Data alone does not drive decisions; stories do. This hands-on course teaches you how to transform raw data into clear, compelling visual narratives using Microsoft Excel. You will learn a complete storytelling workflow, including how to understand your audience, choose the right visualization, eliminate clutter, focus attention, and deliver insights that inspire action.
Grounded in cognitive science and design thinking principles, this course goes beyond showing you how to create a chart by also explaining why some visualizations work better than others. Through real-world examples and practical exercises, you will build the skills needed to communicate complex information with clarity, credibility, and impact, whether you are presenting to executives, colleagues, clients, or broader audiences.
Prerequisite:
- Basic Excel familiarity (entering data, simple formulas, sorting, filtering). No prior data visualization or design experience required.
What You'll Learn
- Apply a structured framework to define context, audience, and narrative goals before creating a visualization
- Select the most effective chart type based on data relationships and your intended message
- Recognize and eliminate visual clutter that can obscure meaning
- Use preattentive attributes and Gestalt principles to guide audience attention
- Think like a designer to create accessible, polished, and intuitive visualizations
- Build a data-driven narrative using proven storytelling techniques
- Avoid common visualization mistakes and ethical pitfalls
- Present data stories with clarity in ways that inform, persuade, and inspire action
Learn more about Data Storytelling with Excel at Noble Desktop.
This course is available for "remote" learning and will be available to anyone with access to an internet device with a microphone (this includes most models of computers, tablets). Classes will take place with a "Live" instructor at the date/times listed below.
Upon registration, the instructor will send along additional information about how to log-on and participate in the class.