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Creating Great Charts for Persuasive Trade Show Presentations
by: Rena Klingenberg
A
well-designed chart can be one of the most persuasive elements of
your trade show booth display and literature. It illustrates to
your customers why your product is the obvious solution to one of
their specific needs. It can communicate major benefits or
features more clearly than words can.
To
make a great chart, you need to create a clear, compelling picture
of the data that will call your customers to action. Your chart's
message must be easy for them to understand without having to
study it. Three of the most easily understood chart types are:
1)
Bar charts
Bar
charts are an excellent method of comparing groups of data. Each
data group can consist of a single bar for simple comparisons, or
multiple bars breaking information down into subcategories for
more in-depth analysis.
Bar
charts are easy to interpret because most people are already
familiar with seeing data in this format. You can use bar charts
to emphasize the data represented by the tallest bar, the shortest
bar, the overall trend of the bars, or a change in the bars caused
by a certain variable.
2)
Pie charts
Pie
charts are useful for showing percentages of a greater whole. In a
pie chart, the entire pie represents the total data, and each
"slice" represents data from a particular group within
the whole.
A
pie chart is straightforward and easy to understand. It provides a
clear visualization of the data class that represents the largest
percentage of the whole (represented by the largest piece of the
pie), and the relative value of each of the other data classes.
3)
Line graphs (also called run charts)
Line
graphs show or compare trends, cycles, increases and decreases
over time. Typically a line graph shows events on the y-axis
affected by time on the x-axis. Often a line representing an
average of the data charted is included as a reference point. Or
multiple lines may be charted on a line graph, with each
representing a different product or variable.
Tips
for a Successful Chart
Be
sure your chart compares your data on an equal basis. Use the same
scale for all data categories in one chart (for example, comparing
data measured in dollars with data measured in hundreds of dollars
isn't equal). And use a consistent interval between your data
categories (measuring one-week intervals against 5-week intervals
isn't an accurate comparison).
Use
charts to communicate the significance of your statistics. Some of
the statistics you may want to highlight in your chart are:
-
Mean
value (the average point of all data).
-
Maximum
value (the maximum data point in the series).
-
Minimum
value (the minimum data point in the series).
-
Sample
size (the total number of data points in the series).
-
Range
of data (the maximum value minus the minimum value).
-
Standard
deviation (how widely data are spread around the mean).
Once
you've chosen the best type of chart for the data you want to show
your customers, remember to keep your graphic as simple as
possible. Trade show customers are assaulted by thousands of
images. Don't compare too many things, or include too many
categories of data. Your goal is to educate your customers, not
confuse them.
And
resist the temptation to add fancy extras like pictures and 3-D
effects if they make the chart look busy. If a chart is too
detailed or cluttered, customers won't invest the effort required
to figure it out. They'll bypass it as a technical output of
mumbo-jumbo, and move on to something that clearly and
compellingly calls them to take a closer look at a product.
About The Author
Rena Klingenberg's website, http://www.trade-show-booth-display.com
is a resource for trade show exhibit success information. She is also editor of the online newsletter "Trade Show Success on a Small Budget" at
http://www.trade-show-booth-display.com/newsletter.html
rena@trade-show-booth-display.com
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