Do you have a presentation at work/school that involves charts and you don’t know how to create them? Well, step 1 would be to take a breather and calm down a bit. And the next step is to realize that mastering graphs in Microsoft Excel is actually not that difficult.
Want brilliant graphs like this? Read more | shutter
If you have the right data, you can simply sort it by any number of rows and columns and get a graphical representation of your data. Here’s how to do it.
Draw your axes
Like any other MS Excel trick, you have to start somewhere. Open a blank Excel sheet and decide on your X and Y axis data. For my example, I chose Year v/s Inflation % for each year. Those are random numbers, but you should know how to incorporate them into your own chart.
It’s best to name a chart that may or may not be part of a larger presentation. I named (Chart: Year v/s Inflation %) right below my data but you can do so anywhere.
Create by selecting
When your data is ready, click Insert tab from the options at the top and then ponder for a minute to see which chart works best for your presentation. If you’re not sure, you can change it later, so don’t worry too much about it for now.
When you click on any chart, the basic idea is to arrange the data on the X and Y axes according to the plan. So right click on the space created when you click on the chart and select Select data.
Make sure this box is empty when you start
If you have anything in the box titled Legendary Articles (Series) then select it and press To move. When it’s empty, go ahead and click Add and here choose Series name as the name of the chart, which I have named Chart: Year v/s Inflation %.
Next is to select the X value and Y value for the series and that can easily be done by selecting the data from the respective columns. Make sure you select only the data and not the name of the column. When all three are selected, press the . button ALRIGHT and that’s it, you’ve got your chart.
Graph editing
Once your chart is ready, you can further edit it to your liking. If you hover over it, you will see 3 options on the right side of the chart. First is Chart Elements allows you to add or remove things that you don’t like. For example, if it is a long graph with increasing complexity, the box can be kept Data label selected, as this will show the values right on the chart itself.
If you need to change the look and feel of the chart, then the second option, Style, would be useful. Hovering over some of these options will give you a quick idea of what the final chart will look like. The same can be done by clicking DESIGN options from the top and click on the different options, as shown below.
If you want to take it even further, go back to the top, click Design and then press Quick layout and then try a few layouts that might suit your needs. If you want the axis names highlighted, I found 3 . layout to be most useful. There are more options here, to add a shadow effect, to create a nicer border. So take a moment and get it right.
Mastering PPT: Read our article on how to master PPT with these great tips, they will greatly help in improving your skills.
Give it a try
Things often look pretty daunting when you don’t know how, but can you believe I created the chart below in less than 3 minutes?
All it takes is a little know-how and a quick decisive mind. If it looks good to you, it will look good to your co-workers and supervisors. Get a second opinion if you must, but not before exploring the possibilities.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
