Learn the best practices for choosing, designing, and avoiding mistakes with bar charts in your business presentations. Bar charts can help you show and compare data clearly and persuasively.

Stacked bar charts have one big weakness: it's very hard to compare categories across bars because they aren't aligned to a common baseline. The only category that is aligned to a common baseline is the bottom-most one, so make sure that corresponds to your category of greatest interest.

What are the best practices for using bar charts in a business presentation?

Bar charts are one of the most common and effective ways to visualize and compare data in a business presentation. They can help you show trends, patterns, differences, and proportions in a clear and simple way. However, not all bar charts are created equal. To make sure your bar charts convey your message accurately and persuasively, you need to follow some best practices. In this article, you will learn how to choose the right type of bar chart, how to design it for readability and impact, and how to avoid common pitfalls and mistakes.

1 Choose the right type of bar chart

There are different types of bar charts that suit different purposes and data sets. The most common ones are horizontal, vertical, stacked, and grouped bar charts. Horizontal bar charts are good for showing long labels, ranking items, or comparing a few categories. Vertical bar charts are good for showing short labels, time series, or comparing many categories. Stacked bar charts are good for showing the total and the breakdown of each category, or the composition of a whole. Grouped bar charts are good for showing the subcategories or segments of each category, or the relationships between multiple variables. You should choose the type of bar chart that best matches your data and your message.

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Christopher Chin

🎵 TEDx Speaker | Making Data Sing as Story | Helping Technical Leaders Communicate with Executive Confidence | Public Speaking Coach | Data Storytelling Trainer | Learn More Here: thehiddenspeaker.com
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Stacked bar charts have one big weakness: it's very hard to compare categories across bars because they aren't aligned to a common baseline. The only category that is aligned to a common baseline is the bottom-most one, so make sure that corresponds to your category of greatest interest.

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2 Design your bar chart for readability and impact

When designing a bar chart, it’s important to make it easy to read and understand. Start with a clear and descriptive title that summarizes your main point or question. Then, use consistent and meaningful colors that highlight the most relevant data points or categories. Labels and legends should explain what each bar or group represents, and use the same units and scales throughout. Appropriate intervals and ranges should be used for the axes, while avoiding too many or too few ticks or gridlines. Finally, use white space and margins to separate and balance your elements, and avoid cluttering your chart with unnecessary details or decorations.

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Nathan Paul Bustamante

Data Analyst | Data Viz | SQL | Python | Research
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I think bar stacked bar charts are great, but one might cram everything in the bar. stacked bar charts are best if you just display 3 to 5 categories. or you can just display the top 3 and categorize the rest as "others"

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3 Avoid common pitfalls and mistakes

Even if you've followed the previous tips, there are still some common pitfalls and mistakes you must avoid in order to maintain credibility and clarity. For example, do not use 3D or perspective effects that distort the proportions and comparisons of your bars. Additionally, don't use too many or too few bars that make your chart look crowded or sparse. Misleading or inconsistent scales should also be avoided, as these can exaggerate or hide the differences or trends in your data. Dual or multiple axes should also be avoided as they can confuse or mislead your audience. Finally, pie charts should not be used instead of bar charts when you want to compare categories or show proportions of a whole. By following these best practices, you can create effective and compelling bar charts that will enhance your business presentation and communicate your data clearly and persuasively.

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4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are the best practices for using bar charts in a business presentation?

1

2

3

4

1 Choose the right type of bar chart

2 Design your bar chart for readability and impact

3 Avoid common pitfalls and mistakes

4 Here’s what else to consider

Presentations

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What are the best practices for using bar charts in a business presentation?

1

2

3

4

1 Choose the right type of bar chart

2 Design your bar chart for readability and impact

3 Avoid common pitfalls and mistakes

4 Here’s what else to consider

Presentations

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