Presentations and talks
Explain a chart accurately in speaker notes
Say what is measured and in what units, state the one comparison the chart supports, then name what it cannot show. Keep description and interpretation apart in your notes. A pattern on a chart is an observation, and a cause is a separate claim that needs its own support.
A text to start with
Here is a chart: [description of axes, units, groups, time period and values, or a pasted data table]. The data comes from [source and collection method]. I want to make the point that [takeaway]. Write speaker notes that state what is measured, the main observation, one limitation and the takeaway. Use only what I have described. If something is unclear, such as units or a baseline, ask me before filling it in.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Chart speaker notes
Chart title: [ ] What is measured: [ ] Units: [ ] Groups or categories compared: [ ] Time period covered, per series: [ ] Baseline or comparison point: [ ] Source and collection method: [ ] Main observation, in plain description: [ ] Numbers I will quote, exactly as charted: [ ] What the chart does not show: [ ] Causal claim I am tempted to make: [ ] Support for that claim, if any: [ ] Takeaway sentence: [ ] Likely audience question and my answer: [ ]
Causes, baselines and periods
Look for words like because, led to or drove, and check whether the data design can support them. Two lines moving together do not show that one produced the other. Confirm the chart has a baseline or comparison group, since a rise with nothing to compare against is hard to interpret. Check that the compared series cover the same time periods and use the same definitions. Make sure the axis does not start somewhere that exaggerates a small gap, and that every number in the notes matches the chart exactly.
Ask another agent to check the result
Read my chart notes against the chart description. Challenge any causal wording, any comparison with no baseline and any series covering different time periods. Check that every number quoted matches the data I gave. Rewrite each risky sentence as a plain observation.
Say it aloud with the chart up
Read the notes aloud while looking at the chart and pointing at what you describe. Cut any sentence that repeats what listeners can already read on the slide. Decide how you will answer if someone asks whether the pattern is causal. If the data source documents how it was collected, read its definitions before presenting figures from it.