Why charts help, and the steps in full

Why bother with charts? The book gives three reasons:

• Help to explore: a chart shows at a glance whether variables are related, much faster than paging through raw figures.
• Help to present: a chart gives information in very little time, which is why newspapers and magazines use them to sum up ideas.
• Help to convince: a chart turns a mass of information into a picture that persuades.

Put simply, a chart puts a huge volume of data in a small space, and people grasp it, compare it and remember it more easily. Pick the chart for the message: bar charts compare absolute values at separate points; pie charts show relative shares; graphs bring out trends, even in data that jumps about, like share prices.

The steps in full, in order:

• Enter the data with titles.
• Create a basic chart.
• Change its layout or style.
• Add or remove titles and data labels.
• Show or hide the legend.
• Show or hide the axes and gridlines.
• Move or resize the chart.
• Save it.