📎 This article includes 2 downloadable practice files ↓
In this article
A table of 20 numbers on a slide is unreadable from the third row. A chart that shows one clear comparison, with a title saying what it means, lands in seconds.
Three ways to get a chart in
| Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Insert › Chart (data lives inside the deck) | Self-contained | Data typed twice if it’s in Excel |
| Copy from Excel, paste (embed) | Quick; editable | Doesn’t update with Excel |
| Paste Special › Paste Link | Updates when the Excel file changes | Breaks if the file moves |
For monthly packs, linking saves hours: see linking Excel charts to PowerPoint. Right-click a chart › Edit Data to change numbers.
Simplify every chart
- Title with the point: “Chennai adds about Rs 7 lakh a year in southern sales”, not “Sales”.
- Delete clutter: gridlines, borders, 3D, shadows.
- Label directly: data labels on bars, series names next to lines, then delete the legend.
- Highlight one thing: grey everything, colour the bar or line you’re talking about.
- Round numbers: 13.5, not 13.4762.
Build up a chart
With Animations › Wipe › Effect Options › By Series you can reveal “Actual” first, then “Plan”. Use it to tell the story step by step, not for decoration.
Tables
- Insert › Table or paste from Excel.
- Few rows (5–7), few columns; move detail to an appendix slide.
- Right-align numbers, use the same decimals, bold the total row.
- Light style, no heavy borders; highlight the row that matters.
Where beginners go wrong
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Pasting a whole Excel sheet as a picture | Show only the numbers that make the point |
| Legend far from the data | Direct labels |
| Linked chart shows old data | Right-click › Update Link; keep the Excel file in place |
| Different colours for the same series across slides | Use theme colours consistently |
Practice
Download the practice deck below. Edit the chart’s data, re-title and simplify it, then compare with a linked chart from the Excel file. The first slide lists your tasks.
📎 Practice files for this article
- 📙Lesson 4 practice deckThe pitch deck with a chart to edit, simplify and re-title.⬇ PPTX · 39 KB
- 📗Chart data (Excel)The quarterly figures to paste or link as a chart.⬇ XLSX · 5 KB
Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text — import them with Alt+F11 → File → Import File, and always test on a copy.
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