Volume 3, No.1
Spring 1997

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BOOK REVIEW:
Charts That Deliver Your Message

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CHARTS THAT DELIVER YOUR MESSAGE
By: Beverly Gumola

BOOK REVIEW OF:
Gene Zelazny, Say it with Charts,
Chicago: Irwin Professional Publishing,
Third Edition, 1996. Pp. 198. $45.00

The charts which appear in this article are from Say it with Charts by Gene Zelazny 1996 and are reproduced with the permission of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

Pie, bar, column, line,or dot? What determines the chart form you should use? The answer is a question: What is your message?

The author of Say It with Charts, Gene Zelazny, believes that when charts are well-conceived, they help us communicate more effectively and with greater clarity. When charts aren't well conceived, they confuse us. He makes his point as he demonst rates, often with humor, how to utilize high-impact charts that deliver your message and how to avoid the use of unclear charts. For example, he shows what can happen if the reader doesn't heed his caution to keep dot charts simple.

  Zelazny, a director of visual communications with more than 30 years experience in designing management reports and presentations, begins his book with a story about a manager who knows his numbers but fails to get his message across. His story reminds u s of the times we have examined impressive looking charts but were unable to comprehend the mumbo-jumbo. While we all may be statistically-challenged at times, sometimes our confusion lies at the feet of the presenters who, through poor chart usag e, send obscure or clouded messages. The tow charts that follow illustrate how to tun an obscure message into a clear one:

This useful and fun-to-read book provides a portfolio of more than 80 sample charts and practice exercises. The author shows us how to decide when a chart is needed, how to choose the most appropriate chart, and how to transform raw data into a chart. H is three-step process takes us from data to chart:

1. Determine your message, i.e., the specific point you want to make. This is very important as it is not the data or the measure, but the message that will enable you to choose the correct chart form. The message title should be as brief as possible and summarize what is to be shown.
   
   
   
2. Based on your message, determine the comparison you want to make. There are five basic types:
   • Component comparison - to show a percentage of a total
   • Item comparison - to rank items
   • Time series comparison - to show changes over time
   • Frequency distribution comparison - to show items within ranges
   • Correlation comparison - to show the relationship between variables
   
   
3. Based on your choice of comparison, generally one of five basic quantitative chart forms applies: Pie, Bar, Column, Line, and Dot.

To assist us in following this three-step process, a matrix is provided which illustrates the primary choices: down the side are the five basic chart forms; across the top are the five types of comparison. For some charts, such as time series, frequency distributions, and correlations, there may be several choices of chart forms. Deciding which form to use is determined by the number of data points being plotted. For example, to show time series or frequency distribution with say, six or seven data poi nts, the column chart should be used while the line chart should be used when there are many data points. For correlation comparisons, a bar chart is used to show few data points while a dot chart is used to show many.

This book is packed with pointers and tips to help the reader make good chart choices, such as:

• Charts are visual aids; they are never substitutes for writing or saying what you mean.
• Fewer are better. Use charts only when they will clearly help get your message across.
• Pie charts are the most popular and they shouldn't be. They are the least practical and should account for no more than 5% of the charts used in a presentation or report. Also, to make the most of pie charts, don't use more than six slices; if you have more, select the five most important components and group the remainder into "other."
• Bar charts are the least appreciated. But they should receive more attention. They are the most versatile and should account for as much as 25% of all charts used.
• Column charts are "good old reliables" and line charts are the workhorses; these tow forms should account for half of all charts used.
• Dot charts have their place 10% of the time.
• Charts used in combination, say, a line chart with a column chart or a pie chart with a column chart, can be very effective.

Charts are an important part of language. It takes time and patience to learn the vocabulary and lots of practice until the skill becomes second nature. But everyone will know you are a master of your subject when you can present your thoughts in charts that are clear, concise, and meaningful.

This book is an enjoyable read for anyone interested in learning about charts, and a wonderful resource for those interested in improving the quality of the reports they produce.