategic dashboards (monthly/quarterly decisions).
- Opinion: Most dashboards are built for the creators, not the users. That's fixable.

3. Building for action (25 minutes)
- Action first charting: emphasise comparisons, changes, and thresholds.
- Use of annotations and callouts for decisions.
- Live demo: turning a KPI dashboard into a decision dashboard.

4. Tools and pipelines (20 minutes)
- When spreadsheets suffice; when to move to BI tools; when code libraries are needed.
- Example tool map: Spreadsheet → BI (Tableau, Power BI) → programmatic (Python/R) for bespoke analysis.
- Practical considerations: refresh cadence, data provenance and access controls.

5. [Governance and deployment](https://officestraining.mypixieset.com/conflict-resolution/) (20 minutes)
- Documentation, version control, stakeholder sign off.
- Small policies: naming conventions, archive rules, and scheduled reviews.

6. Final assessment: 3 slide presentations (20 minutes)
- Each participant presents; facilitators and peers grade via rubric.
- Immediate feedback; top 3 examples showcased.

7. Close (5 minutes)
- Micro actions to implement in the first 30 days back at work.
- Optional: follow up coaching and manager observation checklist.

## Learning materials and formats
- Pre read: one pager "Visualisation checklist" and the 3 slide template.
- Workbooks: downloadable Excel file with example datasets and step by step tasks.
- Templates: slide templates, chart style guide, colour palettes, accessibility checklist.
- Recordings: session captures for on demand review.
- Bonus: a "dashboard review" template used internally by our team (we) for client work, anonymised and practical.

## Practical exercises and active learning
- Chart remediation: participants fix poorly designed charts (live).
- Peer critiques: small groups present and critique using a standard rubric.
- Roleplay: presenting to a non technical executive who asks two probing questions within 90 seconds.
- Dashboard triage: teams decide which metrics to keep, archive or reframe.

## Assessment rubrics (brief)
- Clarity (0–5): Is the primary insight instantly obvious?
- Appropriateness (0–5): Is the chosen chart suitable for the question and data?
- Integrity (0–5): Are axes, scales, and caveats correctly represented?
- Action orientation (0–5): Is there a clear, specific recommendation or next step?
- Accessibility (0–2): Basic colour/contrast and readability checks.

## Accessibility, inclusivity and ethics
- Ensure materials meet basic readability and contrast standards.
- Always provide alt text and transcripts for recorded sessions.
- Reinforce ethical [presentation skills](https://bestprogressivecoachings.mypixieset.com/tailoring-training-service/): state limitations, acknowledge missing data, show confidence intervals where relevant.
- Practical tip: use patterns/textures or shapes in charts for colour blind audiences rather than relying on colour alone.

## Trainer competencies and suggested facilitator profile
- Experienced practitioner: worked across corporate, healthcare or public sectors with real dashboards.
- Comfortable with Excel and at least one BI tool (Power BI or Tableau).
- Skilled facilitator: can run breakout rooms, rapid critiques and be candid without being harsh.
- Prefer trainers with a mix of consulting and in house experience, they translate theory into practice quickly.

## Logistics and admin
- Minimum cohort: 8; maximum recommended: 20 per facilitator.
- Technical requirements: stable internet, access to Excel (or Google Sheets), camera and microphone recommended.
- Pre workshop checklist for participants: dataset to work on (optional), permission to share anonymised data where required.

## Follow up and sustainability
- Optional post course coaching: two 60 minute sessions for groups or individuals (bookable).
- Six week check in survey to measure application: did participants implement their 3 slide story? Has their manager noticed clearer decisions?
- Suggested KPI for clients: improvement in clarity ratings for decision briefings (target +30% within six weeks).

## Common objections and our answers (two positive opinions some may disagree with)
- Objection: "Interactive dashboards are always better." My take: Not always. Static, well crafted slides often drive decisions faster in governance settings because they reduce cognitive overhead. Some will disagree, but test it.
- Objection: "You must use fancy tools to be credible." My take: No, 80% of practical decisions can be supported by spreadsheets if the story is clear and the data is clean. The tool is less important than the thinker.

## Common pitfalls we train teams to avoid
- Overloading dashboards with KPIs that aren't directly linked to a decision.
- Using inconsistent colour semantics across reports.
- Forgetting to display uncertainty or data limitations.
- Building for the analyst rather than the decision maker.

## Suggested post course actions for participants
- Day one: prune one existing dashboard of unnecessary charts.
- Week one: present a 3 slide insight to your [manager](https://effectiveleadershipcourses.mypixieset.com/be-more-authoritative-course/).
- Week four: run a team review using the dashboard triage template.

## Workshop add ons (optional)
- Half day intensive for leadership: translate one strategic dataset into a board ready pack.
- Technical deep dive: a two hour session on Power BI or Tableau basics.
- Custom dataset clinic: we work with your anonymised data and co design a dashboard.

## Materials we provide (standard)
- Facilitator slide pack and notes.
- Participant workbook and templates.
- Rubric and scoring sheets.
- Accessibility checklist.
- Post course survey template for managers.

## Evaluation: ROI and measurement suggestions
- Track metrics like time to decision, number of decisions with documented data backing, and stakeholder satisfaction.
- Suggested metric: aim for a 20–30% reduction in the time it takes to prepare decision packs in the first three months.
- We (our team) often use manager observation combined with participant self reporting as the most pragmatic measure.

## Why this format works (brief opinion)
Short, focused sessions over a few weeks embed [learning](https://completetrainingsservices.mypixieset.com/listening-skills-training/) without overwhelming operational schedules. Live practice, immediate feedback and tangible deliverables (3 slide stories) mean learners leave with something they will actually use. Plus, it respects busy calendars.

## Sample week by week micro plan (what participants do)
Week 0: Pre course diagnostic.
Week 1: Session 1 + quick homework.
Week 2: Session 2 + draft 3 slide story.
Week 3: Session 3 + final assessment.
Week 7: Follow up survey and optional coaching.

## What success looks like
- Participants can produce concise, accurate visuals that prompt action.
- Managers report clearer, faster decisions in at least one Business process.
- Teams adopt a simple governance practice for dashboards and reviews.

## Risks and mitigation
- Risk: participants are at very different skill levels. Mitigation: provide differentiated activities and optional [technical deep dive](https://businessbook.mypixieset.com/executive-assistant/) sessions.
- Risk: lack of organisational follow through. Mitigation: include a manager observation checklist and optional coaching to embed change.

## Closing notes
This outline is intentionally pragmatic, the aim is to build usable skills fast. If you want it adapted into a half day in person programme or a 6 week blended version with [e-learning](https://elearningonlinetraining.bigcartel.com/product/how-to-build-work-relationships), we can redesign the activities and reassess the resource needs. We recommend running a pilot with a single team before scaling across the Business.

## Sources & Notes
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Business Use of Information Technology and Communications, 2023 (used to support the statistic about business use of analytics/visualisation tools).
- General pedagogical approach adapted from experiential learning best practice and applied [soft skills training](https://incrediblecoachingsystem.mypixieset.com/invest-in-your-staffs-future/) models commonly used in corporate learning.

## Paraphrase (14 words)
Decorative visuals distract users; prioritise clarity so the data, not imagery, conveys the message.