Few things to keep in mind when highlighting data 1. Know your audience : standard metrics and financial data can often be explained with a well formatted table for a finance team for example. Complex visuals could distract and frustrate. 2. Understand the data and the story and then leverage the visuals that help tell it . Don't force fit a visual to data. 3. Leverage common indicators consistently to avoid confusing the audience. E.g red green yellow indicators have standard meanings , bolding something you want to draw attention to. 4. Finally, use the right visual for the metric. Line graphs for trends , pies to show parts of a whole, funnel charts for the classic sales funnel etc.

Use clear charts, infographics, and dashboards to simplify complex data. For example, instead of raw sales figures, show a line graph comparing revenue trends over time. Use color-coded heat maps to highlight risk areas in financial reconciliations. Infuse storytelling—present customer retention with a funnel chart, explaining drop-off points. Keep visuals simple, avoiding clutter, and use tooltips for extra details. Interactive dashboards, like Power BI or Tableau, let stakeholders explore data dynamically.

One thing I have found helpful in facilitating effective discussions is to: 1. Create a relatable scenario: Develop an example scenario that explains the key points to be discussed. 2. Highlight key points: Highlight key points on which decision to be made. 3. Use visual aids: Keep reference documents that include images, graphs, and other visual aids to enhance understanding. 4. Verify stakeholder understanding: and most importantly keep checking stakeholders understanding in discussion.

I believe that data can be expressed in simple forms no matter how complex they can be. Using simple tools like a board and a marker, pen and paper have been quite useful for informal meetings! For presentations or stakeholder meetings, using data visualization tools like Power I dashboards, Tableau or Excel Pivot tables have proven to be useful to display complex data in simple pictorial forms! Remember, there are always creative ways to display complicated data in easy to understand formats that are fun and interactive!